> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ironclaw.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart

> Create your first Agent in minutes

This guide will get you from zero to a running IronClaw instance in under 10 minutes

***

## Setting Up Your Agent

<Steps>
  <Step title="Get IronClaw">
    <Tabs>
      <Tab title="Agent Hub">
        Go to [https://agent.near.ai/](https://agent.near.ai/) and login with your preferred method, then create an IronClaw agent in a private instance.

        Once your private instance is ready, you can connect to your agent's private instance through `SSH` using the address provided in the [Agent Dashboard](https://agent.near.ai/):

        ```bash theme={null}
        ssh -p <PORT> liquid-horse@agent2.near.ai
        ```

        <Accordion title="SSH Key">
          To use IronClaw, you will need to provide an SSH key. If you don't have one, you can generate it using the following command in your terminal:

          ```bash theme={null}
          ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "you@example.com"
          cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub
          ```
        </Accordion>

        <Accordion title="Issues Connecting?">
          Remember to add your SSH key to your device's SSH agent before connecting:

          ```bash theme={null}
          ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_rsa
          ```
        </Accordion>
      </Tab>

      <Tab title="Local">
        Best for personal use on your own machine. Uses libSQL (embedded SQLite) — no separate database server required.

        ```bash theme={null}
        # Install IronClaw
        curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf https://github.com/nearai/ironclaw/releases/latest/download/ironclaw-installer.sh | sh
        ```
      </Tab>
    </Tabs>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Start the Agent">
    Start your agent for the first time:

    ```bash theme={null}
    ironclaw
    ```

    <Accordion title="⚠️ Error: Another IronClaw instance is already running">
      If you get the error `Error: Another IronClaw instance is already running (PID 38). If this is incorrect, remove the stale PID file: /home/agent/.ironclaw/ironclaw.pid`, simply run the following command to remove the stale PID file and try starting the agent again:

      ```
      # Remove the stale PID file
      rm /home/agent/.ironclaw/ironclaw.pid

      # Then start the agent again
      ironclaw
      ```
    </Accordion>

    Since this is the first time you are starting your agent, it will ask you to configure your inference provider, and the LLM you want to use.

    <img src="https://mintcdn.com/nearai/eohlR8M523rWfpfc/images/quickstart/setup-wizard.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=eohlR8M523rWfpfc&q=85&s=c3c4831676a2fdd95be74cb91864aaf9" alt="setup" width="1581" height="966" data-path="images/quickstart/setup-wizard.png" />

    <Note>
      We recommend using [NEAR AI](https://cloud.near.ai/) as your inference provider for maximum privacy and security, and the `Qwen3-30B` model for its cost-effectiveness
    </Note>

    <Accordion title="⚠️ Error: Failed to start webhook server">
      If you encounter the error `Error: Channel webhook_server failed to start: Failed to bind to 0.0.0.0:8080: Address already in use (os error 98)`, simply try setting a different HTTP port:

      ```
      # Change the default HTTP port to 8081
      export HTTP_PORT=8081

      # Then start the agent again
      ironclaw
      ```
    </Accordion>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Talk with your Agent">
    Once your agent is up and running, you can start interacting with it through the terminal, simply type your message and the agent will respond

    <img src="https://mintcdn.com/nearai/eohlR8M523rWfpfc/images/quickstart/hello-ai.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=eohlR8M523rWfpfc&q=85&s=f4d2b824b44c2762d4b002110854c414" alt="hello-ai" width="1585" height="1377" data-path="images/quickstart/hello-ai.png" />
  </Step>

  <Step title="Update IronClaw">
    Finally, make sure to regularly update IronClaw to get the latest features and improvements. You can update IronClaw by running the following command in your terminal:

    ```bash theme={null}
    ironclaw-update
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Next Steps

Now that you have your agent up and running, it is time to configure a new [channel](./channels/telegram) to interact with your agent from your preferred messaging platform, and add some [tools](/extensions/web-search) to give your agent more capabilities.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Channels" icon="plug" href="/channels/telegram">
    Connect your agent to your favorite messaging platform.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Tools" icon="wrench" href="/extensions/web-search">
    Give your agent access to external APIs and services.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>