# Quickstart

This section is the front door to ARCADE. It explains what the package is
trying to accomplish, how the major subsystems connect, how to install the
software with the optional extras that unlock neural methods or path
signatures or quantum error correction, and how to confirm that the install
worked before you invest time in a long training run.

If you already know the domain and only need a command to copy, jump to
{doc}`installation` and then to {doc}`../tutorials/first_zoo_run`. If you are
new to readout discrimination, read {doc}`overview` first so the later
configuration keys and metric names have a place to attach.

```{toctree}
:maxdepth: 2

overview
installation
pipeline
verification
```

## Suggested reading order

1. **Overview** describes the scientific problem ARCADE addresses and the
   surfaces of the repository you will touch day to day.
2. **Installation** lists core and optional dependencies and the extras that
   pull them in.
3. **Pipeline** walks through each stage from raw traces to a finished report
   so YAML sections map onto code packages.
4. **Verification** gives short commands that must succeed before you trust a
   longer zoo run.

After Quickstart, open Guides for concrete jobs, API Reference for exact
symbols, and Tutorials for a paced first bake-off.