Quick Start
Get Elmo running on your infrastructure in under 5 minutes using the CLI.
Prerequisites
- Docker — Docker Engine 24+ with Docker Compose v2
- Node.js — 18.x or later (for the CLI)
- At least one AI provider API key (OpenAI, Anthropic, or OpenRouter)
- A TypeSafe API key for Jev, which judges which answers mention your brand and their sentiment, or an OpenRouter key to call Jev through OpenRouter. Very roughly $0.15–0.35 per 1,000 answers, about $2–4 a month for 25 daily prompts on 3 platforms (pricing by volume)
- (Recommended) A scraping provider to track the real ChatGPT and Google AI Mode experiences — see Providers
Install the CLI
npm install -g @elmohq/cliInitialize Your Instance
Run the interactive setup wizard:
elmo initThe wizard walks you through:
- Config directory — Where to store your
elmo.yamland.envfiles (default:./elmo) - PostgreSQL — Run Postgres in Docker (recommended) or provide an existing
DATABASE_URL - AI Providers — Configure scrapers (Cloro, BrightData, Oxylabs, SearchApi, Olostep, DataForSEO) and/or direct model APIs (OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, OpenRouter); see Providers for details
- Access — Use Elmo on this machine (localhost), or from a domain behind a reverse proxy (see Serving Elmo from a Domain)
- Start — Optionally start the stack immediately
Once complete, Elmo generates two files in your config directory:
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
elmo.yaml | Docker Compose configuration for all services |
.env | Environment variables, secrets, and API keys |
Start Elmo
If you didn't start during init, bring everything up with:
elmo compose up -dThis pulls the Docker images and starts all services. Once they report healthy, open http://localhost:1515 in your browser.
System Architecture
| Service | Role |
|---|---|
| Web | Dashboard UI and REST API |
| Worker | Background scheduler that drives prompt runs |
| Postgres | Shared database and job queue |
| LLM APIs | Direct API calls (OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenRouter) |
| LLM Scraper | Scrapers for ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, and other live AI surfaces (Cloro, BrightData, Oxylabs, SearchApi, Olostep, DataForSEO) |
| Elmo CLI | Generates elmo.yaml + .env and runs docker compose |
CLI Commands Reference
Once Elmo is running, these commands help you manage it:
# View live logs
elmo compose logs -f
# View logs for a specific service
elmo compose logs -f web
# Check service status
elmo compose ps
# Stop all services
elmo compose downWhat's Next
With Elmo running, head to the User Guide to create your first brand, configure prompts, and start tracking AI visibility.
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