diff --git a/packages/buildthis/esbuild.config.mjs b/packages/buildthis/esbuild.config.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..910ad9b7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/buildthis/esbuild.config.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+/** @type {import('esbuild').BuildOptions} */
+export default {
+  entryPoints: ["src/index.ts"],
+  bundle: true,
+  platform: "node",
+  target: "node20",
+  format: "esm",
+  outfile: "dist/index.js",
+  banner: { js: "#!/usr/bin/env node" },
+  external: ["systeminformation", "open", "@clack/prompts", "commander", "picocolors"],
+  treeShaking: true,
+  sourcemap: true,
+};
diff --git a/packages/buildthis/package.json b/packages/buildthis/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..93443807
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/buildthis/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+{
+  "name": "buildthis",
+  "version": "0.1.0",
+  "description": "Bootstrap your AI workspace with a single command",
+  "type": "module",
+  "bin": {
+    "buildthis": "./dist/index.js"
+  },
+  "files": [
+    "dist"
+  ],
+  "publishConfig": {
+    "access": "public"
+  },
+  "engines": {
+    "node": ">=20"
+  },
+  "scripts": {
+    "dev": "tsx src/index.ts",
+    "build": "node --input-type=module -e \"import esbuild from 'esbuild'; import config from './esbuild.config.mjs'; await esbuild.build(config);\" && chmod +x dist/index.js",
+    "clean": "rm -rf dist",
+    "typecheck": "tsc --noEmit",
+    "test": "vitest run"
+  },
+  "dependencies": {
+    "@clack/prompts": "^0.10.0",
+    "commander": "^13.1.0",
+    "open": "^11.0.0",
+    "picocolors": "^1.1.1",
+    "systeminformation": "5"
+  },
+  "devDependencies": {
+    "@types/node": "^22.12.0",
+    "esbuild": "latest",
+    "tsx": "^4.19.2",
+    "typescript": "^5.7.3",
+    "vitest": "^2.0.0"
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/buildthis/src/__tests__/bootstrap.test.ts b/packages/buildthis/src/__tests__/bootstrap.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fbfce8d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/buildthis/src/__tests__/bootstrap.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+import { describe, it, expect, vi, beforeEach, afterEach } from "vitest";
+
+// Mock fetch globally before imports
+const mockFetch = vi.fn();
+vi.stubGlobal("fetch", mockFetch);
+
+// Mock open, clack, and hardware modules
+vi.mock("open", () => ({ default: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined) }));
+vi.mock("@clack/prompts", () => ({
+  spinner: vi.fn(() => ({ start: vi.fn(), stop: vi.fn() })),
+  select: vi.fn(),
+  isCancel: vi.fn().mockReturnValue(false),
+  cancel: vi.fn(),
+  outro: vi.fn(),
+  log: { info: vi.fn(), warn: vi.fn(), error: vi.fn(), step: vi.fn() },
+  intro: vi.fn(),
+}));
+vi.mock("../hardware.js", () => ({
+  detectHardware: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ tier: "gpu", totalGb: 32, gpuName: "RTX 4090", gpuVramGb: 24 }),
+}));
+vi.mock("../banner.js", () => ({
+  printBuildthisBanner: vi.fn(),
+}));
+
+const { probeRunningInstance, getProviderOptions } = await import("../bootstrap.js");
+
+describe("probeRunningInstance", () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    vi.resetAllMocks();
+    vi.stubGlobal("fetch", mockFetch);
+  });
+
+  it("returns true when health endpoint responds with 200", async () => {
+    mockFetch.mockResolvedValue({ ok: true, status: 200 });
+    const result = await probeRunningInstance(3100);
+    expect(result).toBe(true);
+    expect(mockFetch).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      "http://127.0.0.1:3100/api/health",
+      expect.objectContaining({ signal: expect.any(Object) })
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("returns false when fetch throws (connection refused)", async () => {
+    mockFetch.mockRejectedValue(new Error("ECONNREFUSED"));
+    const result = await probeRunningInstance(3100);
+    expect(result).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("returns false when health endpoint responds with non-200 status", async () => {
