Getting Started

Quick Start Checklist

Start here to choose the smallest useful Research Memex setup for your research workflow.

The best stack is the one you actually start using today.

This page is the setup the other paths share, and The Research Workbench draws how its pieces connect. If you have not chosen a way in yet, Getting Oriented sets out five, including one where Carrel configures the machine with you.

Implementation roadmap

Core references before building

Start here to understand the methodology before setting up tools:

Cognitive Blueprint Prompts - Structured prompt templates
AI Model Reference Guide - Model families, reasoning controls, and sampling defaults
Failure Museum - AI limitations and mitigation strategies

Why first? Learn to prompt, choose models, and recognize AI failures so your setup decisions are grounded.

Essential setup

Get API access:

API Keys Setup Guide - OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, etc.
Free/low-cost options: Google AI Studio for Gemini API access, plus provider free tiers where available

Install foundational tools:

Zotero - Reference management (Required)
Research Rabbit - Citation discovery
OpenAlex - Literature search an agent can run itself
Obsidian - Knowledge management (recommended)
Zettlr - Academic writing (optional)

AI environment

Install MCP servers (optional):

MCP Explorer Guide - How to install MCPs
Advanced MCPs: Sequential Thinking, Lotus Wisdom, Vox MCP

Add capabilities:

OCR & PDF Conversion - Handle scanned papers
CLI Tools Overview - Understand your options

Choose your agentic AI tool

Pick based on your needs:

Beginner-friendly GUI:

Cherry Studio - Multi-model interface, MCP support, Agent Workspace

Google terminal agent:

Antigravity CLI - Current successor path for consumer/free Gemini CLI workflows

Premium option:

Claude Code - Best reasoning, autonomous agents

Maximum flexibility:

OpenCode - 75+ providers, cost optimization

Explore case studies and advanced topics

Learn by example:

Systematic Reviews Syllabus - 4-week course
Session 1 is the review done by hand; Sessions 2-4 show AI workflows in action

Go deeper:

Agentic Workflows - Multi-agent orchestration
MCP deep dives (Sequential Thinking, Lotus Wisdom, Vox MCP)

Next: choose your tools

Start small: most researchers begin with Zotero, Cherry Studio, and Google AI Studio, then add tools as their workflow demands. Choose a setup guide when you are ready.

Zotero Setup

Reference management (Required)

Cherry Studio

AI interface (Required)

Obsidian

Knowledge management (Recommended)

Setup Guides

Complete tool installation and configuration

Core References

Prompt templates and model guides

Failure Museum

Learn from common AI limitations

AI-Readable Docs

llms.txt and Markdown access for AI tools

cite this page

Lin, X. (2026). Quick Start Checklist. Research Memex. https://research-memex.org/docs/implementation/foundational-setup/quick-start-checklist

@misc{docs-implementation-foundational-setup-quick-start-checklist-2026,
  author = {Xule Lin},
  title = {Quick Start Checklist},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://research-memex.org/docs/implementation/foundational-setup/quick-start-checklist}},
  note = {ORCID: 0000-0001-7885-4194}
}

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