Need help getting started after cloning Hexabot locally

Getting Started
1

Hi everyone,

I’m a junior developer and I’m trying to get started with Hexabot for the first time.

I cloned the repository from GitHub:

https://github.com/hexabot-ai/hexabot

Then I ran:

npm install

The installation completed, but I’m not sure what I should do next.

I’m a bit confused about the local setup steps. For example:

  • Should I run the project with Docker or directly with npm?

  • Do I need to create or update any .env files first?

  • Which command should I use to start the backend, frontend, and other services?

  • Is there a recommended setup flow for contributors who cloned the main repository?

  • Are there seed data or default admin credentials needed to access the platform?

I checked the repository structure, but since Hexabot has multiple parts, I’m not fully sure how everything fits together yet.

Any guidance would be really appreciated, especially a simple step-by-step explanation for someone setting it up locally for the first time.

Thanks in advance!

2

Hi,

Thanks for trying Hexabot.

Just to clarify: cloning the main Hexabot repository is mainly needed if you want to contribute to Hexabot itself or work directly on the source code.

If your goal is to create a new Hexabot project and start building workflows, the recommended way is to use the official Hexabot CLI.

You can follow the installation guide here:

https://docs.hexabot.ai/quickstart/installation

The usual flow is:

npm install -g @hexabot-ai/cli

Then create a new project from the starter template:

hexabot create my-project

Move into the generated project:

cd my-project

And start the local stack:

hexabot dev

So, unless you specifically want to contribute to the Hexabot core repository, you do not need to clone the main GitHub project manually.

The CLI will generate the right project structure and help you get started with a local Hexabot setup more easily.