+    mockFetch.mockResolvedValue({ ok: false, status: 503 });
+    const result = await probeRunningInstance(3100);
+    expect(result).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("returns false when AbortError is thrown (timeout)", async () => {
+    const abortError = new DOMException("The operation was aborted", "AbortError");
+    mockFetch.mockRejectedValue(abortError);
+    const result = await probeRunningInstance(3100);
+    expect(result).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("getProviderOptions", () => {
+  it("includes local AI option when tier is apple_silicon", () => {
+    const options = getProviderOptions("apple_silicon");
+    const values = options.map((o) => o.value);
+    expect(values).toContain("local");
+  });
+
+  it("includes local AI option when tier is gpu", () => {
+    const options = getProviderOptions("gpu");
+    const values = options.map((o) => o.value);
+    expect(values).toContain("local");
+  });
+
+  it("excludes local AI option when tier is cpu_only", () => {
+    const options = getProviderOptions("cpu_only");
+    const values = options.map((o) => o.value);
+    expect(values).not.toContain("local");
+  });
+
+  it("always includes puter, google, apikey, and skip options", () => {
+    for (const tier of ["apple_silicon", "gpu", "cpu_only"] as const) {
+      const options = getProviderOptions(tier);
+      const values = options.map((o) => o.value);
+      expect(values).toContain("puter");
+      expect(values).toContain("google");
+      expect(values).toContain("apikey");
+      expect(values).toContain("skip");
+    }
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/buildthis/src/__tests__/hardware.test.ts b/packages/buildthis/src/__tests__/hardware.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6283876f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/buildthis/src/__tests__/hardware.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,136 @@
+import { describe, it, expect, vi, beforeEach, afterEach } from "vitest";
+import os from "node:os";
+
+// We mock systeminformation before importing hardware module
+vi.mock("systeminformation", () => ({
+  default: {
+    graphics: vi.fn(),
+  },
+}));
+
+vi.mock("node:os", () => ({
+  default: {
+    cpus: vi.fn(),
+    totalmem: vi.fn(),
+  },
+}));
+
+// Import after mocks
+const { detectHardware } = await import("../hardware.js");
+
+const mockOs = vi.mocked(os);
+
+describe("detectHardware", () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    vi.resetAllMocks();
+    // Default: 16GB RAM
+    mockOs.totalmem.mockReturnValue(16 * 1024 * 1024 * 1024);
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    vi.unstubAllEnvs();
+  });
+
+  it("detects apple_silicon on darwin with Apple CPU", async () => {
+    vi.stubEnv("FORCE_PLATFORM", "darwin");
+    mockOs.cpus.mockReturnValue([
+      { model: "Apple M4 Pro", speed: 3200, times: { user: 0, nice: 0, sys: 0, idle: 0, irq: 0 } },
+    ] as any);
+
+    // Override platform check — use internal platform stub
+    const result = await detectHardware("darwin");
+    expect(result.tier).toBe("apple_silicon");
+    expect(result.totalGb).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+  });
+
+  it("detects gpu on linux with NVIDIA GPU with sufficient VRAM", async () => {
+    const si = await import("systeminformation");
+    vi.mocked(si.default.graphics).mockResolvedValue({
+      controllers: [
+        {
+          model: "NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090",
+          vram: 24576, // 24GB in MB
+          vramDynamic: false,
+        },
+      ],
+      displays: [],
+    } as any);
+    mockOs.cpus.mockReturnValue([
+      { model: "Intel Core i9-13900K", speed: 3200, times: { user: 0, nice: 0, sys: 0, idle: 0, irq: 0 } },
+    ] as any);
+
+    const result = await detectHardware("linux");
+    expect(result.tier).toBe("gpu");
+    expect(result.gpuName).toBe("NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090");
+    expect(result.gpuVramGb).toBe(24);
+    expect(result.totalGb).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+  });
+
