<!-- source: https://deepwiki.com/qhkm/zeptoclaw/2-getting-started -->

# Getting Started

- .github/workflows/ci.yml
- .github/workflows/e2e.yml
- .github/workflows/release.yml
- CHANGELOG.md
- README.md
- deploy/homebrew/zeptoclaw.rb
- install.sh
- landing/zeptoclaw/docs/src/assets/logo.svg
- landing/zeptoclaw/docs/src/styles/custom.css
- landing/zeptoclaw/index.html
- src/tools/screenshot.rs

ZeptoClaw is a ~6MB Rust binary that provides an AI agent runtime with 33 built-in tools, 16 LLM providers, 11 communication channels, and 6 sandbox runtimes. This section guides you through installation, initial configuration, and running your first agent. [README.md34-42](https://github.com/qhkm/zeptoclaw/blob/2c743d31/README.md?plain=1#L34-L42) [README.md50-60](https://github.com/qhkm/zeptoclaw/blob/2c743d31/README.md?plain=1#L50-L60)

**Navigation:**

- Installation — Binary downloads, Homebrew, Docker, cargo install
- Quick Start Guide — Step-by-step onboarding and first agent interaction
- Configuration Basics — Understanding config.json structure and validation

## Prerequisites

ZeptoClaw has minimal system requirements and runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows (via WSL2). [README.md52-61](https://github.com/qhkm/zeptoclaw/blob/2c743d31/README.md?plain=1#L52-L61)

**Optional dependencies for advanced features:**

**Sources:** [README.md34-61](https://github.com/qhkm/zeptoclaw/blob/2c743d31/README.md?plain=1#L34-L61) [CHANGELOG.md11-65](https://github.com/qhkm/zeptoclaw/blob/2c743d31/CHANGELOG.md?plain=1#L11-L65) [.github/workflows/ci.yml13-158](https://github.com/qhkm/zeptoclaw/blob/2c743d31/.github/workflows/ci.yml#L13-L158)

## Three-Minute Setup

The fastest path to a working agent: [README.md84-96](https://github.com/qhkm/zeptoclaw/blob/2c743d31/README.md?plain=1#L84-L96) [README.md117-138](https://github.com/qhkm/zeptoclaw/blob/2c743d31/README.md?plain=1#L117-L138)

```

```

The `onboard` wizard [install.sh127](https://github.com/qhkm/zeptoclaw/blob/2c743d31/install.sh#L127-L127) prompts for:

1. LLM Provider — Choose from Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter, etc. README.md 57
2. API Key — Credentials stored encrypted in the config. README.md 159-162
3. Model Selection — Select default model for the agent. CHANGELOG.md 98
4. Workspace Path — Directory for agent file operations. README.md 118

For advanced setup (full wizard), use:

```

```

**Sources:** [README.md84-162](https://github.com/qhkm/zeptoclaw/blob/2c743d31/README.md?plain=1#L84-L162) [install.sh127](https://github.com/qhkm/zeptoclaw/blob/2c743d31/install.sh#L127-L127) [CHANGELOG.md98](https://github.com/qhkm/zeptoclaw/blob/2c743d31/CHANGELOG.md?plain=1#L98-L98)

## Configuration Directory Structure

ZeptoClaw centralizes state in a single directory, typically `~/.zeptoclaw/`. [README.md104-105](https://github.com/qhkm/zeptoclaw/blob/2c743d31/README.md?plain=1#L104-L105)

```

```

**Sources:** [README.md26-161](https://github.com/qhkm/zeptoclaw/blob/2c743d31/README.md?plain=1#L26-L161)

## Operating Modes

ZeptoClaw provides two primary modes of operation:

### 1. Agent Mode (CLI)

Used for direct command-line interaction or batch processing. [README.md117-132](https://github.com/qhkm/zeptoclaw/blob/2c743d31/README.md?plain=1#L117-L132)

```

```

### 2. Gateway Mode (Service)

Starts a multi-channel server for Telegram, Slack, Discord, etc. [README.md133-138](https://github.com/qhkm/zeptoclaw/blob/2c743d31/README.md?plain=1#L133-L138)

```

```

**Architecture Flow:**

```

```

**Sources:** [README.md117-138](https://github.com/qhkm/zeptoclaw/blob/2c743d31/README.md?plain=1#L117-L138) [CHANGELOG.md63](https://github.com/qhkm/zeptoclaw/blob/2c743d31/CHANGELOG.md?plain=1#L63-L63)

## Verifying Your Setup

Run these commands to ensure everything is configured correctly:

```

```

**Sources:** [install.sh32](https://github.com/qhkm/zeptoclaw/blob/2c743d31/install.sh#L32-L32) [README.md115](https://github.com/qhkm/zeptoclaw/blob/2c743d31/README.md?plain=1#L115-L115) [CHANGELOG.md79](https://github.com/qhkm/zeptoclaw/blob/2c743d31/CHANGELOG.md?plain=1#L79-L79)

## Next Steps

Once setup is complete, proceed to:

- Installation — Specific platform guides and Docker setup.
- Quick Start Guide — Running your first interactive agent.
- Configuration Basics — Customizing config.json and secrets.

**Sources:** Wiki Table of Contents.
