ContextQMD
Back to Nanobot

How to Build a Personal AI Agent with nanobot

docs/guides/build-a-personal-ai-agent.md

0.3.02.4 KB
Original Source

How to Build a Personal AI Agent with nanobot

This guide builds a personal AI agent you can run locally, talk to from the terminal or browser, and later connect to chat apps, memory, tools, and automations.

What you will build

  • a configured nanobot install
  • one working model provider
  • one local agent reply
  • a browser WebUI session for ongoing work

When to use this

Use this when you want a personal AI agent that you control rather than a hosted chat-only interface. nanobot is useful when the agent needs local workspace access, tool calls, session history, memory, scheduled work, or chat app delivery.

Install

bash
python -m pip install nanobot-ai
nanobot onboard --wizard

The wizard creates ~/.nanobot/config.json and helps you choose a provider and model. If terminals and config files are new to you, use Start Without Technical Background instead.

Minimal working example

First prove the runtime can answer:

bash
nanobot agent -m "Hello!"

Then open the browser workbench:

bash
nanobot webui

The WebUI starts the local gateway, opens a browser, and keeps persistent chat sessions for longer work.

Production notes

  • Keep one workspace per project or personal context.
  • Use modelPresets when you want stable names for fast, deep, local, or fallback models.
  • Keep nanobot gateway running for WebUI, chat apps, automations, and the WebSocket channel.
  • Use the Python SDK or OpenAI-compatible API when another program should call the agent.

Security notes

  • Do not store API keys directly in shared files; use environment variables.
  • Prefer chat app pairing for first setup. Use allowFrom only for static allowlists, and keep those lists narrow.
  • Enable workspace restriction before exposing file or shell tools to other users.
  • Use a separate workspace for experiments that can modify files.

Troubleshooting

  • nanobot status shows the config path, workspace path, and active model.
  • If nanobot agent -m "Hello!" fails, fix provider setup before opening the WebUI or chat apps.
  • If the WebUI opens but does not answer, check gateway logs and provider credentials.