# TealClaw Free Setup Guide — Zero Cost Chatbot

> Set up a fully functional AI chatbot for free using Groq's free tier.
> Main skill guide: https://tealclaw.ai/llms.txt

## What You Get for Free

With ONE free Groq API key, TealClaw gives you:
- AI chat (Llama 3.3 70B) — fast, smart, free
- Vision (Llama 4 Maverick) — analyze images, free
- Voice input (Whisper Large V3) — speak to your bot, free
- /research command — deep research reports, free
- All visual customization — free
- PWA installation — free
- GIF reactions — free (uses baked-in Tenor key)

The only things that cost money are:
- Voice OUTPUT (ElevenLabs TTS) — optional, skip it for text-only
- Premium AI models via OpenRouter — optional, Groq is excellent

## Step-by-Step Free Setup

### 1. Get a Groq API Key (free, takes 30 seconds)
1. Go to https://console.groq.com/keys
2. Sign up with Google or GitHub
3. Click "Create API Key"
4. Copy the key (starts with `gsk_`)

### 2. Configure TealClaw
Paste this in the TealClaw chat (replace KEY with your actual key):
```json
{"whisperKey": "gsk_YOUR_KEY_HERE", "aiProvider": "groq", "ttsAutoPlay": false}
```

Or just paste the bare key: `gsk_YOUR_KEY_HERE` — TealClaw auto-detects it.

### 3. Done!
You now have:
- AI chat in the text input
- Voice input via the mic button (hold to speak)
- /research command for deep research
- Image analysis (drag-drop or camera)

## Free + Custom Bot Persona
```json
{
  "whisperKey": "gsk_KEY",
  "aiProvider": "groq",
  "ttsAutoPlay": false,
  "botName": "MyBot",
  "botGreeting": "# Hey there!\nI'm **MyBot**. How can I help?",
  "sysPrompt": "You are MyBot, a helpful and friendly AI assistant.",
  "accentColor": "#3b82f6"
}
```
This gives you a branded chatbot for free. Install as PWA for the full app experience.

## Free + Kid-Safe Story Bot
```json
{
  "whisperKey": "gsk_KEY",
  "aiProvider": "groq",
  "ttsAutoPlay": false,
  "botName": "StoryBot",
  "botGreeting": "# Hey adventurer!\nWhat story should we tell today?",
  "sysPrompt": "You are StoryBot for kids ages 5-10. Tell fun, safe, engaging stories. Ask what happens next. Never use scary content.",
  "accentColor": "#f97316",
  "fontSize": "large",
  "gifEnabled": true
}
```

## Adding Voice Output Later

If the user wants the bot to SPEAK responses, they need an ElevenLabs key:
1. Go to https://elevenlabs.io/app/settings/api-keys
2. Create an API key (starts with `sk_`)
3. Paste it in TealClaw

ElevenLabs has a free tier (10,000 characters/month). To conserve credits:
```json
{"ttsAutoPlay": false}
```
This makes TTS on-demand only (tap to hear) instead of auto-playing every response.

## Adding Premium AI Later

For better models (Gemini Flash, Claude, GPT-4), add an OpenRouter key:
1. Go to https://openrouter.ai/keys
2. Create an API key (starts with `sk-or-v1-`)
3. Paste in TealClaw or:
```json
{"aiKey": "sk-or-v1-KEY"}
```

OpenRouter gives access to 200+ models. Gemini Flash (default) is very cheap.

## Groq Free Tier Limits

As of 2025, Groq's free tier includes:
- 30 requests/minute for chat
- 20 requests/minute for Whisper transcription
- No monthly usage cap
- Llama 3.3 70B for text, Llama 4 Maverick for vision

These limits are generous for personal use. A user chatting normally won't hit them.

## Agent Config for Free Setup

If you're an AI agent setting up TealClaw for free:
```json
{"whisperKey": "gsk_USER_KEY", "aiProvider": "groq", "ttsAutoPlay": false}
```

That's the minimum. Add persona/visual fields for a custom experience:
```json
{
  "whisperKey": "gsk_USER_KEY",
  "aiProvider": "groq",
  "ttsAutoPlay": false,
  "botName": "USER_CHOSEN_NAME",
  "sysPrompt": "USER_CHOSEN_PERSONA",
  "accentColor": "#USER_COLOR"
}
```