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ZeroClaw Setup and First Run

1. What installation actually gives you​

The official installation flow is intentionally opinionated: it does not just place a binary somewhere and stop. It is designed to get you from "nothing installed" to "working agent config" in one pass.

The standard installer is:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zeroclaw-labs/zeroclaw/master/install.sh | bash

Or from a clone:

git clone https://github.com/zeroclaw-labs/zeroclaw.git
cd zeroclaw
./install.sh

The installer can:

  • install a prebuilt binary for the fastest setup,
  • build from source when you want feature control,
  • choose which apps to install,
  • include or skip the gateway,
  • start the quickstart flow automatically.

Useful flags called out by the upstream README:

./install.sh --prebuilt
./install.sh --source
./install.sh --preset minimal
./install.sh --apps zerocode
./install.sh --without-tui
./install.sh --with-gateway
./install.sh --without-gateway
./install.sh --skip-quickstart
./install.sh --list-features

2. Prebuilt vs source build​

For most people, the real decision is simple:

PathBest when
PrebuiltYou want a working runtime fast
Source buildYou need custom features, specific channel sets, or want to hack on the code

Source builds matter more in ZeroClaw than in many agent tools, because the project uses feature-gated surfaces. You can compile a leaner binary when you do not need the full channel/tool footprint.

3. Quickstart is the real onboarding​

After install, the most important command is:

zeroclaw quickstart

Quickstart is not just a wizard. It is the canonical path for creating a working config. The official docs describe it as one guided flow exposed on three surfaces:

  • CLI
  • zerocode terminal UI
  • web gateway dashboard

All three write the same underlying configuration model.

CLI​

Best on SSH, servers, or if you want the shortest path:

zeroclaw quickstart

zerocode​

Best when you want a terminal UI for:

  • chat,
  • quickstart,
  • config inspection,
  • live logs,
  • daemon monitoring.

Web gateway​

Best when you prefer browser-based setup or want a dashboard-centered workflow.

The docs point to:

zeroclaw daemon

Then open:

http://127.0.0.1:42617/quickstart

The official quickstart docs note that the daemon-backed web flow can validate and apply config through dedicated API endpoints and reload the daemon in place.

4. The minimal working path​

The smallest useful first-run sequence is:

zeroclaw quickstart
zeroclaw agent -a <alias>

Once that works, move to always-on mode:

zeroclaw service install
zeroclaw service start

This gives you the two basic operating styles:

  • interactive one-off agent sessions
  • background service / daemon mode

5. What gets created​

The official docs point to one primary config file:

~/.zeroclaw/config.toml

The provider configuration docs also describe a local secrets store under:

~/.zeroclaw/secrets

That split is important:

  • config.toml holds the structural wiring,
  • the secrets store is the preferred place for credentials,
  • environment overrides can still win at process start when needed.

6. The main runtime surfaces after setup​

Once installed, there are four commands worth remembering:

CommandWhat it is for
zeroclaw quickstartCreate or repair a working setup
zeroclaw agent -a <alias>Run an agent interactively
zeroclaw daemonRun the full runtime with gateway, channels, and scheduler
zeroclaw service install && zeroclaw service startRegister and start background service mode

And there are two main operator interfaces:

  • zerocode for terminal-first use
  • gateway dashboard for browser-first use

7. Practical recommendation​

If you are evaluating ZeroClaw as a developer:

  1. install the default build,
  2. run zeroclaw quickstart,
  3. validate the agent with zeroclaw agent -a <alias>,
  4. start zerocode,
  5. only then decide whether you need a custom source build or always-on daemon mode.

That sequence teaches the product in the same order the architecture expects.