Quickstart Guide
This guide will get you from zero to a running AI agent in under 5 minutes.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 23+
- Bun package manager
- Git
- Ollama or an API key from Openrouter, OpenAI, Anthropic, etc
Note for Windows Users: WSL 2 is required to run ElizaOS.
1. Install ElizaOS CLI
bun install -g @elizaos/cli
2. Create Your First Project
elizaos create my-agent
cd my-agent
3. Configure Your API Key
Your new project includes a .env.example file. You need to copy it to a new .env file to store your secret API keys.
# Copy the environment template to a new .env file
cp .env.example .env
# Open the file for editing
elizaos env edit-local
# Add either OPENAI_API_KEY or ANTHROPIC_API_KEY
Your agent will not work without an API key. For more details on environment configuration, see the Environment Guide.
4. Start Your Agent
elizaos start
Your agent is now running at http://localhost:3000! 🎉
What's Next?
Congratulations, you have a running ElizaOS agent! Here's where to go next to explore its full power:
- Explore all CLI Commands: See everything you can do from the command line, including managing agents and plugins.
- Customize Your Agent: Learn how to edit your agent's personality, knowledge, and abilities using Character Files.
- Understand the Project Structure: Get a detailed breakdown of every file in your new project.
- Extend Your Agent with Plugins: Discover how to add new capabilities to your agent.
Important Note: Your agent includes the
@elizaos/plugin-bootstrapplugin by default, which is essential for communication. This plugin handles all message processing, response generation, and platform interactions. Without it, your agent won't be able to respond to messages. Only remove it if you're building a completely custom event handling system.