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Quick Start

This guide will get you chatting with LocalGPT in just a few minutes.

1. Configure a Model Provider​

Choose one of the following options:

If you have the Claude CLI installed and authenticated:

# No additional setup needed! LocalGPT uses your Claude CLI auth.
# Just start chatting with:
localgpt chat

Option B: API Keys​

# For OpenAI
export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..."

# For Anthropic API
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-..."

2. Start an Interactive Chat​

localgpt chat

You'll see a prompt where you can type messages:

LocalGPT Chat (type /help for commands, /quit to exit)
> Hello! What can you help me with?

I can help you with a variety of tasks:
- Answer questions and explain concepts
- Write and review code
- Execute shell commands
- Search and manage your memory
- And much more!

>

3. Basic Chat Commands​

While in chat, use these commands:

CommandDescription
/helpShow available commands
/quitExit the chat
/memory <query>Search your memory
/saveForce save important context
/compactManually compact the session
/statusShow session status
/clearClear the screen

4. Ask a Single Question​

For quick one-off questions:

localgpt ask "How do I create a new git branch?"

5. Search Your Memory​

As you chat, important information is automatically saved. Search it later:

# Search memory from CLI
localgpt memory search "git commands"

# Or from within chat
> /memory git commands

6. Start the Daemon​

For the HTTP API and heartbeat functionality:

# Start in foreground
localgpt daemon start

# Check status
localgpt daemon status

# Stop the daemon
localgpt daemon stop

Example Session​

$ localgpt chat

LocalGPT Chat (type /help for commands, /quit to exit)

> Can you help me write a Python script that reads a CSV file?

Sure! Here's a simple Python script using the csv module:

```python
import csv

with open('data.csv', 'r') as file:
    reader = csv.DictReader(file)
    for row in reader:
        print(row)

Save this to a file called read_csv.py

I'll create that file for you. [Tool: write_file] Creating read_csv.py...

Done! I've created read_csv.py with the CSV reading code.

/memory csv Found 1 result for "csv":

  • [2024-01-15] Discussed CSV file reading in Python

/quit Goodbye!


## Next Steps

- Learn about [CLI Commands](/docs/cli-commands)
- Understand the [Memory System](/docs/memory-system)
- Set up [Skills](/docs/skills) for specialized tasks
- Configure [Heartbeat](/docs/heartbeat) for autonomous tasks