# Verification

Before you launch a multi-method zoo run that can take hours, confirm that the
environment resolves imports, that the console script is on your ``PATH``, and
that at least one simple classifier can be constructed from the registry.
These checks catch missing extras and broken editable installs early.

## Import and console script

```bash
python -c "import arcade; print(arcade.__version__ if hasattr(arcade, '__version__') else 'ok')"
arcade list
```

``arcade list`` should print a table or list of registered classifier names.
If the command is not found, reinstall with ``pip install -e .`` from the
repository root inside your activated virtual environment.

## Describe a baseline method

```bash
arcade describe threshold
```

You should see a short description of the threshold classifier. If the name is
unknown, the registry did not load that module. Check that you are in the
correct repository and that the editable install points at this tree.

## Smoke-run a tiny configuration

Prefer a configuration that trains only one fast method and a small number of
epochs when you are validating an install. For example:

```bash
arcade run configs/examples/threshold_only.yaml
```

If your tree uses a different example path, pick any YAML that lists a single
classical classifier and a small dataset subset. The run should create an
output directory, write a report or summary artifacts, and exit with status
zero. Failures at this stage are usually missing data symlinks, missing HDF5
files, or optional dependencies that a config assumed were installed.

## Link paper data when needed

Many paper configs expect files under ``data/``. From the repository root:

```bash
bash scripts/link_paper_data.sh
```

If the script cannot find the source dataset location on your machine, read
its comments and the dataset notes in Guides before retrying a paper config.

## Optional dependency checks

| Capability | Quick check |
|------------|-------------|
| PyTorch | ``python -c "import torch; print(torch.__version__)"`` |
| Path signatures | ``python -c "import iisignature"`` |
| QEC stack | ``python -c "import stim; import pymatching"`` |
| Docs build | ``make -C doc html`` |

Install the matching extra from {doc}`installation` if any of these imports
fail and you need that capability.

## What success looks like

A healthy Quickstart ends with ``arcade list`` working, a describe call for a
known method succeeding, and a short config run writing outputs without
traceback. At that point you are ready for Guides if you have a goal, for API
Reference if you need exact names, or for Tutorials if you want a paced first
zoo run.