> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.frogbot.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Set up FrogBot step by step > Go from nothing installed to chatting with your own FrogBot agent. No programming experience needed. This guide takes you from nothing installed to your first chat with your own FrogBot agent, running on your computer. It takes about 15 minutes. You type a few commands; each step says what you should see. Would you rather have a coding agent such as Codex or Claude Code do this for you? Use [Start with a coding agent](https://docs.frogbot.ai/getting-started/coding-agent.md) instead. **1. Install Node.js** FrogBot runs on Node.js 24.21 or newer. Download the installer from [nodejs.org](https://nodejs.org/en/download) and run it. **You should see:** the installer finishes without errors. You check the version in step 2. **2. Open a terminal** A terminal is a window where you type commands. * **macOS:** open **Terminal** from Applications → Utilities, or search for it with Spotlight (Cmd+Space). * **Windows:** search for **Command Prompt** in the Start menu and open it. Type this command and press Enter: ```bash theme={"theme":"tokyo-night"} node --version ``` **You should see:** a version number of `v24.21.0` or higher, such as `v24.22.0`. If the command is not found or the number is lower, install Node.js again and open a new terminal window. **3. Create the app** In the terminal, run: ```bash theme={"theme":"tokyo-night"} npx create-frogbot-app@latest my-frogbot ``` If it asks to install `create-frogbot-app`, type `y` and press Enter. It then asks a few questions. Press Enter to accept the default for each one, except the AI provider: choose **OpenAI**. When it asks for `OPENAI_API_KEY`, paste your key if you already have one, or leave it blank and add it in step 5. If it says `Found OPENAI_API_KEY in your environment. Use it for this app?`, press Enter to use that key. **You should see:** `Created my-frogbot.` followed by the commands to start the app. If you left the key blank, it first prints `Set OPENAI_API_KEY in my-frogbot/.env. The app won't start without it.` Your app is in a new folder named `my-frogbot` in the folder where you ran the command (your home folder, if you just opened the terminal). **4. Get an AI key** Your agent needs an AI provider to answer. This guide uses OpenAI. Sign in at [platform.openai.com/api-keys](https://platform.openai.com/api-keys), select **Create new secret key**, and copy the key. OpenAI charges for usage, so you may need to add a payment method first. **You should see:** a long key that starts with `sk-`. Keep it somewhere safe; OpenAI shows it only once. To use Anthropic or Google instead, see [Installation](https://docs.frogbot.ai/getting-started/installation.md). **5. Add the key to your app** Skip this step if you pasted your key, or chose to use the one it found, in step 3. Otherwise, add the key before you start the app; without it, the app does not open. Open the `my-frogbot` folder and find the file named `.env`: * **macOS:** Finder hides files whose names start with a dot. Open the folder in Finder and press Cmd+Shift+. (period) to show them. Then Control-click `.env` and choose **Open With → TextEdit**. * **Windows:** open the folder in File Explorer, right-click `.env`, and choose **Open with → Notepad**. Find the line `OPENAI_API_KEY=`, paste your key directly after the `=` with no spaces, and save the file. **You should see:** a line like `OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...` with your full key. The `.env` file stays on your computer and is not added to Git. **6. Start the app** In the terminal, run: ```bash theme={"theme":"tokyo-night"} cd my-frogbot npm run dev ``` **You should see:** a few lines that include the address `http://localhost:3000` and end with `Ready`. Leave this terminal window open while you use the app. To stop the app later, press Ctrl+C in that window (on Windows, type `Y` and press Enter if it asks to terminate the batch job). **7. Create your admin account** Open [http://localhost:3000](http://localhost:3000) in your web browser. The first page load can take a minute while the app prepares. **You should see:** a **Welcome** page that says "To begin, create your first user." Enter your email address, type the same password in **New Password** and **Confirm Password**, and select **Create**. You can leave the other fields as they are. The account is stored only in your app on your computer. After you create it, you see your dashboard: a card for each collection, such as Users and Chats, under the **Collections** heading. **8. Send your first message** In the sidebar, under **Collections**, select **Chats**, then select **Create New**. If the sidebar is closed, select the FrogBot logo at the top left to open it. A new chat opens with a greeting and a message box at the bottom. Type a message, such as "Hello!", and press Enter. **You should see:** your agent replies in the chat. You now have a working FrogBot app. To change what your agent does, edit `src/frogbot.config.ts` in the `my-frogbot` folder; [Concepts](https://docs.frogbot.ai/getting-started/concepts.md) explains the building blocks. ## If something goes wrong > [accordion] The page shows an error that says OPENAI\_API\_KEY must be a non-empty string > > The key is missing. The browser and the terminal both show `Invalid gateway config: providers.openai.apiKey or OPENAI_API_KEY must be a non-empty string`. Add it to `.env` as shown in step 5, press Ctrl+C in the terminal, and run `npm run dev` again. > [accordion] The chat does not reply > > Your message appears, but no reply comes, and the terminal shows an error from OpenAI, such as `Incorrect API key provided`. Usually the key is wrong or incomplete. Open `.env` in the `my-frogbot` folder and check that the `OPENAI_API_KEY=` line has your full key after the `=`, with no spaces or quotes. Save the file, press Ctrl+C in the terminal, run `npm run dev` again, and send a new message. > > If you created a new key, make sure your OpenAI account has billing set up. > [accordion] I added my key, but it still does not work > > A key that is already set in your terminal takes priority over the one in `.env`. Close the terminal, open a new one, and start the app again. If that does not help, the variable is set in your terminal's startup settings. Remove it there, or put the same key in both places. > [accordion] node --version is not found, or shows a number below 22 > > Install Node.js 24.21 or newer from [nodejs.org](https://nodejs.org/en/download), then close the terminal and open a new one before you try again. > [accordion] Directory "my-frogbot" already exists > > A folder with that name is already there, often from an earlier try. Choose another name, such as `npx create-frogbot-app@latest my-frogbot-2`, and use that name in the steps that follow. You can also delete the old folder if you do not need it. > [accordion] Invalid project name, or Provide the project name once > > Project names use only lowercase letters, numbers, dots, dashes, and underscores, and start with a letter or number. For example, `my-frogbot` works, but `My-FrogBot` does not. A name with a space, such as `my frogbot`, shows `Provide the project name once`; use a dash instead of the space. > [accordion] Windows: running scripts is disabled on this system > > PowerShell blocks the `npx` and `npm` commands on many Windows computers. Open **Command Prompt** instead, as shown in step 2, and run the same command there. > [accordion] The address is not [http://localhost:3000](http://localhost:3000) > > If another program is already using port 3000, the app starts on the next free port and prints it, such as `http://localhost:3001`. Open the address shown in the terminal. Still stuck? Ask in the [FrogBot Discord](https://discord.com/invite/JBZF7syAnU), or see [Installation](https://docs.frogbot.ai/getting-started/installation.md) for every option. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.