Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions and answers about NOMOS framework
Find answers to the most commonly asked questions about NOMOS. Can’t find what you’re looking for? Join our Discord community or open an issue.
Getting Started
What is NOMOS?
What is NOMOS?
NOMOS is a framework for building auditable AI agents with structured, multi-step workflows. Unlike black-box AI solutions, NOMOS provides transparency and control over your agent’s decision-making process, making it ideal for production environments where reliability and auditability are crucial.
How is NOMOS different from other AI frameworks?
How is NOMOS different from other AI frameworks?
Key differentiators include:
- Auditability: Every decision and step is traceable and logged
- Structured Workflows: Define clear, multi-step processes instead of single prompts
- Provider Agnostic: Works with OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Mistral, Ollama, and more
- Production Ready: Built-in error handling, retries, and monitoring
- Playground: No-code interface for rapid prototyping
Do I need to know Python to use NOMOS?
Do I need to know Python to use NOMOS?
Not necessarily! You can use NOMOS in several ways:
- Playground: No-code drag-and-drop interface
- YAML Configuration: Declarative configuration files
- Python API: Full programmatic control for advanced use cases
- CLI: Command-line interface for quick setup and deployment
What are the system requirements?
What are the system requirements?
- Python: 3.8 or higher
- Memory: Minimum 512MB RAM, 2GB+ recommended for complex agents
- Storage: 100MB for basic installation, more for models and data
- Network: Internet connection for LLM API calls (unless using local models)
- OS: Windows, macOS, or Linux
Installation & Setup
How do I install NOMOS?
How do I install NOMOS?
Install using pip with your preferred LLM provider:
Why am I getting import errors?
Why am I getting import errors?
Common solutions:
- Ensure you installed the correct extras:
pip install nomos[openai] - Check Python version:
python --version(must be 3.8+) - Try upgrading pip:
pip install --upgrade pip - Use virtual environment to avoid conflicts
- Check for conflicting package versions
How do I set up API keys?
How do I set up API keys?
Set environment variables for your LLM providers:
Or create a .env file in your project directory.
Can I use NOMOS without API keys?
Can I use NOMOS without API keys?
Yes! Use Ollama for local models:
LLM Providers & Models
Which LLM providers are supported?
Which LLM providers are supported?
NOMOS supports:
- OpenAI: GPT-4o, GPT-4o-mini, GPT-4-turbo, GPT-3.5-turbo
- Anthropic: Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Haiku, Opus
- Google: Gemini 2.0 Flash, Gemini 1.5 Pro/Flash
- Mistral: Large, Medium, Small, Ministral
- Ollama: Local models (Llama, Qwen, Codestral, etc.)
- HuggingFace: Open source models via API
Which model should I choose?
Which model should I choose?
Depends on your use case:
- Production: GPT-4o, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Gemini 2.0 Flash
- Development: GPT-4o-mini, Claude 3.5 Haiku, Mistral Small
- Cost-sensitive: Ollama (local), GPT-4o-mini, Mistral Small
- Privacy: Ollama (local models)
- Coding: Claude 3.5 Sonnet, GPT-4o, Codestral
Can I switch between providers?
Can I switch between providers?
Yes! NOMOS provides a unified interface. Change providers by updating your configuration:
How do I handle rate limits?
How do I handle rate limits?
NOMOS includes built-in retry mechanisms:
Development & Configuration
What's the difference between Python API and YAML?
What's the difference between Python API and YAML?
- YAML: Declarative, version-controlled, easier for non-programmers
- Python: Programmatic control, dynamic behavior, custom logic
You can use both together - YAML for structure, Python for custom functions.
How do I debug my agents?
How do I debug my agents?
Several debugging options:
Can I use custom tools and functions?
Can I use custom tools and functions?
Absolutely! Define custom tools:
How do I handle sensitive data?
How do I handle sensitive data?
Best practices:
- Use environment variables for API keys
- Implement data redaction in logging
- Use local models for sensitive data
- Configure memory retention policies
- Implement custom data filters
Deployment & Production
How do I deploy NOMOS agents?
How do I deploy NOMOS agents?
Multiple deployment options:
How do I scale NOMOS?
How do I scale NOMOS?
