agentx
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Getting Started

Get up and running with agentx in under a minute.

Prerequisites

  • Node.js >= 18
  • Claude CLI installed and authenticated (claude --version)
  • A terminal (macOS or Linux)

Install the CLI

Install agentx globally via npm:

npm install -g @knid/agentx

Verify the installation:

agentx --version
agentx doctor

The doctor command checks that your environment is set up correctly.

Install Your First Agent

Browse the registry for available agents:

agentx search email

Install an agent:

agentx install @agentx/gmail-agent

Configure Secrets

Some agents need API tokens or credentials. Configure them interactively:

agentx configure gmail-agent

This will prompt you for each required secret. Secrets are encrypted and stored locally.

Run an Agent

Run the agent with a prompt:

agentx run gmail-agent "summarize my unread emails from today"

For interactive mode (chat-style):

agentx run gmail-agent -i

Chain Agents Together

This is the killer feature. Agents write to stdout, so you can chain them with standard Unix pipes — build multi-step AI workflows in a single line:

# Research, then write a Notion page
agentx run web-researcher --quiet "2026 AI trends" \
  | agentx run notion-agent "create a new page summarizing this"

# Scan code, then file bugs
agentx run security-scanner --quiet "audit src/auth/" \
  | agentx run linear-agent "create a bug for each finding"

# Three-step pipeline
agentx run web-researcher --quiet "React best practices" \
  | agentx run writing-assistant --quiet "rewrite as a team guide" \
  | agentx run slack-agent "post this to #frontend"

Use --quiet on intermediate agents to pipe only raw output. See [Pipes and Agent Chaining](/docs/pipes-and-chaining) for the full guide.

Pipe Files Into Agents

You can also pipe file content directly:

cat report.csv | agentx run data-analyst "analyze this data"

List Installed Agents

agentx list

Update Agents

Update a specific agent:

agentx update gmail-agent

Update all installed agents:

agentx update --all

Uninstall Agents

agentx uninstall gmail-agent

Schedule an Agent

Agents with a schedule block in their manifest can run automatically on a cron schedule:

# Start the agent's schedule
agentx schedule start slack-agent

# View active schedules
agentx schedule list

# Check the latest run
agentx schedule logs slack-agent

# Stop the schedule
agentx schedule stop slack-agent

A background daemon manages all schedules. It starts automatically when you schedule your first agent and shuts down when all schedules are stopped. After a system restart, resume your schedules with:

agentx schedule resume

Next Steps

  • Master [pipes and agent chaining](/docs/pipes-and-chaining) to build multi-step AI workflows
  • Browse the [agent marketplace](/agents) to discover more agents
  • Learn how to [create your own agent](/docs/creating-agents)
  • Read the [agent.yaml reference](/docs/agent-yaml-reference) for the full manifest spec
  • Set up [agent scheduling](/docs/scheduling) for automated runs