# Quickstart

This page takes you from nothing to a project with a first quest in it, your
team invited and, if you want one, an AI agent connected. It takes a few
minutes, and each step links to the page that covers it in depth.

## 1. Get an account

There are two ways to use Lore, and everything in this documentation works the
same on both:

- **The hosted instance.** Open [lore.alepha.dev](https://lore.alepha.dev) and
  sign up from the sign-in page.
- **Your own instance.** One command starts it, and the first account to
  register becomes its administrator:

  ```bash
  docker run -p 3000:3000 -v lore:/data ghcr.io/alepha-dev/lore
  ```

  See [Self-hosting](https://latest.alepha.dev/lore/docs/start-self-hosting.md) before you put real work
  in it.

On your own instance, read `https://lore.alepha.dev` as your own address
everywhere in these pages.

## 2. Create a project

Choose **New Project** on the home page. The wizard asks three things:

1. **A name.** Lore derives the project's address from it:
   `https://lore.alepha.dev/<slug>`.
2. **What the project does.** Each switch is a capability: planning work,
   keeping knowledge, watching and deploying apps, collecting feedback. Pick
   at least one. **Plan and track work** and **Write and keep knowledge** are
   on by default, and they are all this page needs.
3. **How to set it up.** The options of what you picked, such as epics,
   releases and the board.

![The project wizard asking what the project does](/screenshots/lore/new-project-light.png)

Nothing here is final. Every switch can be changed later in
**Settings ▸ General ▸ Capabilities**, and turning one off hides it without
deleting anything. [Capabilities](https://latest.alepha.dev/lore/docs/project-capabilities.md) describes
each one.

## 3. File a first quest

A **quest** is one piece of work: a feature, a bug, a chore. Open **Quests** in
the sidebar and choose **New quest**. Give it:

- a **Name** that says what changes, such as "Add a dark mode toggle";
- an **Area**, the part of your system it touches (`web`, `api`, `mobile`).
  Type a new name to create the area;
- a **Priority**, and optionally objectives: the checklist that says when it
  is done.

Choose **Create quest**, open it, then **Accept the quest** to take it. It
moves to **In progress** under your name; tick the objectives as you go and
choose **Complete quest** when the work has landed.

![A quest in progress, with its objectives and discussion](/screenshots/lore/quest-light.png)

Every quest has a number in its project, written `#Q12`. Use it in commit
messages, comments and folios, and Lore links it. [Quests](https://latest.alepha.dev/lore/docs/work-quests.md)
covers statuses, the board and everything else.

## 4. Invite your team

Open **Settings ▸ Members** and choose **Invite**. Enter an email address and the
person receives an invitation; once they accept it they are a **Member** and
can read and work on the project.

When you need finer access (someone who only reads, someone who can manage
releases), create ranks from **Settings ▸ Members ▸ Ranks**.
[Members and ranks](https://latest.alepha.dev/lore/docs/project-members.md) explains what each permission
allows.

## 5. Write down what you know

Open **Folios** and choose **New folio**. A folio is a page of the project's
memory: how the system is built, why a decision was taken, what to do when
something breaks. Link folios to each other and to quests with `[[#F3]]` and
`[[#Q12]]`.

A good first folio is the one a new teammate, or an agent, should read before
touching anything: your conventions. Pin it and it is handed to every agent
that opens the project. See [Folios](https://latest.alepha.dev/lore/docs/knowledge-folios.md).

## 6. Connect an agent (optional)

If you work with a coding agent, give it the project. Lore is an MCP server at
`https://lore.alepha.dev/mcp`. With Claude Code, for example:

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http lore https://lore.alepha.dev/mcp
```

The first call sends you to a Lore page that asks you to approve the
connection. From then on the agent acts as you, inside the projects you belong
to: it can read the folios, accept a quest, tick its objectives and leave a
note of what it did. [Connecting an agent](https://latest.alepha.dev/lore/docs/agents-connecting.md) covers
other clients, API keys and the `lore` command for terminals and CI.

## Next

- [Quests](https://latest.alepha.dev/lore/docs/work-quests.md), then [Epics](https://latest.alepha.dev/lore/docs/work-epics.md) and
  [Releases](https://latest.alepha.dev/lore/docs/work-releases.md): planning beyond a single quest.
- [Dashboard](https://latest.alepha.dev/lore/docs/project-dashboard.md): where the project stands, on one
  page.
- [Feedback](https://latest.alepha.dev/lore/docs/support-feedback.md): let your users file requests.
- [Apps and instances](https://latest.alepha.dev/lore/docs/apps-instances.md): watch and deploy what you
  ship.