Quickstart

This guide takes you from a running Snippbot instance to your first conversation with a custom agent.

Note

Make sure Snippbot is installed and running. If not, see Installation first.

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Step 1: Verify Snippbot is running

Open http://localhost:5173 in your browser. You should see the Snippbot dashboard with the sidebar navigation. If you see the login page, sign in with the credentials you created during the setup wizard.

If you see the setup wizard instead, complete it first — it walks you through system checks, identity, account creation, and AI provider configuration.

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Step 2: Connect an AI provider

Before creating an agent, you need at least one AI provider API key configured. If you already set this up during the setup wizard (Step 5: Model), skip to Step 3.

1. Open Settings

   Click Settings in the sidebar (bottom of the navigation under Admin).

2. Go to AI Providers

   Select the Providers section in the settings sidebar.

3. Enter your API key

   Click any provider to expand it and enter your API key:

   Provider	Key prefix	Where to get it
   Anthropic	sk-ant-	console.anthropic.com
   OpenAI	sk-	platform.openai.com
   OpenRouter	sk-or-	openrouter.ai
   Gemini	AI...	aistudio.google.com
   DeepSeek	sk-	platform.deepseek.com
   Groq	gsk_	console.groq.com
   Mistral	—	console.mistral.ai

   After entering a key, the provider shows a green “Connected” badge.

Tip

You only need one provider to get started. Anthropic Claude is recommended for the best experience.

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Step 3: Create your first agent

1. Start the Awakening

   Click Create Snippbot (the button at the top of the sidebar). This opens the Quick Awakening flow — a guided experience for creating a new agent.

2. Choose a name

   Give your agent a display name. This is how it appears in the chat interface and agent list.

3. Pick an avatar

   Select or upload a profile image for your agent.

4. Select archetypes

   Choose one or more personality archetypes that define your agent’s behavior:

   Archetype	What it’s good at
   Personal Companion	Emotional support, casual conversation
   Professional Assistant	Organization, task management
   Researcher	Deep research, knowledge synthesis
   Teacher / Mentor	Explaining concepts, guided learning
   Creative Partner	Brainstorming, artistic collaboration
   Coach / Motivator	Accountability, motivation, pushing toward goals
   Technical Expert	Code review, architecture, debugging
   Entrepreneur Partner	Business strategy, idea validation, MVP building
   Health / Wellness	Health, habits, mindfulness support
   Accountability Partner	Keeps you on track, follows up, celebrates wins
   Thinking Partner	Think through complex problems, brainstorm solutions
   Something Unique	You describe exactly who you need

   You can select multiple archetypes to blend their traits.

5. Review your agent’s profile

   Based on your chosen archetypes, Snippbot generates a set of personality attributes (communication style, expertise areas, etc.). Review and optionally edit these before continuing.

6. Select a voice

   Choose a text-to-speech voice for your agent. You can preview different voice options and pick the one that fits your agent’s personality.

7. Answer the getting-to-know-you questions

   The Awakening asks up to 5 personalized questions based on your chosen archetypes. Your answers shape the agent’s personality and communication style.

8. Choose an evolution preference

   Decide how your agent should grow over time:

   • Evolve freely — adapt based on your interactions
   • Stay focused — remain specialized in the chosen role
   • Check with me — ask before making personality changes

9. Done!

   Your agent is created and ready to chat. You’ll be redirected to the chat interface.

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Step 4: Chat with your agent

Expand

1. Select your agent

   If you have multiple agents, click the agent selector at the top of the chat to choose which one to talk to.

2. Send a message

   Type anything in the message input at the bottom and press Enter (or click Send). Your agent responds using the AI provider you configured. Use Shift+Enter for a new line without sending.

   Try something like:

   What are the top 5 open-source AI agent frameworks? Compare them in a table.

3. Explore the tools activity

   The right panel shows a Tools Activity timeline — you can see what tools the agent uses (web search, file write, etc.) in real time as it works.

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What just happened?

Behind the scenes, Snippbot:

1. Created an agent with a workspace directory containing personality files (PERSONA.md, PROFILE.md, etc.)
2. Routed your message to the selected AI provider using the agent’s configured model
3. The agent processed your request, optionally using tools (search, file write, etc.)
4. Streamed the response back to you token-by-token via SSE
5. Stored the conversation in the agent’s episodic memory for future context

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Next steps

• Edit your agent’s settings — customize personality files, avatar, and voice
• Schedule a job — run tasks on a cron schedule
• Set up a messaging channel — interact via Slack or Discord
• Build a workflow — create multi-step automations visually