Scaling strategies:
- Horizontal: Multiple agent instances behind load balancer
- Vertical: Increase CPU/memory for complex agents
- Redis: Shared state and session management
- PostgreSQL: Persistent storage for conversations
- Queue Systems: Async processing with Celery/RQ
What about monitoring and observability?
What about monitoring and observability?
Built-in monitoring features:
- Structured logging with trace IDs
- Metrics collection (response time, error rates)
- Health check endpoints
- Integration with Prometheus/Grafana
- Custom analytics hooks
How do I handle errors in production?
How do I handle errors in production?
Error handling strategies:
Performance & Optimization
How can I improve agent response time?
How can I improve agent response time?
Optimization tips:
- Use faster models (GPT-4o-mini vs GPT-4o)
- Implement response caching
- Reduce prompt length
- Use streaming responses
- Optimize tool execution
- Consider local models for simple tasks
How do I reduce LLM costs?
How do I reduce LLM costs?
Cost optimization strategies:
- Choose appropriate model sizes
- Implement intelligent caching
- Use cheaper models for simple tasks
- Set token limits
- Batch similar requests
- Use local models when possible
What about memory usage?
What about memory usage?
Memory management:
- Configure conversation limits
- Use summary-based memory for long conversations
- Implement periodic cleanup
- Monitor memory usage in production
- Consider external storage for large datasets
Troubleshooting
My agent isn't responding correctly
My agent isn't responding correctly
Debugging checklist:
- Check API keys and model availability
- Verify prompt engineering and instructions
- Review tool configurations
- Check for rate limiting
- Examine logs for error messages
- Test with simpler inputs first
I'm getting timeout errors
I'm getting timeout errors
Common solutions:
- Increase timeout settings
- Use smaller, faster models
- Optimize prompt length
- Check network connectivity
- Implement retry logic
- Consider request batching
Installation issues on specific platforms
Installation issues on specific platforms
Platform-specific solutions:
Windows:
- Use WSL2 for better compatibility
- Install Visual C++ Build Tools
- Use conda instead of pip if issues persist
macOS:
- Install Xcode Command Line Tools
- Use Homebrew for dependencies
- Check Python version from Homebrew
Linux:
- Install development packages
- Check Python and pip versions
- Use virtual environments
Integration & Ecosystem
Can I integrate NOMOS with my existing systems?
Can I integrate NOMOS with my existing systems?
Yes! NOMOS provides multiple integration options:
- REST API for web integration
- Python library for direct integration
- Webhooks for event-driven architecture
- CLI for script automation
- Docker containers for microservices
Does NOMOS work with databases?
Does NOMOS work with databases?
NOMOS supports various storage options:
- Built-in SQLite for development
- PostgreSQL for production
- Redis for caching and sessions
- Custom database connectors
- File-based storage for simple use cases
Can I use NOMOS with other AI tools?
Can I use NOMOS with other AI tools?
Absolutely! NOMOS integrates well with:
- Vector databases (Pinecone, Weaviate, Chroma)
- ML frameworks (scikit-learn, PyTorch, TensorFlow)
- Data processing (pandas, NumPy)
- Web frameworks (FastAPI, Flask, Django)
- Workflow orchestrators (Airflow, Prefect)
Community & Support
How do I get help?
How do I get help?
Multiple support channels:
- Documentation: Check our comprehensive guides
- GitHub Issues: For bugs and feature requests
- Discord: Real-time community chat
- GitHub Discussions: Q&A and general discussion
- Email: Direct contact with maintainers
How can I contribute?
How can I contribute?
Ways to contribute:
- Report bugs and suggest features
- Improve documentation
- Submit code contributions
- Help other users in Discord
- Share your projects in the showcase
- Write tutorials and blog posts
Is there a roadmap?
Is there a roadmap?
Yes! Check our roadmap:
- GitHub milestones for release planning
- Community voting on feature requests
- Regular updates in Discord announcements
- Quarterly roadmap reviews
Still Have Questions?
Join Discord
Chat with the community and get real-time help
GitHub Discussions
Ask questions and share ideas with other developers
Open an Issue
Report bugs or request new features
Email Support
Direct contact with the NOMOS team
This FAQ is continuously updated based on community questions. If you have a question that’s not covered here, please ask in our Discord or GitHub discussions!