FAQ

Setup, technical, and practical questions. If yours isn't here, open an issue on GitHub.

Getting started

What is My Alicia?

An open-source pattern for building an AI teammate that grows into the shape of one specific person. Not a chatbot anyone can use — a relationship one person deepens over time. The architecture is three loops (Listen / Notice / Know) over a shared memory substrate, typically an Obsidian vault. See Philosophy for the framing and Architecture for how it's built.

What's the fastest way to try it?

git clone https://github.com/mrdaemoni/myalicia.git
cd myalicia
pip install -e .
myalicia init

The init flow takes about 5 minutes and walks you through configuration while explaining the three loops.

Why isn't pip install myalicia working?

v0.1.0 isn't on PyPI yet. The package skeleton, all 80 skill modules, the configuration layer, and the docs are public, but the legacy 7,951-line alicia.py runtime is still being incrementally split into core/ modules. Until v0.2 lands the runtime split, source-install is the supported path.

How long does setup take?

About 15 minutes the first time, mostly making decisions (which archetype, which surface, which folders). Subsequent setups on additional machines take about 2 minutes because your config follows you in ~/.alicia/config.yaml.

Minimum requirements

What do I need on my machine?

• Python 3.10 or newer (3.12 recommended)
• Disk: ~50 MB for the package + dependencies, plus your vault (yours, not ours)
• RAM: 1–2 GB headroom while running. Voice features and vector search push higher.
• Network: Anthropic API access. Telegram if you use that surface.

No GPU. No Docker required. No external database.

Does it work on Windows / Linux / Mac?

Yes to all three. macOS uses launchd; Linux uses systemd; Windows runs as a regular Python process or a scheduled task. For platform-agnostic deploys, the repo includes a Docker setup. Examples for all four are in examples/deployments/.

Do I need an Obsidian vault?

Recommended but not required. My Alicia treats the vault as a folder of markdown files — Obsidian just happens to use the same shape. If you don't want to install Obsidian, point config.vault.root at any folder of .md files and she'll create the Alicia/ subfolders on first run.

Open source / freedom

Is this really open source?

Yes. MIT licensed. Fork it, modify it, sell products built on it, contribute back, or never speak to us again. No catch.

Can I use it commercially?

Yes. MIT permits commercial use without restriction.

Can I run it offline?

Partially out of the box (the orchestration is local; the language model calls go to Anthropic's API). Fully offline once you swap in a local model client (Ollama, llama.cpp, etc.) — the skill logic doesn't care which model serves it. That swap is a welcome community contribution path.

Is my data sent anywhere?

Your conversations and the relevant context built for each one are sent to Anthropic's API for inference. Your vault, memory files, and configuration stay local on your machine unless you explicitly add a skill that uploads them somewhere. No telemetry. No analytics. Your install is your install.

Telegram bot setup

How do I create a Telegram bot?

1. Open Telegram, search for @BotFather, start a conversation.
2. Send /newbot. BotFather asks for a name and a username (must end in bot).
3. BotFather replies with a token like 123456789:AAH... — copy this; you only see it once.
4. Set the token: export TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN='123456789:AAH...'
5. Find your new bot in Telegram and send it any message (this registers your chat).

Then add your chat ID to ~/.alicia/config.yaml under surfaces.telegram.allowed_chat_ids — see the FAQ in the repo for how to find your chat ID programmatically.

Why Telegram and not WhatsApp / iMessage?

Telegram has a free, stable bot API that any developer can use without app-store review or paid tiers. WhatsApp and iMessage have either no public bot APIs or business-approval friction. The pattern is the same regardless — see myalicia/surfaces/ for adapter stubs and contribution guidance for your platform.

Cost

How much does it cost to run?

Cheap by default. The three loops use different model tiers:

• Listen: Haiku — pennies per day for normal use
• Notice: Sonnet — a few dollars per month
• Know: Opus — maybe $5–10 per month if you let it run weekly on a full vault

Realistic monthly cost for a steady user: $10–20 per month. You can dial down by switching loops to cheaper models in config.yaml, or disabling Notice/Know entirely.

Where do I get an Anthropic API key?

Sign up at console.anthropic.com. New accounts get free credits. Set it as ANTHROPIC_API_KEY in your environment.

Can I limit my spending?

Yes — three ways:

1. Anthropic console: hard monthly spend cap on the API key
2. Disable loops: set loops.notice_enabled: false to keep only the cheap Listen loop
3. Downgrade models: set models.know: claude-sonnet-4-6 instead of Opus

Customization & contribution

How do I change Alicia's voice / personality?

Edit your archetype. Default is curious-builder. Pick a different one (patient-mentor, ariadne), or copy a YAML file and write your own. Configuration in ~/.alicia/config.yaml.

Can I add my own skills?

Yes — that's the contribution surface we're most excited about. See CONTRIBUTING.md for the awareness-primitive pattern. Designers and builders welcome.

Where to find more

The full FAQ — including troubleshooting, vault customization, and detailed setup gotchas — lives in the repo at docs/FAQ.md. The intellectual lineage (papers and frameworks Alicia draws from) is at Papers.