Getting Started
Elowen is a self-hosted assistant you can use in a browser, the elowen CLI, or supported chat channels. It can work with Projects and enabled plugins, and delegate focused tasks to sub-agents.
Set up Elowen
Run the installer on a Debian or Ubuntu host. It asks for your licence key with a masked prompt, and it installs Node.js 22.19 or newer if the host has none or an older one:
curl -fsSL https://<licence-server>/hooks/licensing/v1/install.sh | bashThe installer checks the key before it changes the host, provisions the services, and then runs the setup wizard in the same run. The wizard creates the first administrator, registers an optional Project, connects an AI provider and model, sets your preferences, and offers optional memory embeddings and language-server support.
For unattended installs, have your secrets store set ELOWEN_LICENCE_KEY in the environment instead of typing the key, and pass ELOWEN_INSTALL_ARGS with --unattended. Never put the key on the command line: it leaks into shell history and process lists.
Without a usable licence the daemon stays locked and the web app shows a licence page instead of the login. See Licence for activation, the grace period, and where the licence file lives.
When setup is done, open the Web UI address shown at the end of the wizard, or start a terminal chat with elowen. The first elowen run on the server prints a link to approve its sign-in in the browser, and keeps a personal API token that you can revoke in Account > API tokens. To reconfigure later, run elowen setup.
Run elowen doctor if you need to check the installation.
Connect your computer
Elowen can also work on your own Linux, macOS or Windows computer. Sign in to the web app, open Account > Computers and choose Copy install command; the page picks the command for the system your browser runs on. Paste the command into a terminal on that computer; on Windows, paste it into PowerShell. Windows needs Windows 10 22H2 or Windows 11. See CLI.
Send your first request
Start with something whose result is easy to check:
List the files in my current Project and summarize its README.The tools Elowen can use depend on your account, selected Project, enabled plugins, and tool permissions.
Projects and access
A Project gives Elowen access to a registered repository or working directory. Administrators register Projects and choose which accounts can use them. Registering an existing repository or working directory does not create or delete files in it.
Managed Projects run in their own persistent environment, which starts when the Project is created. Other repository work can use Git worktrees. The optional GitHub connection maps a Project to its GitHub repository, so git and gh in the terminal run as your GitHub identity.
Accounts and delegated work
Administrators manage accounts, Project access, plugin access, and tool permissions. Delegated work uses the same access limits as its parent and cannot gain extra permissions.
Plan mode refuses tools that make changes, so you can review an approach before anything changes: the assistant may write only its plan file and run non-destructive shell commands until you approve the plan. Workflow mode coordinates several dependent sub-agents. Elowen can also hand a focused task to one sub-agent with its Delegate tool. None of these grants extra access.
See Projects, Environments & GitHub, CLI, and Slash Commands.
Start and update Elowen
elowen up
elowen status
elowen restart all
elowen updateUse elowen down to stop the services. It checkpoints running work; add --force only if you need to stop immediately.