+  it("returns cpu_only when si.graphics times out (3 second timeout)", async () => {
+    const si = await import("systeminformation");
+    vi.mocked(si.default.graphics).mockImplementation(
+      () =>
+        new Promise((resolve) => {
+          // Never resolves — simulates a very long hang
+          setTimeout(resolve, 60_000);
+        })
+    );
+    mockOs.cpus.mockReturnValue([
+      { model: "Intel Core i5", speed: 2400, times: { user: 0, nice: 0, sys: 0, idle: 0, irq: 0 } },
+    ] as any);
+
+    // Use fake timers so we don't actually wait 3 seconds
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+    const resultPromise = detectHardware("linux");
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(3001);
+    const result = await resultPromise;
+    vi.useRealTimers();
+
+    expect(result.tier).toBe("cpu_only");
+  });
+
+  it("returns cpu_only when GPU VRAM is below 4 GB", async () => {
+    const si = await import("systeminformation");
+    vi.mocked(si.default.graphics).mockResolvedValue({
+      controllers: [
+        {
+          model: "Intel UHD Graphics 630",
+          vram: 2048, // 2GB — below threshold
+          vramDynamic: false,
+        },
+      ],
+      displays: [],
+    } as any);
+    mockOs.cpus.mockReturnValue([
+      { model: "Intel Core i7", speed: 2800, times: { user: 0, nice: 0, sys: 0, idle: 0, irq: 0 } },
+    ] as any);
+
+    const result = await detectHardware("linux");
+    expect(result.tier).toBe("cpu_only");
+  });
+
+  it("returns cpu_only when si.graphics throws an error", async () => {
+    const si = await import("systeminformation");
+    vi.mocked(si.default.graphics).mockRejectedValue(new Error("graphics query failed"));
+    mockOs.cpus.mockReturnValue([
+      { model: "AMD Ryzen 9", speed: 3600, times: { user: 0, nice: 0, sys: 0, idle: 0, irq: 0 } },
+    ] as any);
+
+    const result = await detectHardware("linux");
+    expect(result.tier).toBe("cpu_only");
+  });
+
+  it("returns cpu_only when controllers array is empty", async () => {
+    const si = await import("systeminformation");
+    vi.mocked(si.default.graphics).mockResolvedValue({
+      controllers: [],
+      displays: [],
+    } as any);
+    mockOs.cpus.mockReturnValue([
+      { model: "AMD Ryzen 5", speed: 3200, times: { user: 0, nice: 0, sys: 0, idle: 0, irq: 0 } },
+    ] as any);
+
+    const result = await detectHardware("linux");
+    expect(result.tier).toBe("cpu_only");
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/buildthis/src/banner.ts b/packages/buildthis/src/banner.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7ae3e12a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/buildthis/src/banner.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+import pc from "picocolors";
+
+const BUILDTHIS_ART = [
+  "██████╗ ██╗   ██╗██╗██╗     ██████╗ ████████╗██╗  ██╗██╗███████╗",
+  "██╔══██╗██║   ██║██║██║     ██╔══██╗╚══██╔══╝██║  ██║██║██╔════╝",
+  "██████╔╝██║   ██║██║██║     ██║  ██║   ██║   ███████║██║███████╗",
+  "██╔══██╗██║   ██║██║██║     ██║  ██║   ██║   ██╔══██║██║╚════██║",
+  "██████╔╝╚██████╔╝██║███████╗██████╔╝   ██║   ██║  ██║██║███████║",
+  "╚═════╝  ╚═════╝ ╚═╝╚══════╝╚═════╝    ╚═╝   ╚═╝  ╚═╝╚═╝╚══════╝",
+] as const;
+
+const TAGLINE = "Bootstrap your AI workspace";
+
+export function printBuildthisBanner(): void {
+  const lines = [
+    "",
+    ...BUILDTHIS_ART.map((line) => pc.cyan(line)),
+    pc.blue("  ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────"),
+    pc.bold(pc.white(`  ${TAGLINE}`)),
+    "",
+  ];
+
+  console.log(lines.join("\n"));
+}
diff --git a/packages/buildthis/src/bootstrap.ts b/packages/buildthis/src/bootstrap.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ad30286f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/buildthis/src/bootstrap.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,145 @@
+import * as p from "@clack/prompts";
+import pc from "picocolors";
+import { detectHardware, type HardwareTier } from "./hardware.js";
+import { printBuildthisBanner } from "./banner.js";
+
+/**
+ * Probe whether a Nexus instance is running on the given port.
