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Getting Started

This guide walks you through setting up Scribegate, creating your first repository, and going through the full propose-review-approve workflow.

1. Start the Server

docker run -d \
  -p 8080:8080 \
  -v scribegate-data:/data \
  ghcr.io/stevehansen/scribegate:latest

git clone https://github.com/stevehansen/scribegate.git
cd scribegate
dotnet run --project src/Scribegate.Web

Open http://localhost:8080. You should see the login page.

2. Register the First User

The first user to register automatically becomes the instance admin.

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/v1/auth/register \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "username": "jane",
    "email": "jane@example.com",
    "password": "a-secure-password",
    "acceptTos": true
  }'

Save the token from the response — you'll need it for subsequent requests.

export TOKEN="eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIs..."

3. Create a Repository

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/v1/repositories \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Company Handbook",
    "description": "Internal policies and procedures",
    "visibility": "Private"
  }'

4. Create a Document

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/v1/repositories/company-handbook/documents \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "path": "hr/vacation-policy.md",
    "content": "# Vacation Policy\n\nAll employees receive 20 vacation days per year.",
    "message": "Initial vacation policy"
  }'

5. Propose a Change

Register a second user (the contributor), then create a proposal:

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/v1/repositories/company-handbook/proposals \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CONTRIBUTOR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "documentPath": "hr/vacation-policy.md",
    "title": "Increase vacation days to 25",
    "description": "Per HR directive 2026-04",
    "content": "# Vacation Policy\n\nAll employees receive 25 vacation days per year."
  }'

6. Review and Approve

As the admin (who has Reviewer role), approve the proposal:

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/v1/repositories/company-handbook/proposals/{id}/approve \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"

This creates a new immutable revision, signs it with ECDSA P-256, and updates the document.

Next Steps

  • Add members — invite contributors and reviewers to your repository
  • Configure approval rules — set requiredApprovals on your repository (1-10)
  • Set up SSO — configure OIDC via admin settings for single sign-on
  • Enable notifications — configure SMTP for email notifications
  • Explore the API — visit /swagger for interactive API docs
  • Use the CLI — install the sg global tool for command-line access

See the Self-Hosting Guide for production deployment options.