Nosana: Building an AI Agent with ElizaOS

Last updated: March 21 2026

Learn how to build, customize, and deploy your own personal AI agent using Qoder IDE, ElizaOS, and Nosana's decentralized GPU network.

This tutorial walks you through building a fully functional AI agent that runs on decentralized infrastructure. By the end, you'll have an agent you can customize for your own use cases.

What You'll Build

A personal AI assistant powered by:

ElizaOS - An open-source AI agent framework
Nosana - Decentralized GPU compute network
Qoder IDE - AI-powered development environment

The agent will be able to:

Have natural conversations
Remember context across sessions
Be extended with plugins for Discord, Telegram, Twitter, and more
Run on decentralized infrastructure

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

Node.js 18+ (Node.js 23+ recommended)
pnpm - Package manager (npm install -g pnpm)
Ollama - For local embeddings (ollama.com)
Docker - For deployment
Git - Version control
Qoder IDE - AI-powered IDE (qoder.ai)

Step 1: Clone the Repository

Clone the project repository:

bash

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/theaibuilders/nosana_elizaos
cd nosana_elizaos

Open the project in Qoder IDE:

bash

# Open with Qoder
qoder .

Qoder IDE provides AI-assisted coding that can help you customize your agent, debug issues, and write custom plugins faster.

Step 2: Install Dependencies

Install all required packages using pnpm:

bash

pnpm install

This will install:

@elizaos/core - Core ElizaOS framework
@elizaos/plugin-bootstrap - Base plugin with essential features
@elizaos/plugin-openai - OpenAI-compatible API support (for Nosana)
@elizaos/cli - Command-line tools

Step 3: Set Up Ollama for Embeddings

Nosana provides LLM inference but doesn't support embedding generation. We use Ollama locally for embeddings:

bash

# Install the embedding model
ollama pull nomic-embed-text

# Start Ollama server (keep this running in a separate terminal)
ollama serve

Keep Ollama running in the background while developing. The agent needs it for memory and knowledge features.

Step 4: Configure Environment Variables

Create your .env file from the example:

bash

cp .env.example .env

Edit .env with your configuration:

env

# Model name
MODEL_NAME=DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Qwen-7B

# OpenAI plugin settings (using Nosana endpoint)
OPENAI_API_KEY=nosana
OPENAI_BASE_URL=https://<your-nosana-endpoint>.node.k8s.prd.nos.ci/v1
OPENAI_SMALL_MODEL=DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Qwen-7B
OPENAI_LARGE_MODEL=DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Qwen-7B

# Local Ollama for embeddings
OPENAI_EMBEDDING_URL=http://localhost:11434/v1
OPENAI_EMBEDDING_MODEL=nomic-embed-text
OPENAI_EMBEDDING_DIMENSIONS=768

# Server configuration
SERVER_PORT=3000
AI_SDK_LOG_WARNINGS=false

You can get your Nosana endpoint URL (which serves as the OPENAI_BASE_URL) from the Nosana dashboard by deploying a Qwen model:

Get OPENAI_BASE_URL from Nosana dashboard

Step 5: Understanding the Project Structure

Here's the key files and directories:

text

nosana_elizaos/
├── characters/
│   └── agent.character.json   # Agent personality & config
├── src/
│   └── index.ts               # Custom plugin (optional)
├── nos_job_def/
│   └── nosana_eliza_job_definition.json  # Deployment config
├── .env                       # Environment variables
├── Dockerfile                 # Container config
└── package.json               # Dependencies

Key Files Explained

characters/agent.character.json - Defines your agent's:

Name and username
Personality (system prompt)
Bio and background
Plugins to load
Model settings

src/index.ts - Where you add custom:

Actions (things your agent can do)
Providers (data sources)
Evaluators (decision logic)

.env - Contains:

API endpoints
Model configuration
Server settings

Step 6: Customize Your Agent

Edit the Character File

Open characters/agent.character.json in Qoder IDE:

json

{
  "name": "MyAgent",
  "username": "myagent",
  "plugins": [
    "@elizaos/plugin-bootstrap",
    "@elizaos/plugin-openai"
  ],
  "settings": {
    "model": "DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Qwen-7B",
    "modelProvider": "openai",
    "secrets": {
      "OPENAI_API_KEY": "nosana",
      "OPENAI_BASE_URL": "https://<your-endpoint>.node.k8s.prd.nos.ci/v1"
    }
  },
  "system": "You are a helpful personal AI assistant...",
  "bio": [
    "A personal AI assistant running on decentralized infrastructure.",
    "Helps with research, task management, writing, and automation."
  ],
  "topics": ["productivity", "research", "automation"],
  "adjectives": ["helpful", "efficient", "reliable"],
  "style": {
    "all": ["Be concise and direct"],
    "chat": ["Be conversational and friendly"]
  }
}

Customize the Personality

Edit the system field to define your agent's behavior:

json

{
  "system": "You are Luna, a creative writing assistant. You help users brainstorm ideas, write stories, and improve their prose. You have a warm, encouraging personality and love helping people express their creativity. You give constructive feedback and always find something positive to highlight."
}

Use Qoder's AI assistant to help you write compelling system prompts. Just describe what you want your agent to do!

Step 7: Run Your Agent Locally

Start the development server:

bash

pnpm dev

You should see:

text

🚀 Development servers are running:
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  Backend Server: http://localhost:3000
  API Endpoint:   http://localhost:3000/api

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
📁 Watching for file changes...

Open http://localhost:3000 to chat with your agent!

