---
title: "eliza setup"
description: "Interactive first-time setup — providers, keys, and baseline configuration."
---

# `eliza setup`

Walks through initial provider keys, character selection, and core options when onboarding a new machine or state directory. This is the recommended first command after installing Eliza.

## Options

| Flag | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `--workspace <dir>` | Agent workspace directory |
| `--provider <name>` | Model provider for non-interactive setup (e.g. `anthropic`, `openai`, `ollama`) |
| `--key <value>` | API key or URL via argv (prefer `--key-stdin` to avoid shell history exposure) |
| `--key-stdin` | Read the API key or URL from stdin |
| `--no-wizard` | Skip the interactive model provider wizard |

## When to use

- Fresh install before first `eliza start`
- Setting up a new state directory
- Adding API keys without editing JSON by hand

## What it configures

1. **Runtime location** — Local, LAN, Remote, or Eliza Cloud
2. **Character** — Name and starting personality
3. **Provider** — Cloud API key, Ollama, or Eliza Cloud connection
4. **Connection test** — Verifies the provider responds before finishing

## Flags

| Flag | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `--workspace <dir>` | Set the agent workspace directory. |
| `--provider <name>` | Model provider name for non-interactive setup (e.g. `anthropic`, `openai`, `ollama`). |
| `--key <value>` | API key or URL to store for the selected provider. Prefer `--key-stdin` to avoid shell history exposure. |
| `--key-stdin` | Read the API key or URL from stdin instead of passing it as an argument. |
| `--no-wizard` | Skip the interactive model provider wizard. |

## Examples

```bash
# Interactive wizard
eliza setup

# Non-interactive: set Anthropic key
eliza setup --provider anthropic --key sk-ant-...

# Non-interactive via stdin (safer)
echo "sk-ant-..." | eliza setup --provider anthropic --key-stdin

# Skip wizard, just bootstrap workspace
eliza setup --no-wizard

# Custom workspace directory
eliza setup --workspace ~/my-agent
```

After setup, a health check runs automatically (equivalent to `eliza doctor`). The wizard supports these providers: Anthropic (Claude), OpenAI (GPT), Google (Gemini), Groq, xAI (Grok), OpenRouter, Mistral, and Ollama (local, no key required).

## Related

- [Installation](/installation) — Download and install paths
- [First Launch](/quickstart) — What happens on first run
- [Model providers](/model-providers) — Supported providers and API keys