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Version: 1.0.0-beta

Start Command

The start command launches an ElizaOS project or agent in production mode. It initializes the agent runtime, loads plugins, connects to services, and starts handling interactions.

Usage​

elizaos start [options]

Options​

OptionDescription
-c, --configureReconfigure services and AI models
-char, --character <character>Path or URL to character file to use instead of default
-b, --buildBuild the project before starting
-chars, --characters <paths>Multiple character configuration files (comma-separated)
-p, --port <port>Port to listen on (default: 3000)

Production Features​

When you run start, ElizaOS provides production-ready features:

  1. Optimized Performance: Runs with production optimizations
  2. Stable Configuration: Uses saved configuration by default
  3. Service Management: Handles service connections and disconnections
  4. Error Recovery: Automatic recovery from transient errors
  5. Resource Management: Efficient resource allocation and cleanup

What Happens During Startup​

When you run the start command, ElizaOS:

  1. Detects whether you're in a project or plugin directory
  2. Loads and validates the configuration
  3. Initializes the database system
  4. Loads required plugins
  5. Starts any configured services
  6. Processes knowledge files if present
  7. Starts the HTTP API server
  8. Initializes agent runtimes
  9. Begins listening for messages and events

For development features and hot reloading, see the Dev Command.

Project Detection​

ElizaOS automatically detects projects in the current directory by looking for:

  1. A package.json with an eliza.type field set to project
  2. A main entry point that exports a project configuration with agents
  3. Other project indicators in the package metadata

Environment Variables​

The start command will look for an .env file in the project directory and load environment variables from it. You can also set environment variables directly:

# Set environment variables directly
OPENAI_API_KEY=your-api-key elizaos start

For detailed information about environment configuration, see the Environment Command.

Examples​

Basic startup​

cd my-agent-project
elizaos start

Starting with configuration​

elizaos start --configure

Starting with a custom port​

elizaos start --port 8080

Starting with a custom character​

elizaos start --character path/to/character.json

Building Before Starting​

To build your project before starting it:

elizaos start --build

This will compile your TypeScript files and prepare the project for execution.

  • dev: Run in development mode with hot reloading
  • env: Configure environment variables