One line, and your AI does the rest

This part is yours, not your kid's, and it is one line long. You copy a line out of HQ, paste it into the AI tool your family already uses, and that tool sets itself up on the computer your kid will build on.

The one line

HQ has a Pair a laptop button beside each kid. Press it and you get a line with a six-digit code in it, and a button that copies the whole thing. It reads:

Set up Arcade Lab on this computer. Read https://arcadelab.abeburnett.com/setup.md and follow it exactly. My code is 418302.

That address holds a runbook written for an AI rather than for you. The tool you paste the line into reads it and works through it: it checks what is already on the laptop, installs what is missing, adds Arcade Lab to its own settings, connects the laptop with your code, and then reads your kid's studio name back to you.

That last part is the proof. The studio name lives on this site, so a tool that can say it is genuinely connected.

A code lasts ten minutes and works once. If it runs out before you get to it, press the button again for a new one.

The one thing to get right

The AI tool has to run on the computer, not in a browser tab. Arcade Lab works by starting a small program on the laptop, and that program is how Coach sees the game your kid is building. A browser tab cannot start a program, cannot reach the game folder, and cannot see the game.

These run on the computer, and any of them works:

Hermes
Claude Desktop
ChatGPT's desktop app
Cursor
Kiro
Claude Code
Codex CLI

These are browser tabs, and none of them works:

claude.ai
chatgpt.com
Google AI Studio

If you paste the line into a tab anyway, the runbook's first instruction is to stop and say so before it installs anything. There is no half-finished state to undo.

What to expect

The tool does the work. Three moments are yours, and it names each one when it reaches it:

It asks before it installs anything. That is your tool's safety check doing its job. Read what it wants to do, then answer.
It may need to restart itself. Some apps read their settings only when they start. If yours asks you to quit and reopen it, do that, then say hi to Coach in the new window.
It may ask for a password. Arcade Lab needs Node, a free program that runs code on the laptop. If Node is not there already, installing it can need the computer's administrator password. Type it yourself, and never tell it to your AI tool.

Four steps

Copy the line from HQ. Open HQ, find your kid, press Pair a laptop, then press copy.
Paste it into your AI tool on your kid's computer, and send it.
Open their map. When the tool is done it hands you one link. Open it on their computer — that is what signs their browser in, and it drops them straight on the map. It works once and lasts ten minutes; if it runs out, ask the tool to pair again and it prints a fresh one.
Say hi to Coach. Hand the laptop over. The first quest is Quest 0: Open the Lab on the map.

What each tool costs, and what it is good at

Any of these seven can run the setup. Pick the one your family already has rather than adding another.

The tool	What it costs	What it is good at	One honest note
Hermes	The app is free. The free model route is listed as free for a limited time; paid plans run $20, $100 or $200 a month	A desktop app built for local work: files, commands, and a separate profile just for the lab	The free model route runs out and makes you wait. Quit and reopen the app after setup
Claude Desktop	Free; Pro $20 a month; Max $100 or $200 a month	Plain chat, and the easiest of these to hand to somebody who has never used a coding tool	On the free tier Coach can look at a game and put it on the shelf but cannot write code; that needs a paid plan. Quit and reopen after setup
ChatGPT desktop	Free; Go $8 a month; Plus $20; Pro $100 or $200	Works with local folders and reads pictures, in an app most families already know	Its MCP settings live behind its own UI; your AI may have to add itself rather than edit a file. Quit and reopen it after setup
Cursor	Hobby $0; Pro $20 a month; Pro+ $60; Ultra $200	Very good at writing and running code, and it picks up the change the moment it is saved	It is a code editor, so there is a great deal more on screen than a game needs
Kiro	Free with 50 credits; Pro $20 a month; Pro+ $40; Pro Max $100; Power $200	Local files, commands and pictures, and it picks up the change on save	It is metered in credits rather than hours, so a long afternoon can use up the free tier
Claude Code	Claude's paid plans are Pro $20 a month and Max $100 or $200. Whether a plan includes this command-line tool was not checked	A command-line tool that is strong across many files at once, and it picks up the change on its next run	It lives in a terminal window, which is the least friendly of these to sit beside
Codex CLI	ChatGPT's plans are free, Go $8, Plus $20, Pro $100 or $200. Whether a plan includes this command-line tool was not checked	The same account as ChatGPT desktop, driven from the command line	Also a terminal window, and the change takes effect on its next run

Hermes

What it costs: The app is free. The free model route is listed as free for a limited time; paid plans run $20, $100 or $200 a month
What it is good at: A desktop app built for local work: files, commands, and a separate profile just for the lab
One honest note: The free model route runs out and makes you wait. Quit and reopen the app after setup

Claude Desktop

What it costs: Free; Pro $20 a month; Max $100 or $200 a month
What it is good at: Plain chat, and the easiest of these to hand to somebody who has never used a coding tool
One honest note: On the free tier Coach can look at a game and put it on the shelf but cannot write code; that needs a paid plan. Quit and reopen after setup

ChatGPT desktop

What it costs: Free; Go $8 a month; Plus $20; Pro $100 or $200
What it is good at: Works with local folders and reads pictures, in an app most families already know
One honest note: Its MCP settings live behind its own UI; your AI may have to add itself rather than edit a file. Quit and reopen it after setup

Cursor

What it costs: Hobby $0; Pro $20 a month; Pro+ $60; Ultra $200
What it is good at: Very good at writing and running code, and it picks up the change the moment it is saved
One honest note: It is a code editor, so there is a great deal more on screen than a game needs

Kiro

What it costs: Free with 50 credits; Pro $20 a month; Pro+ $40; Pro Max $100; Power $200
What it is good at: Local files, commands and pictures, and it picks up the change on save
One honest note: It is metered in credits rather than hours, so a long afternoon can use up the free tier

Claude Code

What it costs: Claude's paid plans are Pro $20 a month and Max $100 or $200. Whether a plan includes this command-line tool was not checked
What it is good at: A command-line tool that is strong across many files at once, and it picks up the change on its next run
One honest note: It lives in a terminal window, which is the least friendly of these to sit beside

Codex CLI

What it costs: ChatGPT's plans are free, Go $8, Plus $20, Pro $100 or $200. Whether a plan includes this command-line tool was not checked
What it is good at: The same account as ChatGPT desktop, driven from the command line
One honest note: Also a terminal window, and the change takes effect on its next run

Prices checked 2026-09-06.

If something goes wrong

Tell the same AI tool: read https://arcadelab.abeburnett.com/fix.md and fix it. That is a second runbook for the same reader, with a check and a repair for each way this comes apart.