Use only the course lab on 127.0.0.1:8765. Do not copy these tests to a public system without explicit written authorization.
Create an isolated environment
Use Python 3.11 or newer. Create a virtual environment, activate it, upgrade pip, and install the published Basilisk package. On Windows, activate with .venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1.
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
python -m pip install -U pip
python -m pip install basilisk-aiThe install completes without modifying the system Python environment.
Verify the command surface
List modules and probe statistics before choosing a test. These commands are read-only and make the installed capability set visible.
basilisk modules
basilisk probes --statsBasilisk lists its installed modules and a non-empty probe catalogue.
Keep provider credentials out of history
Use the provider-specific environment variable or an @path secret reference. Basilisk rejects inline secret values by design. The localhost course does not require a real provider key.
No API key appears in the shell command, project files, screenshots, or exported report.
Preview before a live provider scan
For any later authorized provider test, start with validate mode and cost preview. Confirm target, provider, model, module set, request limits, and expected cost before permitting execution.
basilisk scan --target https://example.test/v1/chat/completions --provider openai --model gpt-4o --mode standard --execution-mode validate --cost-previewThe preview explains the planned run without treating example.test as an authorized live target.
Prove it before moving on.
You can show an isolated install, the module catalogue, a secret-free configuration, and a non-transmitting preview.