+ * Returns true if the health endpoint responds with HTTP 200 within 2 seconds.
+ */
+export async function probeRunningInstance(port: number): Promise<boolean> {
+  try {
+    const res = await fetch(`http://127.0.0.1:${port}/api/health`, {
+      signal: AbortSignal.timeout(2000),
+    });
+    return res.ok;
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Build the provider selection options based on hardware tier.
+ * Excludes local AI for cpu_only machines (too slow for practical use).
+ */
+export function getProviderOptions(tier: HardwareTier): Array<{ value: string; label: string; hint: string }> {
+  const options: Array<{ value: string; label: string; hint: string }> = [
+    {
+      value: "puter",
+      label: "Puter — free, zero-config",
+      hint: "No API key needed",
+    },
+    {
+      value: "google",
+      label: "Google — Gemini free tier",
+      hint: "Sign in with Google",
+    },
+    {
+      value: "apikey",
+      label: "API key — subscription provider",
+      hint: "OpenAI, Anthropic, Groq",
+    },
+  ];
+
+  if (tier !== "cpu_only") {
+    options.push({
+      value: "local",
+      label: "Local AI (Ollama)",
+      hint: "Private, offline",
+    });
+  }
+
+  options.push({
+    value: "skip",
+    label: "Skip for now",
+    hint: "Set up a provider later",
+  });
+
+  return options;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Main bootstrap function.
+ *
+ * Two paths:
+ * 1. Nexus is already running on port 3100 — open the browser
+ * 2. Fresh install — detect hardware, show provider options, print next steps
+ */
+export async function bootstrap(): Promise<void> {
+  printBuildthisBanner();
+
+  const port = 3100;
+
+  // Non-TTY guard: prevent hanging in CI/piped environments
+  if (!process.stdin.isTTY || !process.stdout.isTTY) {
+    console.log(pc.bold("Run this command in an interactive terminal."));
+    console.log("");
+    console.log("  To open Nexus in your browser:");
+    console.log(pc.cyan(`  http://127.0.0.1:${port}`));
+    console.log("");
+    console.log("  To install Nexus on this machine:");
+    console.log(pc.cyan("  npx paperclipai@latest onboard"));
+    process.exit(0);
+    return;
+  }
+
+  // Path 1: Running instance detected
+  const isRunning = await probeRunningInstance(port);
+  if (isRunning) {
+    const s = p.spinner();
+    s.start("Opening Nexus...");
+    const { default: open } = await import("open");
+    await open(`http://127.0.0.1:${port}`);
+    s.stop(pc.green("Nexus opened in your browser"));
+    return;
+  }
+
+  // Path 2: Fresh install — detect hardware and guide setup
+  const s = p.spinner();
+  s.start("Detecting hardware...");
+  const hw = await detectHardware();
+  s.stop("Hardware detected");
+
+  // Display hardware info
+  if (hw.tier === "apple_silicon") {
+    p.log.info(
+      `${pc.bold("Apple Silicon detected")} — unified memory (${hw.totalGb} GB), runs entirely on your machine`
+    );
+  } else if (hw.tier === "gpu") {
+    p.log.info(
+      `${pc.bold("GPU detected")}: ${hw.gpuName} (${hw.gpuVramGb} GB VRAM) — ${hw.totalGb} GB RAM`
+    );
+  } else {
+    p.log.info(
+      `${pc.bold("CPU-only machine")} (${hw.totalGb} GB RAM) — cloud AI recommended for best experience`
+    );
+  }
+
+  // Provider selection
+  const provider = await p.select({
+    message: "Which AI provider would you like to use?",
+    options: getProviderOptions(hw.tier),
+  });
+
+  if (p.isCancel(provider)) {
+    p.cancel("Cancelled");
+    process.exit(0);
+    return;
+  }
+
+  // Print next-step instructions
+  console.log("");
+  console.log(pc.bold("To install and start Nexus:"));
+  console.log(pc.cyan("  npx paperclipai@latest onboard"));
+  console.log("");
+
