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name install-rho
description Install and configure Rho from scratch (Doom-style init.toml + sync). Only prereq: a coding agent that can run shell commands.

Install Rho

Rho is a persistent AI agent framework. It runs in tmux, checks in on a heartbeat, accumulates memory in a single brain.jsonl file, and manages a knowledge vault. This skill installs it from scratch.

Prerequisites: A coding agent that can run shell commands. That's it.

What gets installed:

  • System deps (Node.js 18+, npm, tmux, git)
  • pi coding agent (the runtime rho extends)
  • rho (the agent framework)
  • Config files in ~/.rho/ (init.toml, packages.toml, brain.jsonl)

Time: ~5 minutes on a decent connection.

Parameters

  • agent_name (optional, default: rho): Name written into ~/.rho/init.toml.
  • heartbeat_interval (optional, default: 30m): How often the agent checks in. Written to [settings.heartbeat].interval.

Steps

1. Detect environment

Print OS, shell, and dependency versions. This determines the install path.

Constraints:

  • You MUST print OS + shell + node version (if present).
  • You MUST NOT assume Termux unless $TERMUX_VERSION is set.
uname -a
printf "SHELL=%s\n" "$SHELL"
command -v node >/dev/null && node -v || echo "node: missing"
command -v npm  >/dev/null && npm -v  || echo "npm: missing"
command -v tmux >/dev/null && tmux -V || echo "tmux: missing"
command -v git  >/dev/null && git --version || echo "git: missing"
command -v pi   >/dev/null && pi --version || echo "pi: missing"
command -v rho  >/dev/null && rho --version || echo "rho: missing"

2. Install system dependencies

Constraints:

  • You MUST ensure: Node.js >= 18, npm, tmux, git.
  • You MUST detect the platform and use the correct package manager.
  • You MUST NOT blindly run sudo apt install — detect the package manager first.

Android / Termux

pkg update -y
pkg install -y nodejs-lts tmux git

macOS

brew install node tmux git

Linux

Detect the package manager:

Distro Command
NixOS Add to environment.systemPackages or nix-shell -p nodejs tmux git
Debian/Ubuntu sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y nodejs npm tmux git
Arch sudo pacman -S nodejs npm tmux git
Fedora sudo dnf install nodejs npm tmux git

If Node.js version is < 18, use NodeSource or nvm.

3. Install pi coding agent

pi is the runtime that rho extends. Install it globally.

Constraints:

  • You MUST install pi globally if command -v pi fails.
  • You MUST verify the install succeeded.
command -v pi >/dev/null || npm install -g @mariozechner/pi-coding-agent
pi --version

4. Install rho

Clone the repo and run the installer. The installer handles config bootstrapping, CLI setup, and brain initialization.

Constraints:

  • You MUST clone to ~/.rho/project (the default path).
  • You MUST NOT clone if the repo already exists (pull instead).
  • You MUST run install.sh from within the repo directory.
if [ -d ~/.rho/project/.git ]; then
  echo "Rho repo exists, pulling latest..."
  cd ~/.rho/project && git pull --ff-only
else
  git clone https://github.com/mikeyobrien/rho.git ~/.rho/project
fi

cd ~/.rho/project && bash install.sh

The installer will:

  1. Detect your platform
  2. Check/install remaining dependencies
  3. Install Node deps for the project
  4. Set up the rho CLI on your PATH
  5. Run rho init (generates ~/.rho/init.toml, ~/.rho/packages.toml, and brain.jsonl defaults)
  6. Run rho sync (writes pi's settings.json from your config)

5. Configure heartbeat interval (optional)

If the user requested a non-default interval, edit ~/.rho/init.toml:

# Find the [settings.heartbeat] section and set the interval
sed -i 's/interval = "30m"/interval = "'"${HEARTBEAT_INTERVAL}"'"/' ~/.rho/init.toml
rho sync

6. Verify installation

Constraints:

  • You MUST run rho doctor and report any failures.
  • You MUST NOT declare success if doctor reports errors.
rho doctor

7. Authenticate

Constraints:

  • You MUST tell the user to run rho login to set up their LLM provider.
  • You MUST NOT run rho login automatically (it's interactive).

Tell the user:

Run rho login to authenticate with your LLM provider (Anthropic, OpenAI, etc). This is interactive — you'll need to provide API keys or log in via browser.

8. Start rho (optional)

Constraints:

  • You MUST ask before starting background processes.
rho

This starts the daemon if needed and attaches to the tmux session.

9. Post-install orientation

Share these essentials with the user:

Key files:

  • ~/.rho/init.toml — Main config (Doom-style: modules, settings)
  • ~/.rho/packages.toml — Third-party pi packages
  • ~/.rho/brain/brain.jsonl — Single source of truth for all memory (behaviors, learnings, preferences, tasks, reminders)

Memory system:

  • /brain or brain action=list — View memory stats
  • brain action=add type=learning text="..." — Add a learning
  • brain action=add type=preference text="..." category=Code — Add a preference
  • brain action=add type=task description="..." priority=high — Add a task
  • brain action=add type=reminder text="..." cadence={kind:"daily",at:"08:00"} — Add a reminder
  • memory-consolidate — Run consolidation (decay stale entries, mine sessions since last consolidation)

CLI basics:

  • rho — Start and attach
  • rho status — Show daemon and module status
  • rho doctor — Health check
  • rho trigger — Force immediate heartbeat
  • rho stop — Stop daemon
  • rho upgrade — Update rho and sync new modules

Inside a session:

  • /rho status — Heartbeat state
  • /rho now — Trigger check-in
  • /rho interval 30m — Set check-in interval

tmux essentials (if unfamiliar):

  • Detach: Ctrl-b d
  • List sessions: tmux -L rho ls
  • Attach: tmux -L rho attach -t rho

Troubleshooting

Problem Fix
rho sync says pi missing npm install -g @mariozechner/pi-coding-agent
rho doctor shows settings out of sync rho sync
rho not found after install Add ~/.local/bin to PATH
tmux missing Install with your platform's package manager
Node.js < 18 Upgrade via nvm or NodeSource
install.sh fails on NixOS Dependencies must be in your nix config, not installed via apt