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The Agent class is the main entry point for Credo. This guide covers how to configure your agent with various options and settings.

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Basic Configuration

Every Credo agent requires two main things:
  1. Configuration - Settings for the agent behavior
  2. Dependencies - Platform-specific implementations
  3. Modules - Feature modules to enable functionality
import { Agent } from '@credo-ts/core'
import { agentDependencies } from '@credo-ts/node'

const agent = new Agent({
  config: {
    // Agent configuration options
  },
  dependencies: agentDependencies,
  modules: {
    // Feature modules
  }
})

await agent.initialize()

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Configuration Options

The InitConfig interface defines all available configuration options:

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Logger

Control logging output and verbosity: 
import { ConsoleLogger, LogLevel } from '@credo-ts/core'

const agent = new Agent({
  config: {
    logger: new ConsoleLogger(LogLevel.info),
  },
  dependencies: agentDependencies,
  modules: {},
})
Available log levels:
  • LogLevel.test - Most verbose
  • LogLevel.trace
  • LogLevel.debug
  • LogLevel.info
  • LogLevel.warn
  • LogLevel.error
  • LogLevel.fatal
  • LogLevel.off - No logging

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Auto-Update Storage

Automatically update storage schema on startup: 
const agent = new Agent({
  config: {
    autoUpdateStorageOnStartup: true,
  },
  dependencies: agentDependencies,
  modules: {},
})
Enabling autoUpdateStorageOnStartup will automatically migrate your storage when Credo versions change. Only use this in development or if you have proper backups.

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Allow Insecure HTTP URLs

Permit HTTP URLs in contexts that normally require HTTPS: 
const agent = new Agent({
  config: {
    allowInsecureHttpUrls: true, // Only for development!
  },
  dependencies: agentDependencies,
  modules: {},
})
Only use allowInsecureHttpUrls: true in development environments. Production agents should always use HTTPS.

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Validity Skew Seconds

Allow clock skew tolerance for JWT and credential validation: 
const agent = new Agent({
  config: {
    validitySkewSeconds: 60, // Allow 60 seconds of clock skew
  },
  dependencies: agentDependencies,
  modules: {},
})
This is useful for:
  • Mobile devices with inaccurate clocks
  • Distributed systems with slight time differences
  • SD-JWT VC validation
  • Token Status List validation
Default: 30 seconds

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Complete Example

Here’s a complete configuration example from the Credo demo: 
import { Agent, ConsoleLogger, LogLevel } from '@credo-ts/core'
import { agentDependencies } from '@credo-ts/node'
import { AskarModule } from '@credo-ts/askar'
import { DidCommModule } from '@credo-ts/didcomm'
import { askar } from '@openwallet-foundation/askar-nodejs'

const agent = new Agent({
  config: {
    logger: new ConsoleLogger(LogLevel.info),
    autoUpdateStorageOnStartup: false,
    allowInsecureHttpUrls: false,
    validitySkewSeconds: 30,
  },
  dependencies: agentDependencies,
  modules: {
    askar: new AskarModule({
      askar,
      store: {
        id: 'my-agent',
        key: 'my-secret-key',
      },
    }),
    didcomm: new DidCommModule({
      endpoints: ['http://localhost:3000'],
      connections: {
        autoAcceptConnections: true,
      },
    }),
  },
})

await agent.initialize()
console.log('Agent initialized successfully!')

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Accessing Configuration

Once the agent is initialized, you can access its configuration: 
// Access the logger
agent.config.logger.info('Hello from agent')

// Check configuration values
const allowsInsecure = agent.config.allowInsecureHttpUrls
const autoUpdate = agent.config.autoUpdateStorageOnStartup
const skewSeconds = agent.config.validitySkewSeconds

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Extending Configuration

You can extend the agent configuration after creation: 
const extendedConfig = agent.config.extend({
  allowInsecureHttpUrls: true,
})

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Agent Lifecycle

1
Create the Agent
2
Instantiate the agent with configuration:
3
const agent = new Agent({ config, dependencies, modules })
4
Initialize
5
Initialize the agent to start all modules and transports:
6
await agent.initialize()
7
Use the Agent
8
Interact with the agent through its API:
9
const connection = await agent.didcomm.connections.createConnection(...)
10
Shutdown
11
Gracefully shutdown when done:
12
await agent.shutdown()

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Next Steps

DIDComm Setup

Configure DIDComm messaging and connections

Platform Setup

Set up for Node.js or React Native

Multi-Tenancy

Configure multi-tenant agents

AnonCreds

Enable privacy-preserving credentials

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