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Version: 1.0.17

5-Minute Quick Start Guide

Get your first ElizaOS agent running in just 5 minutes! No coding required.

📋 What You'll Need​

Before starting, make sure you have:

  • A computer (Windows, Mac, or Linux)
  • Internet connection
  • An AI API key (we'll help you get one)

🚀 Step 1: Install ElizaOS (2 minutes)​

Open your terminal (Command Prompt on Windows, Terminal on Mac/Linux) and follow these steps:

Install the ElizaOS CLI globally​

bun install -g @elizaos/cli

Create your first agent​

elizaos create my-first-agent

When prompted, select:

  • Project Type: project (for a complete agent)
  • Template: basic (simplest template)
  • Install dependencies: yes

The installer will create your agent and set everything up automatically!

🔑 Step 2: Get Your AI Key (1 minute)​

Your agent needs an AI service to think and respond. Choose one:

  1. Go to platform.openai.com
  2. Sign up or log in
  3. Click "API Keys" → "Create new secret key"
  4. Copy your key (starts with sk- prefix)

Option B: Claude (Anthropic)​

  1. Go to console.anthropic.com
  2. Sign up or log in
  3. Go to "API Keys" → "Create Key"
  4. Copy your key

Option C: Local AI (Free, no API key needed)​

  • The agent will use a local AI model (slower but free)
  • No additional setup required!

⚙️ Step 3: Configure Your Agent (1 minute)​

  1. Navigate to your agent folder:

    cd my-first-agent

  2. Open the .env file in any text editor

  3. Add your API key:

    # For OpenAI
    OPENAI_API_KEY=your-key-here

    # OR for Claude
    ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your-key-here

    # OR for Local AI - leave empty

  4. Save the file

🎭 Step 4: Customize Your Agent (Optional - 30 seconds)​

Open agent/eliza.character.json to customize your agent's personality:

{
  "name": "Eliza",
  "description": "A helpful AI assistant",
  "plugins": ["@elizaos/plugin-sql", "@elizaos/plugin-openai", "@elizaos/plugin-bootstrap"],
  "settings": {
    "voice": "alloy"
  },
  "bio": [
    "I'm here to help you with anything you need!",
    "I love learning new things and chatting with people."
  ],
  "style": {
    "all": ["friendly", "helpful", "encouraging"]
  }
}

Note: The plugins must be in this exact order:

  1. @elizaos/plugin-sql - Database (always first!)
  2. @elizaos/plugin-openai - AI provider (or use @elizaos/plugin-anthropic)
  3. @elizaos/plugin-bootstrap - Core functionality

Change the name, bio, and style to create your unique agent!

▶️ Step 5: Start Your Agent (30 seconds)​

Run this command:

bun start

Your agent is now running! You'll see:

🤖 Agent "Eliza" is starting...
✅ Connected to OpenAI
🌐 Chat interface available at: http://localhost:3000
💬 Discord bot online (if configured)
🐦 Twitter bot online (if configured)

💬 Step 6: Chat with Your Agent​

Web Chat (Easiest)​

  1. Open your web browser
  2. Go to http://localhost:3000
  3. Start chatting with your agent!

Terminal Chat​

Type messages directly in the terminal where you started the agent.

🎉 Congratulations​

You've successfully created and launched your first ElizaOS agent!

📚 What's Next?​

Now that your agent is running, explore these options:

🎨 Customize Your Agent​

  • Change personality and behavior
  • Add custom responses
  • Create unique characters

🔌 Connect to Platforms​

To connect your agent to platforms like Discord, Twitter, or Telegram, check out the platform-specific templates in our Templates section.

🚀 Advanced Features​

For more advanced configuration and monitoring options, check out our Technical Documentation.

🛠️ For Developers​

❓ Need Help?​

Common Issues​

Error: "API key not found"

Make sure you:

  1. Added your API key to the .env file
  2. Saved the file
  3. Used the correct format (no extra spaces or quotes)
  4. Restarted the agent after adding the key

Error: "Port 3000 already in use"

Another program is using port 3000. Either:

  1. Stop the other program, or

  2. Change the port in your .env file:

    PORT=3001

Agent not responding

Check that:

  1. Your API key is valid and has credits
  2. You have internet connection
  3. The terminal shows no error messages
  4. Try restarting with bun start

Get Support​

🎊 You did it! Your agent is alive and ready to chat. Have fun exploring all the possibilities with ElizaOS!