Getting Started - Your First Day with Wire

You installed a tool to fix your content. Now you're staring at a blank directory wondering where to actually start.

Wire's first day has a specific order that matters. Build before you audit. Audit before you generate. Skip that order and you end up running commands that depend on data you haven't collected yet. Most people hit a wall not because Wire is hard to install, but because they ran the wrong command first and got an error that made no sense. Where are you right now?

Wire installs as a single Python package. No repository to clone, no build tool to configure. The catch: you need Python 3.10 or higher and an Anthropic API key before you run anything. The API key isn't optional for content generation, but you can build and audit without spending anything. Building is free. Only the step where Wire calls Claude costs money, and that's approximately $0.06 per page. What happens after you run the install?

Running `wire.chief init` generates a full directory structure: config file, API key template, a homepage, and a styleguide. The styleguide is the file that controls how Claude writes. Most people ignore it on day one and wonder later why the output sounds generic. The other thing people miss: the `.env` file is a template. Wire won't call Claude until you've added your actual API key to it. Have you filled in the `.env` file yet?

The build command scans your `docs/` directory and compiles every page. If it finds zero issues, you'll see "LINT: 0 issues found." If it finds problems, they appear inline. The thing that surprises people: a successful build with stub pages is expected. Wire doesn't require full content to build. A 12-word page builds fine. The audit is what flags it as a problem. Did the build succeed?

The audit checks structure, not content quality. It will tell you about thin pages, orphan pages, broken links, and cannibalization. What it won't tell you, without Google Search Console connected, is anything about actual search performance. That's the gap most people hit: the audit looks complete but it's missing the SEO layer entirely. A thin page warning is expected on day one. The question is whether you want to generate content now or connect GSC first.

Wire searches the web, then writes a full page with frontmatter, headings, citations, and internal links. The `--dry-run` flag writes to a preview file instead of overwriting your stub, which matters if you've already written something you don't want replaced. One cost detail that surprises people: each operation costs roughly $0.06. Running `create`, then `enrich`, then `refine` on the same page is three separate calls. After day one, you'll have one real page and a clear picture of what the rest of the site needs.

Once you have 5 to 10 pages, the audit starts showing patterns: overlapping topics, pages competing for the same keywords, content that exists but ranks for nothing. That's when `enrich` and `refine` become useful. Enriching 200 pages costs about $12. The audit that tells you which 200 pages need it costs nothing. The full workflow sequence is in the daily workflow guide, but the short version is: audit first, always, before running anything that calls Claude.

This guide follows AutoFix München, a fictional car repair shop, from installation to first generated page. Every terminal block shows real Wire output. By the end, you will have a working site with an audit report and one Claude-generated page.

Cost for this entire walkthrough: approximately $0.12 (two Claude API calls).

Install Wire

pip install wire

That is the entire installation. Wire ships as a Python package with templates, CSS, and prompt templates included. You do not need to clone a repository or install a build tool.

Requirements: Python 3.10+, an Anthropic API key.

Create Your Site

Create a directory and initialize it:

mkdir autofix-muenchen
cd autofix-muenchen
python -m wire.chief init

Wire generates everything:

autofix-muenchen/
  wire.yml                 # Site config
  .env                     # API key template (fill in your key)
  docs/
    _styleguide.md         # Editorial rules (customize this)
    index.md               # Homepage
  templates/
    base.html              # HTML template (optional override)
    page.html              # Page template (optional override)

Configure

Edit wire.yml with your site details:

site_name: AutoFix München
site_url: https://autofix-muenchen.de
description: "KFZ-Werkstatt in München. Bremsen, Ölwechsel, Inspektion."

docs_dir: docs
output_dir: site

Add your Anthropic API key to .env:

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-your-key-here

Create Your First Topic

Topics are directories under docs/. Each needs an index.md with frontmatter:

mkdir -p docs/services

Create docs/services/index.md:

---
title: "Services - KFZ-Reparaturen in München"
description: "Alle Werkstatt-Leistungen von AutoFix München."
---

Unsere Werkstatt-Leistungen im Überblick.

Create your first content page at docs/services/bremsen/index.md:

---
title: "Bremsen-Reparatur München - Kosten und Ablauf"
description: "Bremsbeläge und Bremsscheiben wechseln bei AutoFix München."
created: 2026-03-10
---

Bremsbeläge nutzen sich ab. Wir prüfen und wechseln Ihre Bremsen.

