init

npx tambo init

Walks you through creating a Tambo project and getting your free API Key. If you don't already have an account, sign up for free to get your API key.

After obtaining your API key, you'll need to set it up in your project:

Examples:

# Interactive setup with hosting choice
npx tambo init

# Skip prompts and use defaults
npx tambo init --yes

# Use legacy peer deps
npx tambo init --legacy-peer-deps

Hosting Options

The init command offers two hosting options for your Tambo project:

Tambo Cloud (Recommended)

Setup time: ~1 minute

The fastest way to get started. Tambo Cloud handles all backend infrastructure for you.

What you get:

• Hosted AI backend
• Automatic scaling
• No infrastructure to manage
• Free tier available

When to choose:

• You want to start quickly
• You don't want to manage backend infrastructure
• You're building a prototype or MVP
• You want automatic updates and scaling

Self-Hosted

Setup time: ~5-10 minutes

Run the Tambo backend on your own infrastructure using Docker.

What's required:

• Docker installed on your machine
• Basic terminal/command line knowledge
• Port 3030 available

When to choose:

• You need full control over your infrastructure
• You have data residency requirements
• You want to customize the backend
• You're deploying to your own servers

Setup steps shown:

After selecting self-host, the CLI provides detailed instructions:

? How would you like to host your Tambo project?
  ❯ Tambo Cloud (~1 minute) [Recommended]
    Self-host (~5-10 minutes)

# If self-host selected:
To self-host Tambo:

1. Clone the repository:
   git clone https://github.com/tambo-ai/tambo-core.git
   cd tambo-core/tambo-cloud

2. Run the start script:
   ./scripts/tambo-start.sh

3. Your API will be running at http://localhost:3030

4. Set this in your .env.local:
   NEXT_PUBLIC_TAMBO_API_URL=http://localhost:3030

? Continue with self-host setup? (Y/n)

Project Setup Flow

Source Directory Detection

The init command automatically detects your project structure and helps set up the correct directory:

✓ Checking project structure...
ℹ Found existing src/ directory

? Where should components be installed?
  ❯ Use existing src/ directory
    Create new src/ directory

What happens:

• If src/ exists, CLI offers to use it
• If no src/ exists, CLI offers to create one
• Components will be installed relative to your choice

Directory structure created:

your-project/
├── src/                    # If selected
│   ├── components/
│   │   └── tambo/         # Tambo components
│   └── lib/
│       └── tambo.ts       # Component registration
└── .env.local             # API key (not committed)

Or without src/:

your-project/
├── components/
│   └── tambo/             # Tambo components
├── lib/
│   └── tambo.ts           # Component registration
└── .env.local             # API key (not committed)

API Key Management

The init command protects your existing API keys:

If API key already exists:

✓ Checking for existing API key...
⚠ Found existing API key in .env.local

? An API key already exists. What would you like to do?
  ❯ Keep existing key
    Replace with new key
    Skip API key setup

Files checked (in order):

1. .env.local
2. .env

Why this matters:

• Prevents accidentally overwriting your production API key
• Lets you keep existing configuration
• Avoids breaking existing deployments

Best practice:

If you're not sure which key is in your .env.local, check it first:

cat .env.local | grep TAMBO_API_KEY