quickstart.mdx

title	Quickstart
description	Sign in, create a project, and ship your first OpenSail agent in five minutes

This walkthrough uses the hosted cloud at tesslate.com. If you want to self-host, jump to the Docker setup guide or the Desktop install guide instead.

Sign in

Go to [tesslate.com](https://tesslate.com) and sign up with email or one of the OAuth providers (GitHub, Google). Check your inbox for a verification link. The first account on a fresh self-hosted install is promoted to admin automatically. The dashboard lists every project you own or have been given access to. A new account starts empty.

Create your first project

Pick a source:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Template">
    Start from a pre-wired base. Pick from Next.js, Vite+React+FastAPI, Vite+React+Go, Expo, and more.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Import">
    Paste a GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket URL. OpenSail clones the repo, detects the stack, and generates a `.tesslate/config.json` for the containers.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Describe">
    Tell OpenSail what you want in plain English. An agent proposes the stack, writes the scaffolding, and checks in.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

Your project provisions a sandboxed container on a shared node. A loading overlay tracks progress; the container is usually ready in 10 to 30 seconds. The workspace layout has four panels: file tree, editor, live preview, and chat. A kanban board, git viewer, and architecture canvas are one click away.

Build with the agent

The chat panel is docked at the bottom. Expand it to full height for longer sessions. Be specific. Good prompts describe the behavior, not the code. For example:

```
Add a /api/contacts endpoint that returns a list of contacts from Postgres,
ordered by last_interacted_at descending, paginated 20 per page.
```

The agent streams every step: file reads, edits, shell commands, test runs. You can interrupt, redirect, or roll back at any point. Files land on the project volume and the dev server reloads. The preview iframe updates without a refresh.

Iterate and review

Follow-up prompts build on the same context. The agent remembers decisions, reads files, and reasons about the whole project. Every edit is a reviewable diff. Accept the change, reject it, or edit it yourself in Monaco. Use the terminal panel for manual commands. The agent can also run commands itself when given permission. The git panel shows uncommitted changes. Write a message, commit, and optionally push to your remote.

Ship it

Three common next steps:

Connect Vercel, AWS, Cloudflare, Fly, or another provider. Draw an edge from a container to a target. Set the agent to run on cron and deliver reports to Slack or Telegram. Turn the workspace into a one-click installable app on the marketplace.

Learn more

Projects, workspaces, agents, marketplace, the Architecture Panel. Conversation patterns, approval modes, skills, and connectors. Visual canvas that authors the `.tesslate/config.json` for your project. Ask questions, share what you are building.

Tips

Describe behavior, not syntax. Include: - What the feature does - Inputs and outputs - Edge cases you care about - Any constraints (libraries, style, performance) Ship something small that works, then expand. One prompt per feature beats one prompt for the whole app. OpenSail asks for approval before shell commands, git pushes, or network calls outside the allowlist. Review the diff, not just the chat summary. OpenSail autosaves, but git is still your history of record. Commit after each feature works.