Getting started
Bazilion ships as an npm package that bundles the CLI, daemon, and production
web UI. The daemon self-bootstraps its workspace on first run — there is no
separate init step.
What you need
Section titled “What you need”- Node.js 24+ — the published CLI requires it.
- A model provider — an API key for Anthropic, OpenAI, or Google, a ChatGPT account for OAuth, or a local backend (Ollama / LM Studio).
Install and open the dashboard
Section titled “Install and open the dashboard”The fastest path is the one-line installer:
curl -fsSL https://bazilion.com/install.sh | bashbazilion dashboardOn Windows PowerShell (unsupported — see the platform boundary below):
irm https://bazilion.com/install.ps1 | iexbazilion dashboardAlready have Node 24+? Use npm directly:
npm install -g bazilionbazilion dashboardOn first boot bazilion dashboard:
- creates
~/.bazilion/(profiles, agents, teams, skills, logs), - opens the SQLite database and applies any pending schema migrations,
- mints a bootstrap token, stores its row, and writes it to
~/.bazilion/auth.json, - on later starts, requires the database and auth file to be present together and the bootstrap token to match its active database row,
- binds the HTTP API on
127.0.0.1:4321, - opens the bundled web UI on
http://127.0.0.1:4322.
Hack on the source
Section titled “Hack on the source”git clone https://github.com/rullopat/bazilioncd bazilionnpm install -g pnpm # if pnpm is missingpnpm install
# Start the source daemon, then run the web UI in another terminal.pnpm tsx apps/cli/src/index.ts servecd apps/web && pnpm devOpen http://127.0.0.1:4322. On a clean install, log in with the bootstrap
token — the token value in ~/.bazilion/auth.json, written on first
bazilion dashboard or bazilion serve. It is accepted by browser login only
until provider setup is complete. Bazilion exchanges it for an internal
expiring device identity and a bounded browser session; the bootstrap bearer is
never retained in browser cookies.
The guided first-run path then takes you through three steps:
- Search or browse configured, recommended, local, and additional providers.
- Add credentials or a local endpoint, enable the provider, and save at least one model. A connection test sends a real model request, so the provider may charge its normal token cost.
- Crossing the setup threshold seeds the
defaultAgent template anddefaultTeam, then offers a direct action to spawn the first Agent.
After setup, the first-run browser session remains valid until its normal expiry. Subsequent browser logins and native pairing use separately named, expiring device credentials rather than the bootstrap token.
For ChatGPT OAuth, the normal CLI flow opens a browser and receives its callback on local port 1455. Use device-code login when the browser is remote or that callback is unavailable:
bazilion auth openai login --device-code
# Source checkout: run from the Bazilion repository root.pnpm tsx apps/cli/src/index.ts auth openai login --device-codeSee The web interface for a full tour of the UI.
Upgrade to 0.22.0
Section titled “Upgrade to 0.22.0”From 0.20.x, upgrade in place. Bazilion migrates its database forward on startup. Before the
first migration touches an existing home it copies the live database to
bazilion.pre-migration-<timestamp>.db beside bazilion.db and verifies the copy, so a failed
migration leaves your home on its previous schema with a restorable snapshot. Snapshot files are
safe to delete once an upgrade is confirmed good.
From 0.19.x or earlier, a reset is required. Those homes predate the migration contract.
Startup refuses them cleanly with recovery guidance and does not modify the database. Keep the old
home with its matching release for export, then reset it or point BAZILION_HOME
at a new empty directory.
Downgrades are unsupported. A database written by a newer release is refused; to run an older release, restore a pre-migration snapshot instead.
Stop the running dashboard (Ctrl+C in its terminal), or stop your managed daemon and web services. For an npm installation:
npm install -g bazilion@0.22.0bazilion --versionbazilion dashboardIf you run managed services, restart them through your service manager instead of starting a second dashboard.
To use Astra, follow Select GPT-6 Astra. If you also change Node versions, reinstall native dependencies using the same runtime that starts Bazilion.
Reset a home
Section titled “Reset a home”Bazilion checks the database schema and the database/bootstrap identity pair
before background work or the HTTP listener starts. If startup reports an
incompatible or mismatched home, back up the complete ~/.bazilion directory
first, then reset and bootstrap it:
bazilion uninstall --yesbazilion dashboardThe standard reset removes the database, auth.json, Agent templates, Agents,
and Teams while preserving logs and installed skills. Linked Team targets are
never deleted. Add --all only for an intentional full wipe.
When developing from source, run this from the Bazilion repository root after changing Node versions, using the same Node runtime that starts Bazilion:
pnpm rebuild better-sqlite3First agent
Section titled “First agent”The web sidebar can spawn from the default Agent template. From the CLI:
bazilion agent spawn --profile default --name first --team defaultbazilion agent chat <agent-id>Where to next
Section titled “Where to next”-
Daily operations — readiness, schedules, approvals, and learning.
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Backup and recovery — archive scope and a restore rehearsal.
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Private access and mobile pairing — private HTTPS and device credentials.
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Core concepts — Agent templates, Team Templates, Teams, policy, approvals, memory, and the mailbox. Read this before building teams.
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The web interface — a tour of every screen.
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Tools & integrations — browser automation, MCP servers, and sending files to and from agents.
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Connecting Telegram — give your agents their own Telegram topics.
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Configuration — providers, secrets, tokens, and the on-disk layout.
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How Bazilion is different — if you’re coming from OpenClaw.