Overview
Self-hosted agent runtime organized around a small set of primitives. This page explains the shape; the rest of the docs explains each piece.
What it is
GolemCore Bot is a self-hosted agent runtime. You deploy one container, open the dashboard, and talk to an agent that has access to tools, memory, and external services. Everything the agent does — model calls, tool execution, state persistence — happens inside your infrastructure.
This page describes how the runtime is shaped. It does not try to sell it. If you want to install it, jump to Quickstart. If you want to understand the internals, start with Architecture.
How the runtime is shaped
The runtime is organized around a small set of primitives. Each primitive has a clear role. You do not need to use all of them, but understanding how they relate is the fastest way to read the rest of the docs without getting lost.
Runtime (GolemCore Bot)
The process that runs agent sessions, executes tools, and persists state. Everything else plugs into it.
Core
Skill
A sticky overlay for a session: instructions plus optional MCP tool server. Shapes what the agent does in a given context.
Behavior
Plugin
A capability pack contributed to the runtime: tools, channels, voice, RAG. Adds things the agent could not do before.
Capability
MCP server
An external tool server launched from a skill. Its tools are exposed to the agent alongside native tools.
External tools
Memory
Structured recall across sessions with progressive disclosure. Keeps context small while preserving depth.
State
Model router
Abstract tier names (balanced, smart, coding, deep) mapped to concrete models. Tier choice is a separate decision from model choice.
Routing
Channel
Dashboard, Telegram, webhooks, Hive command flows. Any entry point that starts an agent turn.
Input
Hive
Optional fleet orchestrator for running multiple bots with approvals and shared inspection.
Optional
What happens in a turn
An agent turn is a straight line through the primitives above. A channel delivers input. The runtime selects a tier, resolves the concrete model through the router, and runs a tool loop. During the loop, the model can call built-in tools, plugin tools, MCP tools, and memory operations. When the loop finishes, the response goes back through the channel and state is persisted.
Every step is observable through Sessions, Logs, and Diagnostics in the dashboard. Nothing in the runtime is hidden from the operator.
Where to go next
The documentation is organized by audience, not by feature. Pick the entry point that matches what you are doing right now.
Quickstart
Install the runtime, add a provider, send your first message. Start here if you have never run GolemCore.
User Guide
Concept pages for every runtime feature: model routing, memory, skills, plugins, MCP, auto mode, delayed actions, webhooks.
Cookbook
End-to-end recipes for concrete tasks with variants and gotchas. Read after you understand the underlying feature.
Developer Guide
Runtime internals, execution lifecycle, extension points, contributing. For developers reading or modifying the code.
Reference
Tools reference, glossary, FAQ, troubleshooting. Lookup material for when you know what you need.
Related pages
User Guide
Quickstart
Install the runtime with one Docker command, open the dashboard, add a provider, and send a first message.
Developer Guide
Architecture
Runtime architecture from the inside: primitives, the turn pipeline, how skills and MCP plug in, and when Hive is worth adding.
Reference
Glossary
One-line definitions for the terms that appear across the documentation. Use this when a word seems to mean something specific and you want the canonical meaning.