Getting started with a template

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Pick what you want first

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Before you start

• Use a Mac or Linux computer with at least 4 GB of memory, an internet connection, and permission to install software. On Windows, first follow Microsoft’s WSL setup guide, then work inside the Linux app it installs.
• Have your AI account sign-in ready. Setup offers Claude, including subscription sign-in or an Anthropic API key, and Codex with its own sign-in options. The quickstart’s account guidance explains the choices.
• Keep the computer on and connected when you want your assistant to respond.

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The full flow

1

Open Terminal and check Git

Terminal is the app where you enter the installation commands. On a Mac, press Command + Space, type Terminal, and press Return. On Linux, open Terminal from your applications. On Windows with WSL, open your Linux app, such as Ubuntu.Git downloads NanoClaw. Check whether it’s installed by entering:

git --version

You should see: a line beginning with git version. If your Mac offers to install developer tools, follow that prompt and try again. If Git is missing, follow the Git installation instructions before continuing.

2

Start setup and choose your template

Run these commands one line at a time in Terminal. Press Enter after each line and wait for it to finish before running the next.

cd ~
git clone https://github.com/nanocoai/nanoclaw.git
cd nanoclaw
bash nanoclaw.sh

The first line opens your home folder. The next two download NanoClaw into nanoclaw and open that folder. The last line starts setup. If that folder already exists, use the existing-install guidance instead of deleting it.Choose Standard setup. Use the arrow keys to move through options and Enter to select one.At How should we create your first agent?, choose From the NanoClaw template library. Select the template you chose above. The short identifier beside its name helps you recognize it.You should see: the library selection finish and setup continue. The assistant is created later in the process, after the AI account and timezone steps.

Using a template already on your computer?

Choose From local templates to select one in this installation’s templates/ folder. Fresh agent creates a general assistant without a template.

3

Finish the accounts and software setup

At the sandbox choice, Fetch the hardened image, built by Echo downloads the prepared software and opens a NanoClaw sign-in. Build it here prepares the software locally instead. Choose the local build if you plan to use Codex; the prebuilt image supports Claude.

Leave Terminal open while the download or local build finishes. Setup then installs OneCLI, the vault that stores account credentials.Choose your AI option and follow its sign-in prompts. For a Claude subscription, select Claude, then Sign in with my Claude subscription. This connects the AI account, not the NanoClaw download account. See the illustrated sign-in walkthrough if you need help recognizing the browser steps.Let setup finish the access rules and background service. Enter your name when asked. It sends a test message to check the AI connection.At What next?, choose Continue with setup for this walkthrough. The temporary test assistant is not your template assistant. Follow the timezone prompt if one appears.You should see: a message beginning Template agent and ending created, with the new assistant’s name. Keep that name handy for the connection step.

4

Connect the assistant you created

Choose how you want to reach this assistant. Setup calls the connection a channel.

• Messaging app
• Terminal

Select your app at the channel question and follow its prompts. Each app has its own account or bot requirements; the channel guides cover those steps.Check the final instructions in Terminal. If setup tells you to check the app for a welcome message, open that conversation and reply.If it says one DM to go, send the bot a direct message in that app first. Then follow setup’s instruction to run /init-first-agent in your coding assistant and select the person to connect. When it asks which assistant to use, choose the existing template assistant whose name matches the earlier creation message. For example, in Claude Code, enter claude in Terminal, then enter /init-first-agent in Claude Code. This finishes the connection; see Microsoft Teams for that flow.You should see: a reply from the assistant in the conversation you connected. A finished download or successful AI test alone does not confirm this connection.

Choose Skip for now at the channel question and let setup finish. The template assistant still needs a terminal connection.From the nanoclaw folder, list your assistants:

ncl groups list

Find the entry whose name matches the template assistant named by setup. Copy its id. Replace <group-id> below with that value, including removing the angle brackets:

ncl wirings create --channel-type cli --platform-id local --agent-group-id <group-id>

This connects terminal messages to that assistant. For this new-install path, you chose Continue with setup, so you did not create a separate terminal assistant during the earlier test.If you already created or connected another terminal assistant, inspect ncl wirings list before adding a connection. More than one assistant can answer the same terminal message. Use the CLI channel guide to check the existing connections.Send your template assistant a message:

pnpm run chat "Hi! What do you need from me to get started?"

You should see: its reply printed in Terminal. The command sends one message; run it again with new text for another turn. If it does not reply, check the connection rather than creating another assistant.

5

Give it a first task

Start with something from the template’s description. Tell the assistant enough about your situation to make its answer useful. For example, a family assistant needs to know who a meal plan is for; a competitor-research assistant needs the companies you want to follow.You can begin with:

What do you need from me to get started, and which accounts should I connect?

Answer its questions. If it needs another service, follow that service’s connection instructions. If it provides an account-connection link, open the link to connect the account. See Credentials for help; do not paste keys into the conversation.You should see: a response relevant to the job you selected, or a specific request for information or access needed to continue. A template supplies a starting point, not your private account details.

6

Review recurring work before turning it on

Some templates include routines such as a morning briefing or weekly review. They start paused. You can leave them paused while you get to know the assistant.To enable one, open Terminal in your nanoclaw folder. Run ncl groups list and copy the id for your template assistant if you do not already have it.Replace <group-id> with that ID to list only this assistant’s paused routines:

ncl tasks list --group <group-id> --status paused

If none are listed, there is no paused routine to enable. Otherwise, copy the full value under SERIES for the routine you want. Use it in place of <series-id> to inspect the task:

ncl tasks get --id <series-id> --group <group-id>

Check the task’s instructions, schedule, and required account connections. When you want that recurring work to begin, enable it:

ncl tasks resume --id <series-id> --group <group-id>

Check the result: run the get command again. The task should now be pending, which means it is enabled for its schedule; it does not mean it has already run. See Scheduled tasks for delivery and monitoring.

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You’re set. What now?

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If something went wrong

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Related pages

• Template overview: what a template contains.
• Using a template: add another assistant or work with an existing installation.
• Building a template: create a template of your own.
• Quickstart: set up a general assistant without a template.