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Setup wizard

The first time you launch vanta on a terminal without a configured provider, it runs the setup wizard automatically — no separate command needed. Run it any time with:

vanta setup     # interactive: openai | gemini | anthropic | openrouter | ollama

What the wizard does​

  1. Lists the available backends from the provider catalog, with signup URLs.
  2. Prompts for a model id (a sensible default per provider).
  3. For key-based providers, prompts for the API key hidden — never echoed.
  4. Validates the choice with a live probe before writing anything — a bad key fails the wizard instead of silently breaking your first turn.
  5. Writes VANTA_PROVIDER + VANTA_MODEL (+ the key) to vanta-ts/.env at 0600, merging into any existing .env (other keys preserved).

The default is local Ollama (qwen2.5:14b) — no API key, runs offline.

Messaging setup​

vanta setup messaging            # choose from the registry
vanta setup messaging telegram   # go directly to Telegram

Each platform shows an [available | configured | planned] status with numbered steps. 22 messaging adapters are registered; every current catalog entry has a runtime adapter, while real delivery still depends on that platform's credentials, webhook, device, or service. Telegram setup recognizes an existing configuration before changing it, validates the @BotFather token against getMe before writing, and optionally stores a numeric owner allowlist in VANTA_TELEGRAM_ALLOW. A rejected token leaves the prior .env untouched.

Inside interactive Vanta, /setup opens a compact hub for Model, Telegram, Voice, and MCP rather than aliasing the model picker. Choose Telegram, run /setup telegram, or ask “how do I set up Telegram?” to see the current state and enter the targeted wizard. Vanta temporarily suspends the TUI, verifies the BotFather token before writing, and then starts a freshly prepared interactive session with the new configuration loaded. Use /setup telegram status for a read-only check. In Desktop, typing / exposes Set up Telegram, which opens Connect > Messaging > Telegram. These routes remain available when the model provider is missing. See Comms & gateway.

Other one-time setup​

vanta auth google     # one-time OAuth for gmail / calendar / drive

Verify it worked​

vanta doctor          # kernel ping · provider reachable · key presence · store · goals

The setup assistant probes the provider completion, the Google OAuth path, MCP mount/list-tools, and any configured messaging token — reporting errors as values with secrets redacted.

Keys without .env​

Prefer not to keep keys in a file? Use an api_key_helper to fetch them from a secret manager at startup — see Settings & secrets.

Next: Configuration for the full environment + state layout.