First Run¶
After installing Kraken, follow these steps to set up your instance.
1. Register your account¶
Open http://localhost:5173 and create a new account. The first user registered on a fresh instance can be promoted to instance admin.
2. Create a community¶
- Click the + button in the sidebar
- Enter a community name and optional description
- Click Create
Your new community appears in the sidebar — similar to a Discord server.
3. Create channels¶
Inside your community:
- Click the + next to the channel list
- Choose a channel type:
- Text — for messaging
- Voice — for voice and video calls (requires LiveKit configuration)
- Name the channel and click Create
4. Invite others¶
- Open your community settings
- Go to the Invites section
- Create an invite link
- Share the link with others — they can register and join your community
5. Start chatting¶
- Send messages in text channels with mentions, reactions, and file attachments
- Join voice channels for real-time audio and video (if LiveKit is configured)
- Use direct messages for private conversations
Optional: Set up voice and video¶
If you haven't configured LiveKit yet, voice channels will be visible but non-functional. See the LiveKit setup instructions to enable voice and video calls, including screen sharing and replay buffer features.
Next steps¶
- Configuration — Tune environment variables
- Deployment — Self-host in production
- Contributing — Help improve Kraken