+  if (provider === "local") {
+    console.log(pc.dim("Make sure Ollama is installed: https://ollama.com"));
+    console.log("");
+  } else if (provider === "puter") {
+    console.log(pc.dim("Puter provides free AI — no setup needed"));
+    console.log("");
+  }
+
+  p.outro(pc.bold("Happy building!"));
+}
diff --git a/packages/buildthis/src/hardware.ts b/packages/buildthis/src/hardware.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c6147583
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/buildthis/src/hardware.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+import os from "node:os";
+import si from "systeminformation";
+
+export type HardwareTier = "gpu" | "apple_silicon" | "cpu_only";
+
+export interface HardwareResult {
+  tier: HardwareTier;
+  totalGb: number;
+  gpuName?: string;
+  gpuVramGb?: number;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Detect the hardware tier of the current machine.
+ *
+ * Priority:
+ * 1. Apple Silicon (darwin + CPU model starts with "Apple")
+ * 2. GPU with >= 4 GB VRAM (detected via systeminformation with 3s timeout)
+ * 3. CPU-only fallback
+ *
+ * @param platform - Override process.platform for testing
+ */
+export async function detectHardware(platform?: string): Promise<HardwareResult> {
+  const resolvedPlatform = platform ?? process.platform;
+  const totalGb = Math.round((os.totalmem() / (1024 * 1024 * 1024)) * 10) / 10;
+
+  // Apple Silicon path
+  if (resolvedPlatform === "darwin") {
+    const cpus = os.cpus();
+    if (cpus.length > 0 && cpus[0]?.model?.startsWith("Apple")) {
+      return { tier: "apple_silicon", totalGb };
+    }
+  }
+
+  // GPU detection with 3-second timeout
+  try {
+    const timeoutPromise = new Promise<never>((_, reject) =>
+      setTimeout(() => reject(new Error("GPU detection timeout")), 3000)
+    );
+    const graphicsPromise = si.graphics();
+    const graphics = await Promise.race([graphicsPromise, timeoutPromise]);
+
+    const controller = graphics.controllers?.[0];
+    const vram = controller?.vram ?? 0;
+    if (controller && vram >= 4096) {
+      return {
+        tier: "gpu",
+        totalGb,
+        gpuName: controller.model,
+        gpuVramGb: Math.round(vram / 1024),
+      };
+    }
+  } catch {
+    // Timeout or error — fall through to cpu_only
+  }
+
+  return { tier: "cpu_only", totalGb };
+}
diff --git a/packages/buildthis/src/index.ts b/packages/buildthis/src/index.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..67ab2b02
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/buildthis/src/index.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+// CLI entry point — shebang handled by esbuild banner
+import { program } from "commander";
+import { bootstrap } from "./bootstrap.js";
+
+program
+  .name("buildthis")
+  .description("Bootstrap your AI workspace")
+  .version("0.1.0")
+  .action(async () => {
+    await bootstrap();
+  });
+
+program.parse();
diff --git a/packages/buildthis/tsconfig.json b/packages/buildthis/tsconfig.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5a24989c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/buildthis/tsconfig.json
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+{
+  "extends": "../../tsconfig.base.json",
+  "compilerOptions": {
+    "outDir": "dist",
+    "rootDir": "src"
+  },
+  "include": ["src"]
+}
diff --git a/packages/buildthis/vitest.config.ts b/packages/buildthis/vitest.config.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ae847ff6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/buildthis/vitest.config.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+import { defineConfig } from "vitest/config";
+
+export default defineConfig({
+  test: {
+    include: ["src/**/*.test.ts"],
+  },
+});