Skip to main content

Getting Started with MAIAR

Welcome to MAIAR. This guide will help you set up and run your own AI agent using the MAIAR framework.

Prerequisites​

Before you begin, make sure you have the following installed:

  • Node.js (v22.13.x) - We recommend using nvm to manage Node.js versions:
nvm install 22.13.1
nvm use 22.13.1

Quick Start​

  1. Initialize the project with your package manager:
pnpm create maiar
OpenAI API Setup

The CLI defaults to the OpenAI model provider. To use it, you'll need to:

  1. Create an OpenAI account at platform.openai.com
  2. Generate an API key in your account settings.
  3. Add funds to your account to use the API
  4. Add your API key when the CLI prompts you for it
  1. Build and start your agent:
pnpm build
pnpm start
  1. Test your agent with a simple prompt:
curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/chat -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"user": "Bob", "message": "Hello, how are you?"}'

You should recieve a response from the agent.

Configuration​

The basic configuration above includes:

  • OpenAI's GPT-4.1 as the language model, and DALL-E 3 for image generation.
  • SQLite-based conversation memory
  • Text and image generation capabilities
  • Rich console logging
  • Logging over WebSocket for remote monitoring

You can customize the configuration by:

  • Changing the OpenAI models used for text and image generation
  • Configuring memory storage options (e.g. SQLite, Postgres, etc.)
  • Adding more plugins and adjusting their settings

Adding Plugins​

You can extend your agent's capabilities by installing additional plugins:

pnpm add @maiar-ai/plugin-discord

Then add them to your runtime configuration:

import { PluginDiscord } from "@maiar-ai/plugin-discord";

// ... other imports

const agent = await Runtime.init({
  // ... other config
  plugins: [
    new PluginDiscord({
      /* Configuration options go here */
    })
    // ... other plugins
  ]
});

Check out some of our plugins to get started.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter any issues:

  1. Make sure your OpenAI API key is properly set in the .env file
  2. Check that all dependencies are installed with your package manager
  3. Ensure the data directory exists for SQLite storage
  4. Check the TypeScript compilation output for any errors

For more help, please open an issue on our GitHub repository.

Next Steps
  • Explore the API Reference to learn about available methods and configurations
  • Check out the Plugins Guide to learn how to extend your agent's capabilities
  • Join our Discord to get help and share your experiences