Step 8: Add Plugins (Optional)

ElizaOS has a rich plugin ecosystem. Here's how to add capabilities:

Install a Plugin

bash

# Add Telegram support
pnpm add @elizaos/plugin-telegram

# Add Discord support
pnpm add @elizaos/plugin-discord

# Add web search
pnpm add @elizaos/plugin-web-search

Enable the Plugin

Add it to your character file:

json

{
  "plugins": [
    "@elizaos/plugin-bootstrap",
    "@elizaos/plugin-openai",
    "@elizaos/plugin-telegram"
  ]
}

Available Plugins

Plugin	Description
`@elizaos/plugin-bootstrap`	Required base plugin
`@elizaos/plugin-openai`	OpenAI-compatible LLM support
`@elizaos/plugin-telegram`	Telegram bot integration
`@elizaos/plugin-discord`	Discord bot integration
`@elizaos/plugin-twitter`	Twitter/X automation
`@elizaos/plugin-web-search`	Web search capability
`@elizaos/plugin-browser`	Browser automation

Step 9: Create Custom Actions (Advanced)

Add custom functionality in src/index.ts:

typescript

import { type Plugin, type Action, logger } from "@elizaos/core";

const greetAction: Action = {
  name: "GREET",
  description: "Send a personalized greeting",
  similes: ["SAY_HELLO", "WELCOME"],
  examples: [
    [
      { name: "user", content: { text: "Say hello to John" } },
      { name: "assistant", content: { text: "Hello John!", actions: ["GREET"] } },
    ],
  ],
  validate: async () => true,
  handler: async (runtime, message, state, options, callback) => {
    const name = message.content?.text?.match(/hello to (\w+)/i)?.[1] || "friend";
    
    if (callback) {
      await callback({
        text: `Hello ${name}! Welcome to our community! 🎉`,
        actions: [],
      });
    }
  },
};

export const customPlugin: Plugin = {
  name: "custom-plugin",
  description: "My custom ElizaOS plugin",
  actions: [greetAction],
  providers: [],
  evaluators: [],
};

export default customPlugin;

Ask Qoder to help you write custom actions! Describe what you want your agent to do, and Qoder will generate the code.

Step 10: Deploy to Nosana

Build the Docker Image

bash

# Build the image
docker build -t yourusername/nosana-eliza-agent:latest .

# Test locally first
docker run -p 3000:3000 --env-file .env yourusername/nosana-eliza-agent:latest

Push to Docker Hub

bash

docker login
docker push yourusername/nosana-eliza-agent:latest

Update the Job Definition

Edit nos_job_def/nosana_eliza_job_definition.json:

json

{
  "ops": [
    {
      "id": "agent",
      "args": {
        "image": "yourusername/nosana-eliza-agent:latest",
        "expose": 3000,
        "env": {
          "OPENAI_API_KEY": "nosana",
          "OPENAI_BASE_URL": "https://<your-endpoint>.node.k8s.prd.nos.ci/v1",
          "OPENAI_SMALL_MODEL": "DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Qwen-7B",
          "OPENAI_LARGE_MODEL": "DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Qwen-7B",
          "MODEL_NAME": "DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Qwen-7B",
          "SERVER_PORT": "3000",
          "NODE_ENV": "production"
        }
      },
      "execution": {
        "group": "run"
      },
      "type": "container/run"
    }
  ],
  "version": "0.1"
}

Deploy via Nosana Dashboard

Go to Nosana Dashboard
Click Expand to open the job definition editor
Paste your job definition JSON
Select a compute market (e.g., nvidia-3090)
Click Deploy

Deploy via CLI

bash

npm install -g @nosana/cli

nosana job post \
  --file ./nos_job_def/nosana_eliza_job_definition.json \
  --market nvidia-3090 \
  --timeout 30

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"The model gpt-4o does not exist"

Set the model environment variables:

env

OPENAI_SMALL_MODEL=DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Qwen-7B
OPENAI_LARGE_MODEL=DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Qwen-7B

Embedding errors

Make sure Ollama is running:

bash

ollama serve

And the model is installed:

bash

ollama pull nomic-embed-text

Embedding dimension mismatch

Set the correct dimensions:

env

OPENAI_EMBEDDING_DIMENSIONS=768

Agent not responding

Check that:

The Nosana endpoint URL is correct
Ollama is running for embeddings
The character file is valid JSON

Using Qoder IDE Effectively

Qoder IDE supercharges your agent development:

Ask Qoder to...

"Add a custom action that fetches weather data" - Generates the action code
"Fix the TypeScript errors in src/index.ts" - Debugs your code
"Update the character file to make the agent more friendly" - Edits personality
"Why isn't my plugin loading?" - Diagnoses issues
"Deploy this to Nosana" - Walks you through deployment

Keyboard Shortcuts

Cmd/Ctrl + I - Open Qoder AI chat
Cmd/Ctrl + K - Inline code generation
Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + I - AI-assisted debugging

Next Steps

Now that you have a working agent, try:

Add more plugins - Connect to Discord, Telegram, or Twitter
Create custom actions - Add unique capabilities
Improve the personality - Fine-tune the system prompt
Add knowledge - Give your agent domain expertise
Deploy and share - Run it on Nosana for 24/7 availability

Resources

Community & Support

Nosana Discord - nosana.com/discord
ElizaOS Discord - discord.gg/elizaos
Twitter - @nosana_ai · @elizaos

Congratulations! You've built and deployed your own AI agent on decentralized infrastructure. Happy building! 🚀