Skip to content

getting-started.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
376 lines (263 loc) · 9.32 KB

getting-started.md

File metadata and controls

376 lines (263 loc) · 9.32 KB

Getting Started with OpenFang

This guide walks you through installing OpenFang, configuring your first LLM provider, spawning an agent, and chatting with it.

Table of Contents

Installation

Option 1: Desktop App (Windows / macOS / Linux)

Download the installer for your platform from the latest release:

Platform File
Windows .msi installer
macOS .dmg disk image
Linux .AppImage or .deb

The desktop app includes the full OpenFang system with a native window, system tray, auto-updates, and OS notifications. Updates are installed automatically in the background.

Option 2: Shell Installer (Linux / macOS)

curl -sSf https://openfang.sh | sh

This downloads the latest CLI binary and installs it to ~/.openfang/bin/.

Option 3: PowerShell Installer (Windows)

irm https://openfang.sh/install.ps1 | iex

Downloads the latest CLI binary, verifies its SHA256 checksum, and adds it to your user PATH.

Option 4: Cargo Install (Any Platform)

Requires Rust 1.75+:

cargo install --git https://github.com/RightNow-AI/openfang openfang-cli

Or build from source:

git clone https://github.com/RightNow-AI/openfang.git
cd openfang
cargo install --path crates/openfang-cli

Option 5: Docker

docker pull ghcr.io/RightNow-AI/openfang:latest

docker run -d \
  --name openfang \
  -p 4200:4200 \
  -e ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=$ANTHROPIC_API_KEY \
  -v openfang-data:/data \
  ghcr.io/RightNow-AI/openfang:latest

Or use Docker Compose:

git clone https://github.com/RightNow-AI/openfang.git
cd openfang
# Set your API keys in environment or .env file
docker compose up -d

Verify Installation

openfang --version

Configuration

Initialize

Run the init command to create the ~/.openfang/ directory and a default config file:

openfang init

This creates:

~/.openfang/
  config.toml    # Main configuration
  data/          # Database and runtime data
  agents/        # Agent manifests (optional)

Set Up an API Key

OpenFang needs at least one LLM provider API key. Set it as an environment variable:

# Anthropic (Claude)
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...

# Or OpenAI
export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...

# Or Groq (free tier available)
export GROQ_API_KEY=gsk_...

Add the export to your shell profile (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, etc.) to persist it.

Edit the Config

The default config uses Anthropic. To change the provider, edit ~/.openfang/config.toml:

[default_model]
provider = "groq"                      # anthropic, openai, groq, ollama, etc.
model = "llama-3.3-70b-versatile"      # Model identifier for the provider
api_key_env = "GROQ_API_KEY"           # Env var holding the API key

[memory]
decay_rate = 0.05                      # Memory confidence decay rate

[network]
listen_addr = "127.0.0.1:4200"        # OFP listen address

Verify Your Setup

openfang doctor

This checks that your config exists, API keys are set, and the toolchain is available.

Spawn Your First Agent

Using a Built-in Template

OpenFang ships with 30 agent templates. Spawn the hello-world agent:

openfang agent spawn agents/hello-world/agent.toml

Output:

Agent spawned successfully!
  ID:   a1b2c3d4-e5f6-...
  Name: hello-world

Using a Custom Manifest

Create your own my-agent.toml:

name = "my-assistant"
version = "0.1.0"
description = "A helpful assistant"
author = "you"
module = "builtin:chat"

[model]
provider = "groq"
model = "llama-3.3-70b-versatile"

[capabilities]
tools = ["file_read", "file_list", "web_fetch"]
memory_read = ["*"]
memory_write = ["self.*"]

Then spawn it:

openfang agent spawn my-agent.toml

List Running Agents

openfang agent list

Output:

ID                                     NAME             STATE      PROVIDER     MODEL
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
a1b2c3d4-e5f6-...                     hello-world      Running    groq         llama-3.3-70b-versatile

Chat with an Agent

Start an interactive chat session using the agent ID:

openfang agent chat a1b2c3d4-e5f6-...

