Quick Start: Your First AI Agent in 5 Minutes

This guide gets you from zero to a working AI agent in under 5 minutes.

Step 1: Install

Terminal window
curl -fsSL https://pocketpaw.xyz/install.sh | sh

On Windows PowerShell, use:

Terminal window
powershell -NoExit -Command "iwr -useb https://pocketpaw.xyz/install.ps1 | iex"

Tip: If the install command fails, make sure Python 3.11+ is installed and available in your system PATH.

Step 2: Set Your API Key

Terminal window
export POCKETPAW_ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-your-key-here"

Get your key at console.anthropic.com/api-keys. An API key is required for the Claude SDK backend — OAuth tokens from Claude Free/Pro/Max plans are not permitted for third-party use. For free local inference, use Ollama instead.

Step 3: Launch

Terminal window
pocketpaw

This starts the web dashboard at http://localhost:8888. Open it in your browser.

Step 4: Chat

Type a message in the chat input and press Enter. PocketPaw will process it through the Claude Agent SDK and stream the response back in real-time.

Try these example prompts:

  • “What files are in my home directory?”
  • “Write a Python script that calculates prime numbers”
  • “Search the web for the latest news about AI”

Running Headless Channels

You can also run PocketPaw as a headless bot on specific channels:

Terminal window
# Telegram only (legacy pairing flow)
pocketpaw --telegram


# Discord only
pocketpaw --discord


# Slack only
pocketpaw --slack


# Multiple channels
pocketpaw --discord --slack --whatsapp


# All configured channels
pocketpaw  # Default web dashboard auto-starts configured adapters

Configuring a Telegram Bot

Create a bot with BotFather

Open Telegram, search for @BotFather, send /newbot, and follow the prompts. Copy the token.

Set the token

Terminal window
export POCKETPAW_TELEGRAM_TOKEN="your-bot-token"

Start in Telegram mode

Terminal window
pocketpaw --telegram

Chat with your bot

Open Telegram, find your bot, and start chatting.

Configuring Discord

Create a Discord application

Go to the Discord Developer Portal, create a new application, and add a bot.

Set the token

Terminal window
export POCKETPAW_DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN="your-discord-token"

Invite the bot

Generate an invite URL with the bot and applications.commands scopes. Add it to your server.

Start

Terminal window
pocketpaw --discord

Using the Web Dashboard

The web dashboard is the default mode and provides:

  • Real-time chat with streaming responses
  • Session management with history and search
  • Tool activity panel showing tool calls in real-time
  • Channel management to configure and toggle channels
  • Settings panel for all configuration options
  • MCP server management to add and configure MCP servers
  • Memory settings for configuring Mem0 and session storage

What’s Next?

Configuration

Explore all configuration options and environment variables.

Channels

Set up additional messaging platforms.

Tools

Discover all 50+ built-in tools.

Security

Learn about PocketPaw’s security model.

Last updated: April 29, 2026
2 min read
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