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Setup

Last updated: 2026-01-01

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TL;DR

  • Tailoring lives outside the repo: ~/equa (workspace) + ~/.equabot/equabot.json (config).
  • Stable workflow: install the macOS app; let it run the bundled Gateway.
  • Bleeding edge workflow: run the Gateway yourself via pnpm gateway:watch, then let the macOS app attach in Local mode.

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Prereqs (from source)

  • Node >=22
  • pnpm
  • Docker (optional; only for containerized setup/e2e — see Docker)

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Tailoring strategy (so updates don’t hurt)

If you want “100% tailored to me” and easy updates, keep your customization in:
  • Config: ~/.equabot/equabot.json (JSON/JSON5-ish)
  • Workspace: ~/equa (skills, prompts, memories; make it a private git repo)
Bootstrap once: 
equabot setup
From inside this repo, use the local CLI entry: 
equabot setup
If you don’t have a global install yet, run it via pnpm equabot setup.

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Stable workflow (macOS app first)

  1. Install + launch Equabot.app (menu bar).
  2. Complete the onboarding/permissions checklist (TCC prompts).
  3. Ensure Gateway is Local and running (the app manages it).
  4. Link surfaces (example: WhatsApp):
equabot channels login
  1. Sanity check:
equabot health
If onboarding is not available in your build:
  • Run equabot setup, then equabot channels login, then start the Gateway manually (equabot gateway).

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Bleeding edge workflow (Gateway in a terminal)

Goal: work on the TypeScript Gateway, get hot reload, keep the macOS app UI attached.

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0) (Optional) Run the macOS app from source too

If you also want the macOS app on the bleeding edge: 
./scripts/restart-mac.sh

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1) Start the dev Gateway

pnpm install
pnpm gateway:watch
gateway:watch runs the gateway in watch mode and reloads on TypeScript changes.

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2) Point the macOS app at your running Gateway

In Equabot.app:
  • Connection Mode: Local The app will attach to the running gateway on the configured port.

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3) Verify

  • In-app Gateway status should read “Using existing gateway …”
  • Or via CLI:
equabot health

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Common footguns

  • Wrong port: Gateway WS defaults to ws://127.0.0.1:18789; keep app + CLI on the same port.
  • Where state lives:
    • Credentials: ~/.equabot/credentials/
    • Sessions: ~/.equabot/agents/<agentId>/sessions/
    • Logs: /tmp/equabot/

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Updating (without wrecking your setup)

  • Keep ~/equa and ~/.equabot/ as “your stuff”; don’t put personal prompts/config into the equabot repo.
  • Updating source: git pull + pnpm install (when lockfile changed) + keep using pnpm gateway:watch.

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Linux (systemd user service)

Linux installs use a systemd user service. By default, systemd stops user services on logout/idle, which kills the Gateway. Onboarding attempts to enable lingering for you (may prompt for sudo). If it’s still off, run: 
sudo loginctl enable-linger $USER
For always-on or multi-user servers, consider a system service instead of a user service (no lingering needed). See Gateway runbook for the systemd notes.