Your structure now:

autofix-muenchen/
  wire.yml
  .env
  docs/
    _styleguide.md
    index.md
    services/
      index.md
      bremsen/
        index.md

Build the Site

python -m wire.build

Building Wire from docs
Found 3 pages
Built 3 pages in 0.08s
LINT: 0 issues found.

Open site/index.html in a browser. You have a working static site. The build runs in parallel and handles 1,000+ pages in under 3 seconds.

For development, start the dev server with auto-rebuild:

python -m wire.build --serve

Cost so far: $0.00. Building and auditing are free. Only content generation calls Claude.

Run Your First Audit

python -m wire.chief audit services

HEALTH: services (1 page)
  - No GSC data (run: python -m wire.chief data)
  + No dead pages
  + No cannibalization
  + Titles OK
  + Descriptions OK
  + No orphan pages
  + No broken links
  + Source diversity OK
  - 1 thin page(s) (< 200 words)

ACTION: services
  Thin content:
    services/bremsen (12 words)

INFO:
  1 page scanned, 0 archived

The audit found one problem: the bremsen page is a stub with 12 words. That is expected. You have not generated content yet.

What NOT to do on Day 1:

Do not run reword before data. Reword needs GSC keywords to optimize for.
Do not run news before you have real content. News refines existing pages, not stubs.
Do not run deduplicate with one page. You need at least two pages to detect overlap.

The correct Day 1 sequence is: build (verify structure) then audit (see the landscape) then create (generate content).

Generate Your First Page

Let Wire write the bremsen page using web research:

python -m wire.content create services/bremsen

Wire searches the web for information about brake repairs in München, then generates a complete page with proper frontmatter, headings, citations, and internal links. The output might look like:

---
title: "Bremsen-Reparatur München - Kosten und Ablauf"
description: "Bremsbeläge und Bremsscheiben wechseln lassen."
  Kosten ab 150 Euro, Dauer ca. 1-2 Stunden bei AutoFix.
created: 2026-03-10
---

# Bremsen-Reparatur München - Kosten und Ablauf

Quietschende Bremsen deuten fast immer auf abgenutzte
Bremsbeläge hin. Laut [ADAC](https://www.adac.de/...)
sollten Bremsbeläge alle 30.000 bis 60.000 km geprüft
werden...

Cost: approximately $0.06 (one Claude API call).

Verify with Dry-Run

If you want to preview before saving, use --dry-run:

python -m wire.content create services/bremsen --dry-run

This writes to index.md.preview and shows a diff. The original file is untouched.

Connect Google Search Console (Optional)

GSC unlocks Wire's most powerful features: keyword cannibalization detection, SEO rewriting, content gap analysis. Skip this if you are starting a new site with no search history.

Create OAuth credentials in the Google Cloud Console
Enable the Search Console API
Add GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID and GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET to .env
Run: python -m wire.chief data

Wire opens a browser for OAuth consent on first run. After authentication, it saves token.json for subsequent runs.

With GSC connected, re-run the audit:

python -m wire.chief data         # Pull search metrics into local DB
python -m wire.chief audit        # Now includes SEO analysis

The audit now shows keyword overlaps, content gaps, reword opportunities, and dead pages, all computed from real search data.

What You Have After Day 1

What	Status	Cost
Working static site	Built and served locally	$0.00
Audit report	Complete with actionable items	$0.00
One generated page	Full content with citations	~$0.06
Styleguide	Default, ready to customize	$0.00
GSC integration	Optional, connected if set up	$0.00

Total: approximately $0.06 for your first real content.

Day 2 and Beyond

Once you have 5-10 pages and some search data:

Run python -m wire.chief audit to see the full picture
Run python -m wire.chief enrich services to improve all pages at once (~$0.06 per page)
Run python -m wire.chief news services to gather recent news for each page
Run python -m wire.chief refine services to integrate news into pages

See the daily workflow guide for the complete recommended sequence. See Writing for Wire to customize your styleguide. See Prompt Engineering to understand the prompt system.

The audit is always free. Content generation costs approximately $0.06 per page per operation. A full enrich pass on 200 pages costs about $12.