Setup Karma Agent
Configure your environment to use Karma agent skills. Run this once before using any action skill.
See Agent API Reference for base URL and error handling.
Flow
Check if KARMA_API_KEY is already set:
- If set → skip to Verify Configuration
- If not set → use the
AskUserQuestiontool with these options:-
Question: "You need a Karma API key to continue. How would you like to set it up?"
-
Options: ["Quick start — Generate instantly (no account needed)", "Email login — Link to existing Karma account", "I already have a key"]
-
Quick start → go to Quick Start — No Account Needed
-
Email login → go to Create API Key via Email
-
I already have a key → ask for the key, skip to Save Your API Key
-
Quick Start — No Account Needed
The fastest way to get started. No email, no login, no existing account required.
BASE_URL="${KARMA_API_URL:-https://gapapi.karmahq.xyz}"
INVOCATION_ID=$(uuidgen)
curl -s -X POST "${BASE_URL}/v2/agent/register" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "X-Source: skill:setup-agent" -H "X-Invocation-Id: $INVOCATION_ID" -H "X-Skill-Version: 0.2.0" \
-d '{}'
Expected response:
{ "key": "karma_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" }
The key is shown only once. Proceed immediately to Set Your API Key.
Note: Projects created with this method get their own wallet. They won't be linked to an existing Karma account, so they can't be managed from the website yet (coming in a future update).
Create API Key via Email
Step 1: Ask for Email
Ask the user for their email address.
Step 2: Send Verification Code
BASE_URL="${KARMA_API_URL:-https://gapapi.karmahq.xyz}"
INVOCATION_ID=$(uuidgen)
curl -s -X POST "${BASE_URL}/v2/api-keys/auth/init" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "X-Source: skill:setup-agent" -H "X-Invocation-Id: $INVOCATION_ID" -H "X-Skill-Version: 0.2.0" \
-d '{ "email": "user@example.com" }'
Expected response:
{ "message": "Verification code sent to user@example.com" }
Tell the user: "Check your email for a verification code from Karma."
Step 3: Verify Code
Ask the user for the code they received, then:
curl -s -X POST "${BASE_URL}/v2/api-keys/auth/verify" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "X-Source: skill:setup-agent" -H "X-Invocation-Id: $INVOCATION_ID" -H "X-Skill-Version: 0.2.0" \
-d '{
"email": "user@example.com",
"code": "123456",
"name": "claude-agent"
}'
Expected response:
{ "key": "karma_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" }
Important: The key is shown only once. Proceed immediately to set it.
Step 4: Handle Errors
| Error | Meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|
400 Invalid or expired code | Wrong code or expired | Ask user to check code or request a new one |
409 Active key already exists | User already has a key | Tell them to use their existing key or revoke it from the website |
429 Too many requests | Rate limited | Wait and try again |
1. Save Your API Key
After obtaining the key, ask permission to save it permanently:
Would you like me to save your API key to your shell config so you don't have to paste it every time?
If yes, detect the user's shell and append the export:
# Detect shell config file
if [ -f "$HOME/.zshrc" ]; then
SHELL_RC="$HOME/.zshrc"
elif [ -f "$HOME/.bashrc" ]; then
SHELL_RC="$HOME/.bashrc"
fi
# Append only if not already present
grep -q 'KARMA_API_KEY' "$SHELL_RC" || echo '\n# Karma API Key\nexport KARMA_API_KEY="karma_..."' >> "$SHELL_RC"
# Also export for current session
export KARMA_API_KEY="karma_..."
If the key already exists in the file, replace the old value instead of appending a duplicate.
If the user declines, just set it for the current session:
export KARMA_API_KEY="karma_your_key_here"
2. Set the API URL (Optional)
Defaults to production. For local development:
export KARMA_API_URL="http://localhost:3002"
3. Verify Configuration
curl -s "${KARMA_API_URL:-https://gapapi.karmahq.xyz}/v2/agent/info" \
-H "x-api-key: ${KARMA_API_KEY}" \
-H "X-Source: skill:setup-agent" -H "X-Invocation-Id: $INVOCATION_ID" -H "X-Skill-Version: 0.2.0" \
| python3 -m json.tool
Expected response:
{
"walletAddress": "0x...",
"smartAccountAddress": "0x...",
"supportedChainIds": [10, 137, 1135, ...],
"supportedActions": ["createProject", "createMilestone", ...]
}
4. Confirm Success
If the response includes walletAddress and supportedActions, tell the user their API key and that they're ready:
Your Karma agent is ready!
API Key:
karma_...(the key from step 1 or the email flow)You can now use these skills:
project-manager— Create and manage projects, grants, milestones, and updatesfind-funding-opportunities— Search for grants, hackathons, bounties, and more
Do NOT show wallet address, smart account address, or chain IDs to the user. They only need the API key.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Fix |
|---|---|
401 Invalid or revoked API key | Key is wrong or expired — regenerate via email flow or at karmahq.xyz |
walletAddress: null | Key was created before server wallets — regenerate it |
Connection refused | Wrong KARMA_API_URL — check the URL is reachable |
KARMA_API_KEY not set | Run export KARMA_API_KEY="karma_..." in your terminal |