> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.elizaos.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Start Command > Launch and manage elizaOS projects and agents in production mode ## Usage ```bash theme={null} elizaos start [options] ``` ## Options | Option | Description | | ------------------------ | ---------------------------------- | | `-c, --configure` | Reconfigure services and AI models | | `--character ` | Character file(s) to use | | `-p, --port ` | Port to listen on | ### Basic Usage ```bash theme={null} # Start with default configuration elizaos start # Start on custom port elizaos start --port 8080 # Force reconfiguration elizaos start --configure ``` ### Character Configuration ```bash theme={null} # Start with single character file elizaos start --character ./character.json # Start with multiple character files elizaos start --character ./char1.json ./char2.json # Mix local files and URLs elizaos start --character ./local.json https://example.com/remote.json # Character files without .json extension elizaos start --character assistant support-bot # Comma-separated format also works elizaos start --character "char1.json,char2.json" ``` ### Advanced Configurations ```bash theme={null} # Reconfigure services before starting elizaos start --configure # Start with specific character on custom port elizaos start --character ./my-bot.json --port 4000 # Complete setup for production deployment elizaos start --character ./production-bot.json --port 3000 ``` ### Production Deployment ```bash theme={null} # With environment file cp .env.production .env elizaos start # Background process (Linux/macOS) nohup elizaos start > elizaos.log 2>&1 & ``` ### Health Checks ```bash theme={null} # Verify service is running curl http://localhost:3000/health # Check process status ps aux | grep elizaos # Monitor logs tail -f elizaos.log ``` ## Production Features When you run `start`, elizaOS provides production-ready features: 1. **Optimized Performance**: Runs with production optimizations 2. **Stable Configuration**: Uses saved configuration by default 3. **Service Management**: Handles service connections and disconnections 4. **Error Recovery**: Automatic recovery from transient errors 5. **Resource Management**: Efficient resource allocation and cleanup ## Startup Process When you run the `start` command, elizaOS: 1. **Project Detection**: Detects whether you're in a project or plugin directory 2. **Configuration Loading**: Loads and validates the configuration 3. **Database Initialization**: Initializes the database system 4. **Plugin Loading**: Loads required plugins 5. **Service Startup**: Starts any configured services 6. **Knowledge Processing**: Processes knowledge files if present 7. **API Server**: Starts the HTTP API server 8. **Agent Runtime**: Initializes agent runtimes 9. **Event Listening**: Begins listening for messages and events ## Project Detection elizaOS automatically detects the type of directory you're in and adjusts its behavior accordingly: * **elizaOS Projects**: Loads project configuration and starts defined agents * **elizaOS Plugins**: Runs in plugin test mode with the default character * **Other Directories**: Uses the default Eliza character ## Configuration Management ### Default Configuration * Uses saved configuration from previous runs * Loads environment variables from `.env` file * Applies project-specific settings ### Force Reconfiguration ```bash theme={null} # Bypass saved configuration and reconfigure all services elizaos start --configure ``` This is useful when: * You've changed API keys or service credentials * You want to select different AI models * Service configurations have changed * Troubleshooting configuration issues ## Environment Variables The `start` command automatically loads environment variables: ### From .env File ```bash theme={null} # elizaOS looks for .env in the project directory cd my-project elizaos start # Loads from ./my-project/.env ``` ### Direct Environment Variables ```bash theme={null} # Set variables directly OPENAI_API_KEY=your-key elizaos start # Multiple variables OPENAI_API_KEY=key1 DISCORD_TOKEN=token1 elizaos start ``` ## Error Handling ### Character Loading Errors If character files fail to load, elizaOS will: 1. **Log Errors**: Display detailed error messages for each failed character 2. **Continue Starting**: Use any successfully loaded characters 3. **Fallback**: Use the default Eliza character if no characters load successfully ### Service Connection Errors * Automatic retry for transient connection issues * Graceful degradation when optional services are unavailable * Error logging with recovery suggestions ## Port Management ### Default Port * Port must be specified with `-p` or `--port` option * Automatically detects if port is in use * Suggests alternative ports if specified port is unavailable ### Custom Port ```bash theme={null} # Specify custom port elizaos start --port 8080 # Check if port is available first netstat -an | grep :8080 elizaos start --port 8080 ``` ## Build Process The `start` command does not include built-in build functionality. To build your project before starting: ```bash theme={null} # Build separately before starting bun run build elizaos start ``` ## Health Checks ```bash theme={null} # Verify service is running curl http://localhost:3000/health # Check process status ps aux | grep elizaos # Monitor logs tail -f elizaos.log ``` ## Troubleshooting ### Startup Failures ```bash theme={null} # Check if another instance is running ps aux | grep elizaos pkill -f elizaos # Clear any conflicting processes # Press Ctrl+C in the terminal where elizaos start is running elizaos start ``` ### Port Conflicts ```bash theme={null} # Check what's using the port lsof -i :3000 # Use different port elizaos start --port 3001 # Or stop conflicting service sudo kill -9 $(lsof -ti:3000) elizaos start ``` ### Character Loading Issues ```bash theme={null} # Verify character file exists and is valid JSON cat ./character.json | jq . # Test with absolute path elizaos start --character /full/path/to/character.json # Start without character to use default elizaos start ``` ### Configuration Problems ```bash theme={null} # Force reconfiguration to fix corrupted settings elizaos start --configure # Check environment variables elizaos env list # Reset environment if needed elizaos env reset elizaos start --configure ``` ### Build Failures ```bash theme={null} # Build separately and check for errors bun run build # If build succeeds, then start elizaos start # Install dependencies if missing bun install bun run build elizaos start ``` ### Service Connection Issues ```bash theme={null} # Check internet connectivity ping google.com # Verify API keys are set elizaos env list # Test with minimal configuration elizaos start --configure ``` ## Related Commands * [`create`](/cli-reference/create): Create a new project to start * [`dev`](/cli-reference/dev): Run in development mode with hot reloading * [`agent`](/cli-reference/agent): Manage individual agents * [`env`](/cli-reference/env): Configure environment variables