Create your first desktop

Before you start#

You will need:

• A Le Bureau account (see Create an account)
• An API key from Anthropic, OpenAI, or OpenRouter (see Configure AI provider)

Step by step#

1. Open the creation form#

From your dashboard, click New Desktop. A modal opens where you configure your desktop.

2. Pick a name#

Give your desktop a name you will recognize later, like "research-agent" or "code-assistant". It shows up in your dashboard.

3. Select a tier#

Choose resources based on what your agent needs:

• Free -- 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 20 GB disk. 5 EUR/mo in LLM credits, 10 tasks/day. Good for trying things out.
• Pro -- 4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, 40 GB disk. 20 EUR/mo in LLM credits, unlimited tasks. For real work. (EUR 49/mo)
• Max -- 4 vCPU, 16 GB RAM, 80 GB disk. 50 EUR/mo in LLM credits, unlimited tasks. For heavy workloads. (EUR 149/mo)

All tiers support BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) -- connect your own API key to use your own budget instead of included credits.

You can upgrade later.

4. Choose your agent type and AI provider#

Pick an agent type:

• OpenClaw -- general-purpose agent. Works with any model via Anthropic, OpenAI, or OpenRouter.
• Claude Code -- Anthropic's coding agent.
• Hermes -- Nous Research's self-improving agent.

Then select your provider (Anthropic, OpenAI, or OpenRouter) and paste your API key. Pick a model from the model selector, which searches available models from your provider's API.

You can also add an embeddings API key to give your agent persistent memory across conversations. This is optional.

5. Create#

Click Create Desktop. Le Bureau will:

1. Clone a pre-built Ubuntu + XFCE image
2. Inject your configuration
3. Boot the VM
4. Start the AI agent and supporting services

What happens during provisioning#

Your desktop goes through two states:

• Booting -- the VM is starting, initialization is running, services are being configured. Usually 30 to 60 seconds.
• Running -- ready to use. VNC viewer, terminal, and chat panel are all available.

The status updates in real-time on your dashboard. Once it shows "Running", click the desktop to connect.

Troubleshooting#

Stuck on "Booting"? Provisioning usually takes under a minute. If it has been more than 2 minutes, refresh the page. If the status still does not change, see Desktop won't start.

"Provider configuration required" error? You need to provide an API key when creating a desktop. Go back to the form and add your key.

Next steps#

Desktop running? See Connect to desktop for how to use the VNC viewer, terminal, and chat panel.