ConnectOnion Create Command

The co create command creates new ConnectOnion projects with intelligent defaults and automatic setup.

Overview

co create [name] [options]

Creates a new agent project with:

• AI features enabled by default (agents need LLMs)
• API keys copied from global config (if available)
• Global address and email used for all projects
• Complete agent implementation ready to run

Command Flow

First-Time User

When ~/.co/ doesn't exist, co create automatically sets up global configuration:

$ co create my-first-agent

🚀 Welcome to ConnectOnion!
✨ Setting up global configuration...
  ✓ Creating ~/.co/ directory
  ✓ Generating master keypair
  ✓ Your address: 0x7a9f3b2c8d4e5f6a7b8c9d0e1f2a3b4c5d6e7f8a
  ✓ Your email: 0x7a9f3b2c@mail.openonion.ai
  ✓ Creating ~/.co/keys.env (ready for your API keys)

🧅 ConnectOnion Project Creator
========================================

✔ Choose a template:
  ❯ Minimal - Simple starting point
    Browser - Browser automation
    Hosted Browser - Hosted browser sessions
    Coder - Coding agent
    Co-AI - AI assistant with web UI
    Web Research - Data scraping & analysis
    Custom - AI generates based on needs

✔ Paste your API key (or Enter to skip): › sk-proj-xxx
  ✓ Detected OpenAI API key
  ✓ Saved to ~/.co/keys.env for future projects

✔ Project name: › my-first-agent

✅ Project created successfully!

📁 Created: my-first-agent
📦 Template: Minimal
✨ AI Features: Enabled
📧 Agent email: 0x7a9f3b2c@mail.openonion.ai (global)
🔑 Agent address: 0x7a9f3b2c8d4e5f6a7b8c9d0e1f2a3b4c5d6e7f8a (global)

🚀 Next steps:
────────────────────────────────────────
1️⃣  cd my-first-agent
2️⃣  pip install python-dotenv
3️⃣  python agent.py

Returning User

When ~/.co/ already exists:

$ co create another-agent

🧅 ConnectOnion Project Creator
========================================
✓ Using global identity: 0x7a9f3b2c8d4e5f6a7b8c9d0e1f2a3b4c5d6e7f8a
✓ Using global email: 0x7a9f3b2c@mail.openonion.ai

✔ Choose a template: › Web Research

✓ Found API keys in ~/.co/keys.env
  ✓ OpenAI key will be copied to project

✔ Project name: › research-bot

✅ Project created successfully!

📁 Created: research-bot
📦 Template: Web Research
✨ AI Features: Enabled
📧 Agent email: 0x7a9f3b2c@mail.openonion.ai (global)
🔑 Agent address: 0x7a9f3b2c8d4e5f6a7b8c9d0e1f2a3b4c5d6e7f8a (global)
🔑 API keys: Copied from global config

💡 Using global email/address. Run 'co status' to view.

🚀 Next steps:
────────────────────────────────────────
1️⃣  cd research-bot
2️⃣  pip install -r requirements.txt
3️⃣  python agent.py

What Gets Created

Global Configuration (First Time Only)

~/.co/
├── keys.env             # Shared API keys and identity
├── keys/                # Master identity
│   ├── agent.key        # Private key (for signing)
│   └── recovery.txt     # Recovery phrase
└── logs/
    └── cli.log          # Command history

Project Structure

my-agent/
├── agent.py             # Main agent implementation
├── .env                 # API keys (from ~/.co/keys.env)
├── .co/
│   ├── host.yaml       # Project config (uses global address/email)
│   ├── control-center/ # Full Web app source
│   │   ├── index.html
│   │   ├── control-center.js
│   │   └── CONTROL_CENTER.md
│   └── docs/           # Framework documentation
│       ├── co-vibe-coding-all-in-one.md
│       └── connectonion.md
├── README.md           # Project documentation
└── .gitignore          # Excludes .env and sensitive files

Note: Projects use global address/email by default.

Address and Email Management

All projects use the global identity (address + email) from ~/.co. Run co status to view your address and email.

Templates

Available Templates

1. co-ai (default) - the same agent as co ai, hosted. Files, shell, browser, todos, sub-agents. Specialise it with skills in .co/skills/ rather than by picking a different starting point.
2. custom - an LLM writes agent.py from your --description.

minimal, coder, browser, hosted-browser, and web-research were retired; passing one exits 1 and says so. 5. custom - AI-generated based on your description

Template Selection

# Interactive selection
$ co create
✔ Choose a template: ›

# Direct specification
$ co create my-bot --template co-ai

# Custom with description
$ co create assistant --template custom --description "Slack integration bot"

Command Options

co create [name] [options]

Options:
  [name]                    Project name (optional, will prompt)
  --template, -t            Template to use (co-ai/custom)
  --description             Description for custom template
  --key                     API key to use (overrides global)
  --yes, -y                 Accept all defaults

API Key Management

Priority Order

1. Command line (--key flag)
2. Global config (~/.co/keys.env)
3. Interactive prompt (if not found)
4. Skip (user adds to .env later)

Auto-Detection

The CLI automatically detects API key providers:

• sk-proj-... → OpenAI
• sk-ant-... → Anthropic
• AIza... → Google
• gsk_... → Groq

Special Features

Global Identity Reuse

By default, all projects share:

• Same address (from global config)
• Same email (from global config)
• Same API keys (from global config)

This keeps things simple - one identity for all your agents.

Examples

Quick Start

# Simplest form - uses global identity
$ co create

# With name - uses global identity
$ co create my-bot

# With template - uses global identity
$ co create my-bot --template co-ai

# Accept all defaults
$ co create quickbot -y

Custom Template

# Interactive
$ co create --template custom

# With description
$ co create slack-bot -t custom -d "Slack bot for answering questions"

Identity Flow Summary

1. First co create: Generates global address/email
2. All projects: Use same global address/email
3. API keys: Copied from global keys.env

This keeps things simple - one identity for all your agents (like using same email for all repos).

Troubleshooting

Check Your Address

$ co status

Permission Errors

# Fix global permissions
$ chmod 700 ~/.co
$ chmod 600 ~/.co/keys.env

# Fix project permissions
$ chmod 700 my-agent/.co

Workflow Summary

1. First time: Creates global address/email
2. Every project: Uses same global address/email
3. API keys: Copied from global to each project
4. Ready to run: Complete agent with identity

Simple and consistent - one identity for all your agents.