First Session

When you launch OpenCrabs for the first time, the onboarding wizard walks you through setup.

Onboarding Flow

Provider selection — Choose your AI provider (Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, OpenRouter, or custom)
API key — Enter your API key
Model selection — Pick a default model (fetched live from the provider)
Channel setup (optional) — Connect Telegram, Discord, Slack, or WhatsApp
Image tools (optional) — Configure Gemini for image generation and vision

After onboarding, your agent boots up and introduces itself. It reads its brain files (SOUL.md, IDENTITY.md, AGENTS.md, TOOLS.md) and starts a conversation.

Bootstrap

On the very first run, the agent goes through a bootstrap phase:

Gets to know you (name, preferences, work style)
Establishes its identity (name, personality, emoji)
Opens SOUL.md together to discuss values
Sets up USER.md with your profile

The bootstrap file (BOOTSTRAP.md) deletes itself when complete.

Key Commands

Command	Description
`/help`	Show all available commands
`/models`	Switch provider or model
`/new`	Create a new session
`/sessions`	Switch between sessions
`/cd`	Change working directory
`/compact`	Manually compact context
`/evolve`	Download latest version
`/rebuild`	Build from source
`/approve`	Set approval policy

Approval Modes

Control how much autonomy the agent has:

Mode	Behavior
`/approve`	Ask before every tool use (default)
`/approve auto`	Auto-approve for this session
`/approve yolo`	Auto-approve always (persists)

Working Directory

The agent operates within a working directory for file operations. Change it with:

/cd command in chat
Directory picker in the TUI (Tab to select)
config_manager set_working_directory tool

The working directory is persisted per-session — switching sessions restores the directory automatically.