First run setup
Initial Setup: create the first admin user, sign in, and optional next steps for OIDC, SMTP, and AI.
What you need
- SlugBase running and reachable in the browser (see Quick start, Docker, or Docker Compose).
- Production secrets already set so the server stays up — see Configuration.
When the system has not been initialized yet, you see the Initial Setup screen instead of the main app.
Steps
Open SlugBase in your browser
Navigate to your deployment URL (for example https://bookmarks.example.com or http://localhost:5000 for a local trial).
Complete Initial Setup
Fill in:
- Name
- Password and Confirm Password — must match and meet these rules: 8–128 characters, with at least one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one digit, and one special character (e.g.
!@#$%).
Select Create Admin User. On success you'll see Setup completed successfully! and land on the dashboard.
Sign in for future visits
After setup, use Login with the email and password you just created. Additional users can sign up at /signup as long as registration is enabled (the default). Note that sign-up sends a verification email, so SMTP must be configured first — see Admin: SMTP email.
Optional: configure the workspace
Open Admin to set up your instance further:
- Users — add more accounts or invite people by email.
- Teams — group users for shared bookmarks and folders.
- OIDC Providers — let users sign in with Google, GitHub, or your company SSO.
- Settings — configure SMTP so the app can send password reset and verification emails.
- AI Suggestions — enable AI-powered title, tag, and slug hints (requires an OpenAI API key).
To close registration after you've invited everyone, set REGISTRATIONS_ENABLED=false in your environment — see Configuration.
Verify
| Check | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Setup completion | You reach the dashboard without errors. |
| Auth | Log out and log back in via /login. |
| Admin | As the first user, Admin is available in the shell navigation. |
Troubleshooting
The server may already be initialized. If you expected a fresh install, confirm you are using an empty database or volume path.
The form shows Passwords do not match or Password must be at least 8 characters long when basic checks fail. After submit, the server can also reject passwords that lack an uppercase letter, lowercase letter, number, or special character (see the password rules in the setup step above).
Check the API response message in the UI and the server logs. Common causes include database permission errors or invalid environment configuration.
Related
Last updated 1 week ago
Built with Documentation.AI