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Quick Start Guide

Get BaseAgent running in 5 minutes

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

  • Python 3.9+ installed
  • An LLM API key (Chutes, OpenRouter, or Anthropic)
  • BaseAgent installed (see Installation)

Step 1: Set Up Your API Key

Choose your provider and set the environment variable:

# For Chutes AI (recommended)
export CHUTES_API_TOKEN="your-token-from-chutes.ai"

# OR for OpenRouter
export OPENROUTER_API_KEY="sk-or-v1-..."

Step 2: Run Your First Task

Navigate to the BaseAgent directory and run:

python3 agent.py --instruction "Create a file called hello.txt with the content 'Hello, World!'"

Expected Output

You'll see JSONL events as the agent works:

{"type": "thread.started", "thread_id": "sess_1234567890"}
{"type": "turn.started"}
{"type": "item.started", "item": {"type": "command_execution", "command": "write_file"}}
{"type": "item.completed", "item": {"type": "command_execution", "status": "completed"}}
{"type": "turn.completed", "usage": {"input_tokens": 5000, "output_tokens": 200}}

And the file hello.txt will be created:

cat hello.txt
# Output: Hello, World!

Step 3: Try More Examples

Example: Explore a Codebase

python3 agent.py --instruction "Explore this repository and describe its structure"

Example: Find and Read Files

python3 agent.py --instruction "Find all Python files and show me the main entry point"

Example: Create a Simple Script

python3 agent.py --instruction "Create a Python script that prints the Fibonacci sequence up to 100"

Example: Modify Existing Code

python3 agent.py --instruction "Add a docstring to all functions in src/core/loop.py"

Understanding the Output

BaseAgent emits JSONL (JSON Lines) format for machine-readable output:

sequenceDiagram
    participant User
    participant Agent
    participant stdout as Output

    User->>Agent: --instruction "..."
    Agent->>stdout: {"type": "thread.started", ...}
    Agent->>stdout: {"type": "turn.started"}
    
    loop Tool Execution
        Agent->>stdout: {"type": "item.started", ...}
        Agent->>stdout: {"type": "item.completed", ...}
    end
    
    Agent->>stdout: {"type": "turn.completed", "usage": {...}}
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Key Event Types

Event Description
thread.started Session begins with unique ID
turn.started Agent begins processing
item.started Tool execution begins
item.completed Tool execution finished
turn.completed Agent finished with usage stats
turn.failed Error occurred

Quick Command Reference

# Basic usage
python3 agent.py --instruction "Your task description"

# With environment variables inline
CHUTES_API_TOKEN="..." python3 agent.py --instruction "..."

# Redirect output to file
python3 agent.py --instruction "..." > output.jsonl 2>&1

Agent Workflow

Here's what happens when you run a task:

flowchart TB
    subgraph Input
        Cmd["python3 agent.py --instruction '...'"]
    end
    
    subgraph Init["Initialization"]
        Parse[Parse Arguments]
        Config[Load Configuration]
        LLM[Initialize LLM Client]
        Tools[Register Tools]
    end
    
    subgraph Loop["Agent Loop"]
        Context[Manage Context]
        Cache[Apply Caching]
        Call[Call LLM]
        Execute[Execute Tools]
        Verify[Self-Verify]
    end
    
    subgraph Output
        JSONL[Emit JSONL Events]
        Done[Task Complete]
    end
    
    Cmd --> Parse --> Config --> LLM --> Tools
    Tools --> Context --> Cache --> Call
    Call --> Execute --> Context
    Execute --> Verify --> Done
    Context & Call & Execute --> JSONL
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Tips for Effective Instructions

Be Specific

# ❌ Too vague
python3 agent.py --instruction "Fix the bug"

# ✅ Specific
python3 agent.py --instruction "Fix the TypeError in src/utils.py line 42 where x is None"

Provide Context

# ❌ Missing context
python3 agent.py --instruction "Add tests"

# ✅ With context
python3 agent.py --instruction "Add unit tests for the calculate_total function in src/billing.py"

Request Verification

# ✅ Ask for verification
python3 agent.py --instruction "Create a Python script for sorting and verify it works with sample data"

Troubleshooting

Agent Not Finding Files

The agent starts in the current directory. Ensure you're in the right location:

pwd  # Check current directory
ls   # List files
cd /path/to/project
python3 /path/to/baseagent/agent.py --instruction "..."

API Rate Limits

If you hit rate limits, the agent will automatically retry with exponential backoff. You can also:

# Set a cost limit
export LLM_COST_LIMIT="5.0"

Long-Running Tasks

For complex tasks, the agent may iterate many times. Monitor progress through the JSONL output:

python3 agent.py --instruction "..." 2>&1 | grep "item.completed"

Next Steps