🐈 **nanobot** is an open-source, ultra-lightweight personal AI agent you can truly own. It keeps the agent core small and readable while giving you the practical pieces for real long-running work: WebUI, chat channels, tools, memory, MCP, model routing, automation, and deployment.
| Deploy to the cloud or keep nanobot running as a service | [Deployment](./docs/deployment.md), including [one-click Render setup](./docs/deployment.md#render) |
The Agency Release turns nanobot from a durable workbench into an agent runtime that can coordinate helpers, switch models per session, and carry authorized work through to completion.
Prerequisites: Python 3.11 or newer. Git is only needed for a source install. Published packages already include the WebUI; a current-source install needs `bun` or `npm` to build it.
If terminals, API keys, or config files are new to you, use the guided zero-background walkthrough in [Start Without Technical Background](./docs/start-without-technical-background.md) instead of this compact README path.
The default command installs or upgrades `nanobot-ai` from PyPI. On a fresh local desktop, it then starts `nanobot webui` so you can configure the first provider and model in **Settings → Models**. SSH, headless, existing-config, and older-release paths keep the terminal setup wizard. The installer avoids system-wide pip installs by using an active virtual environment, `uv`, `pipx`, or a managed venv under `~/.nanobot/venv`. It also prints the exact command it used to run nanobot; reuse that full command below if `nanobot` is not on `PATH`.
If pip reports `externally-managed-environment` on macOS or Linux, use the one-command installer, `uv tool install nanobot-ai`, `pipx install nanobot-ai`, or install inside a virtual environment.
On Windows, if pip reports that it cannot launch `npm`, run `cd webui`, `npm.cmd install --package-lock=false`, `npm.cmd run build`, and `cd ..` in order, then retry the install. Contributors who need an editable checkout should follow [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](./CONTRIBUTING.md) and [`webui/README.md`](./webui/README.md).
If `nanobot` is not on `PATH`, invoke it through the method that installed it: reuse the recommended installer's command, use `uv tool run --from nanobot-ai nanobot ...` or `pipx run --spec nanobot-ai nanobot ...`, or use the Python executable from the environment where pip installed the package.
This is the recommended first run. The launcher creates the config and workspace when needed, safely enables the local WebSocket channel after confirmation, starts the gateway, and opens [`http://127.0.0.1:8765`](http://127.0.0.1:8765). A fresh install can open before a model is configured, so setup continues in the browser instead of beginning in a JSON file. The first-run WebUI binds to localhost by default and is not exposed to your LAN.
This starts the same full gateway as `nanobot webui`, opens the browser, and leaves channels and automations running after the launcher exits. Complete first-time model setup with foreground `nanobot webui` before switching to background mode.
This skips WebUI setup and browser opening, then runs the same complete gateway in the current terminal. It is the familiar entry point if you are coming from OpenClaw or already operate agents as long-lived services. The WebUI remains available when its channel is configured; open it manually when needed.
Use `nanobot gateway --background` for the same direct entry point without keeping the terminal attached. For automatic startup and supervision by the operating system, see [Deployment](./docs/deployment.md).
This opens an interactive terminal chat with the same configured model, workspace, and tools while keeping its own CLI session history. It does not open a browser or keep chat channels and automations running after you exit. Type `exit` or press `Ctrl+C` when you are done.
The one-shot form is useful for a quick provider check, shell scripts, and local automation. If you have not configured a model yet, run `nanobot webui` and open **Settings → Models** first.
Need manual JSON, another device on your LAN, or help with provider/model matching? Continue with [Install and Quick Start](./docs/quick-start.md), [WebUI](./docs/webui.md), or [Troubleshooting](./docs/troubleshooting.md).
- Want a pasteable provider setup? See [Provider Cookbook](./docs/provider-cookbook.md)
- Want to understand provider/model matching? See [Providers and Models](./docs/providers.md)
- Want web search, MCP, security settings, or more config options? See [Configuration](./docs/configuration.md)
- Want to run locally? See [Ollama](./docs/providers.md#ollama), [vLLM or another local OpenAI-compatible server](./docs/providers.md#vllm-or-other-local-openai-compatible-server), and the full [provider reference](./docs/configuration.md#providers).
The WebUI ships **inside the published wheel** with no separate frontend build. It is the browser workbench for persistent topics, visible agent activity, workspace controls, Apps, Skills, Automations, and settings.
See the [WebUI guide](./docs/webui.md) for LAN access, background operation, workspace controls, and the full feature tour. Working on the frontend itself? Use [`webui/README.md`](./webui/README.md).
🐈 nanobot stays lightweight by centering everything around a small agent loop: messages come in from chat apps, the LLM decides when tools are needed, and memory or skills are pulled in only as context instead of becoming a heavy orchestration layer. That keeps the core path readable and easy to extend, while still letting you add channels, tools, memory, and deployment options without turning the system into a monolith.
Browse the [repo docs](./docs/README.md) for the latest features and GitHub development version, or visit [nanobot.wiki](https://nanobot.wiki/docs/latest/getting-started/nanobot-overview) for the stable release documentation.
Nanobot was started by [Xubin Ren](https://github.com/re-bin) as a personal open-source project and is now maintained collaboratively with contributors from the open-source community. Feel free to contact [xubinrencs@gmail.com](mailto:xubinrencs@gmail.com) for questions, ideas, or collaboration.
