Installation

Character Vault runs entirely in your browser. You can use the hosted version or run it locally.

Option 1: Use Online (Recommended)

Visit https://vault.charactervault.app and start using Character Vault immediately. No installation required. The marketing site is https://charactervault.app.

Option 2: Run Locally

Running locally lets you develop on the codebase or use the app without an internet connection (AI features still require an API endpoint).

Prerequisites

• Node.js — LTS version from nodejs.org
• npm — Comes with Node.js

Steps

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/spaceman2408/CharacterVault
   cd CharacterVault

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Start the development server:

   npm run dev

4. Open in browser — The terminal will display a local address (typically http://localhost:3000).

Build for Production

npm run build

The production build outputs to the dist/ directory.

If you self-host that production build (not just open the official site, and not only npm run dev), and you want NanoGPT subscription details in Settings, see NanoGPT Usage Proxy (Self-Hosted Production). You do not need that for localhost. Balance and AI still work without it.

SillyTavern Integration

Export characters directly from SillyTavern to Character Vault using the SillyTavern CharacterVault Export Extension. This companion browser extension adds an "Export to CharacterVault" option in the main export menu.

Clipboard Import

Character Vault also supports clipboard-based import from SillyTavern:

1. In SillyTavern, copy a character to the clipboard.
2. Open Character Vault and navigate to the Import page (or use the /import route directly).
3. Paste the character data to import it.

What's Next?

• Create your first character
• Configure the AI assistant
• AI Agent