Setup

Last updated: 2026-01-01

TL;DR

• Tailoring lives outside the repo: ~/bot (workspace) + ~/.bot/bot.json (config).
• Stable workflow: install the macOS app; let it run the bundled Gateway.
• Bleeding edge workflow: run the Gateway yourself via pnpm gateway:watch, then let the macOS app attach in Local mode.

Prereqs (from source)

• Node >=22
• pnpm
• Docker (optional; only for containerized setup/e2e — see Docker)

Tailoring strategy (so updates don’t hurt)

If you want “100% tailored to me” and easy updates, keep your customization in:

• Config: ~/.bot/bot.json (JSON/JSON5-ish)
• Workspace: ~/bot (skills, prompts, memories; make it a private git repo)

Bootstrap once:

bot setup

From inside this repo, use the local CLI entry:

bot setup

If you don’t have a global install yet, run it via pnpm bot setup.

Stable workflow (macOS app first)

1. Install + launch Bot.app (menu bar).
2. Complete the onboarding/permissions checklist (TCC prompts).
3. Ensure Gateway is Local and running (the app manages it).
4. Link surfaces (example: WhatsApp):

bot channels login

5. Sanity check:

bot health

If onboarding is not available in your build:

• Run bot setup, then bot channels login, then start the Gateway manually (bot gateway).

Bleeding edge workflow (Gateway in a terminal)

Goal: work on the TypeScript Gateway, get hot reload, keep the macOS app UI attached.

0) (Optional) Run the macOS app from source too

If you also want the macOS app on the bleeding edge:

./scripts/restart-mac.sh

1) Start the dev Gateway

pnpm install
pnpm gateway:watch

gateway:watch runs the gateway in watch mode and reloads on TypeScript changes.

2) Point the macOS app at your running Gateway

In Bot.app:

• Connection Mode: Local The app will attach to the running gateway on the configured port.

3) Verify

• In-app Gateway status should read “Using existing gateway …”
• Or via CLI:

bot health

Common footguns

• Wrong port: Gateway WS defaults to ws://127.0.0.1:18789; keep app + CLI on the same port.
• Where state lives:
  • Credentials: ~/.bot/credentials/
  • Sessions: ~/.bot/agents/<agentId>/sessions/
  • Logs: /tmp/bot/

Updating (without wrecking your setup)

• Keep ~/bot and ~/.bot/ as “your stuff”; don’t put personal prompts/config into the bot repo.
• Updating source: git pull + pnpm install (when lockfile changed) + keep using pnpm gateway:watch.

Linux (systemd user service)

Linux installs use a systemd user service. By default, systemd stops user services on logout/idle, which kills the Gateway. Onboarding attempts to enable lingering for you (may prompt for sudo). If it’s still off, run:

sudo loginctl enable-linger $USER

For always-on or multi-user servers, consider a system service instead of a user service (no lingering needed). See Gateway runbook for the systemd notes.

Related docs

• Gateway runbook (flags, supervision, ports)
• Gateway configuration (config schema + examples)
• Discord and Telegram (reply tags + replyToMode settings)
• Bot assistant setup
• macOS app (gateway lifecycle)