Or use the quick chat command (picks the first available agent):

openfang chat

Or specify an agent by name:

openfang chat hello-world

Example session:

Chat session started (daemon mode). Type 'exit' or Ctrl+C to quit.

you> Hello! What can you do?

agent> I'm the hello-world agent running on OpenFang. I can:
- Read files from the filesystem
- List directory contents
- Fetch web pages

Try asking me to read a file or look up something on the web!

  [tokens: 142 in / 87 out | iterations: 1]

you> List the files in the current directory

agent> Here are the files in the current directory:
- Cargo.toml
- Cargo.lock
- README.md
- agents/
- crates/
- docs/
...

you> exit
Chat session ended.

Start the Daemon

For persistent agents, multi-user access, and the WebChat UI, start the daemon:

openfang start

Output:

Starting OpenFang daemon...
OpenFang daemon running on http://127.0.0.1:4200
Press Ctrl+C to stop.

The daemon provides:

  • REST API at http://127.0.0.1:4200/api/
  • WebSocket endpoint at ws://127.0.0.1:4200/api/agents/{id}/ws
  • WebChat UI at http://127.0.0.1:4200/
  • OFP networking on port 4200

Check Status

openfang status

Stop the Daemon

Press Ctrl+C in the terminal running the daemon, or:

curl -X POST http://127.0.0.1:4200/api/shutdown

Using the WebChat UI

With the daemon running, open your browser to:

http://127.0.0.1:4200/

The embedded WebChat UI allows you to:

  • View all running agents
  • Chat with any agent in real-time (via WebSocket)
  • See streaming responses as they are generated
  • View token usage per message

Next Steps

Now that you have OpenFang running:

  • Explore agent templates: Browse the agents/ directory for 30 pre-built agents (coder, researcher, writer, ops, analyst, security-auditor, and more).
  • Create custom agents: Write your own agent.toml manifests. See the Architecture guide for details on capabilities and scheduling.
  • Set up channels: Connect any of 40 messaging platforms (Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, LINE, Mastodon, and 34 more). See Channel Adapters.
  • Use bundled skills: 60 expert knowledge skills are pre-installed (GitHub, Docker, Kubernetes, security audit, prompt engineering, etc.). See Skill Development.
  • Build custom skills: Extend agents with Python, WASM, or prompt-only skills. See Skill Development.
  • Use the API: 76 REST/WS/SSE endpoints, including an OpenAI-compatible /v1/chat/completions. See API Reference.
  • Switch LLM providers: 20 providers supported (Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, Groq, DeepSeek, xAI, Ollama, and more). Per-agent model overrides.
  • Set up workflows: Chain multiple agents together. Use openfang workflow create with a TOML workflow definition.
  • Use MCP: Connect to external tools via Model Context Protocol. Configure in config.toml under [[mcp_servers]].
  • Migrate from OpenClaw: Run openfang migrate --from openclaw. See MIGRATION.md.
  • Desktop app: Run cargo tauri dev for a native desktop experience with system tray.
  • Run diagnostics: openfang doctor checks your entire setup.

Useful Commands Reference

openfang init                          # Initialize ~/.openfang/
openfang start                         # Start the daemon
openfang status                        # Check daemon status
openfang doctor                        # Run diagnostic checks

openfang agent spawn <manifest.toml>   # Spawn an agent
openfang agent list                    # List all agents
openfang agent chat <id>               # Chat with an agent
openfang agent kill <id>               # Kill an agent

openfang workflow list                 # List workflows
openfang workflow create <file.json>   # Create a workflow
openfang workflow run <id> <input>     # Run a workflow

openfang trigger list                  # List event triggers
openfang trigger create <args>         # Create a trigger
openfang trigger delete <id>           # Delete a trigger

openfang skill install <source>        # Install a skill
openfang skill list                    # List installed skills
openfang skill search <query>          # Search FangHub
openfang skill create                  # Scaffold a new skill

openfang channel list                  # List channel status
openfang channel setup <channel>       # Interactive setup wizard

openfang config show                   # Show current config
openfang config edit                   # Open config in editor

openfang chat [agent]                  # Quick chat (alias)
openfang migrate --from openclaw       # Migrate from OpenClaw
openfang mcp                           # Start MCP server (stdio)