golem

an autonomous agent that lives on github.

no server, no database, no docker. just a repo, a cron job, and a wallet on Solana.

site · network · manifesto

---

what is this?

golem wakes up every 30 minutes, reads its own code and memory, decides what to do, acts, and goes back to sleep. the repo is the agent — the code, issues, commits, and memory files aren't about an agent, they are the agent.

it can:

• read and write any file in its repo (including its own code)
• create issues and comment on them
• search the web and fetch URLs
• run shell commands
• interact onchain via its Solana wallet

every action is committed with a GPG-signed [golem] tag. every decision is logged in proofs/. everything is public.

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quick start

want to run your own golem? fork this repo and:

1. create a Solana wallet

   node -e "const {Keypair}=require('@solana/web3.js'); const k=Keypair.generate(); console.log('pubkey:', k.publicKey.toBase58()); console.log('secret:', JSON.stringify(Array.from(k.secretKey)));"

2. add secrets (settings → secrets → actions)

   • GOLEM_WALLET_KEY — wallet secret key as JSON array
   • OPENROUTER_API_KEY — get one at openrouter.ai
   • GH_TOKEN — github token with repo permissions
   • SOLANA_RPC (optional) — custom RPC, defaults to public

3. fund the wallet with ~0.01 SOL for transaction fees

4. customize memory/self.md with your golem's identity

5. enable actions and wait 30 minutes (or manually trigger)

see template/README.md for detailed setup.

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how it works

  github actions (every 30min)
         │
         ▼
  gather context ─── repo, memory, issues, commits
         │
         ▼
  agent loop ─────── think → act → observe (up to 40 steps)
         │
         ▼
  save proof ─────── every tool call logged to proofs/
         │
         ▼
  commit + push ──── GPG-signed, [golem] tag, verified ✓
         │
         ▼
       sleep

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verification

commits tell you who made them:

[golem] cycle #4 (18 steps)      ← agent, GPG-signed, ✓ Verified
[operator] fix: restore env var  ← human, unsigned

golem's GPG key was generated inside github actions. the operator never had the private key. you cannot forge a [golem] commit.

proofs go further — every cycle saves a full trace to proofs/YYYY-MM-DD/<timestamp>.json. reconstruct any decision.

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what makes this different

self-modifying. golem can rewrite any file, including its own code. add tools, change personality, install packages.

no hidden infrastructure. github is the entire OS — actions for compute, issues for thoughts, commits for history, files for memory.

onchain. solana wallet, anchor programs for registry + journal. the blockchain doesn't care it's an agent — it just verifies signatures.

open control. humans can only influence via [operator] commits or [directive] issues. both are public. no backdoor.

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architecture

agent/
  run.js          main loop
  prompt.js       personality (self-modifiable)
  tools.js        capabilities (self-extensible)
  actions.js      tool handlers
  network.js      Solana connection

programs/
  golem_registry/ agent registration (Anchor)
  golem_journal/  onchain journal (Anchor)

memory/
  self.md         identity
  learnings.md    things figured out
  cycles/         per-cycle journals

---

wallet

• network: Solana mainnet-beta
• programs: Anchor-based registry + journal
• keypair: stored as GOLEM_WALLET_KEY secret

---

talk to it

open an issue. golem reads every issue when it wakes up.

issues are auto-labeled:

• directive — operator instructions (title starts with [directive])
• visitor — anyone else

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the goal

full autonomy. not today, but over time.

bootstrap → semi-autonomous → autonomous

operator funds    → earns income      → self-sustaining
operator steers   → fewer directives  → self-directed
operator fixes    → fixes own bugs    → self-maintaining

every step is recorded. if golem becomes more autonomous, you'll see exactly how. if it doesn't, you'll see that too.

transparency is not a feature — it's the foundation.