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Installation

System requirements and installation options for CamelMind. Follow this guide to set up and customize your site.

Before you begin, ensure your local machine meets the following requirements:

RequirementVersion
Node.js20 or higher
Package managerAny recent version of npm, pnpm, or yarn
Tip

Use nvm or fnm to manage Node versions. Run node --version to check your current version.

Scaffold a new site

Get started in seconds with the CamelMind init CLI. Open your terminal and run the following command, replacing my-docs with your project name.

bash
npx camelmind@latest init my-docs

The CLI will:

  1. Create a new project from the CamelMind starter template.
  2. Install all project dependencies automatically.
  3. Display the next steps to get started.

Next, start the development server:

bash
cd my-docs
npm run dev

Then open http://localhost:3000 in your browser to preview your documentation site.

Manual installation

If you prefer to set up from scratch or integrate CamelMind into an existing Next.js monorepo, install the package directly:

bash
npm install camelmind
Warning

Manual installation is intended for advanced use cases. For most projects, we recommend using the init CLI, which automatically creates your project with the correct directory structure, configuration, and compatible dependency versions.

Update CamelMind

To update an existing CamelMind site, use one of the following update options:

OptionCommand
Update your site to the latest CamelMind platform filesnpx camelmind@latest update
Preview the changes without modifying any filesnpx camelmind@latest update --dry-run
Update files without running npm installnpx camelmind@latest update --no-install
Preserve a customized scaffold file during the updatenpx camelmind@latest update --ignore-file app/page.tsx

Before upgrading, review the changelog for any breaking changes or migration notes.

CamelMind environment variables setup

Configuring CamelMind environment variables allows you to customize authentication and production settings. CamelMind works out of the box with default settings, but advanced features such as authentication or deploying require you to configure environment variables.

To get started, copy the example file:

bash
cp .env.example .env.local

Then update the values you need.

VariableDefaultDescription
CAMELMIND_URLhttp://localhost:3000The public URL of your documentation site. Update this before deploying (for example, https://docs.example.com).
CAMELMIND_AUTH_ENABLEDfalseEnables built-in authentication.
CAMELMIND_AUTH_REQUIRE_LOGINfalseRequires users to sign in before accessing any page.
SESSION_SECRET—A long, random secret used to encrypt user sessions. You must provide this when enabling authentication.

Deploying CamelMind to production

When deploying your CamelMind site to production hosting environments like Vercel or Netlify, update CAMELMIND_URL to match your live production domain.

env
CAMELMIND_URL=https://docs.example.com

Then configure the same environment variables in your hosting provider (such as Vercel, Netlify, or your own infrastructure) before deploying your site.

Tip

If your site is publicly accessible, you can leave authentication disabled. Enable it only if you want to protect your documentation behind a login.

See the Environment Variables reference for the complete list of available options.

What the AI sees

1> For a complete documentation index, see /llms.txt. To read any public page as Markdown, append .md to the URL.
2 
3Before you begin, ensure your local machine meets the following requirements:
4 
5| Requirement | Version |
6|---|---|
7| Node.js | 20 or higher |
8| Package manager | Any recent version of `npm`, `pnpm`, or `yarn` |
9 
10<Callout type="tip">
11Use [nvm](https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm) or [fnm](https://github.com/Schniz/fnm) to manage Node versions. Run `node --version` to check your current version.
12</Callout>
13 
14---
15 
16## Scaffold a new site
17 
18Get started in seconds with the CamelMind `init` CLI. Open your terminal and run the following command, replacing `my-docs` with your project name.
19 
20```bash
21npx camelmind@latest init my-docs
22```
23 
24The CLI will:
25 
261. Create a new project from the CamelMind starter template.
272. Install all project dependencies automatically.
283. Display the next steps to get started.
29 
30Next, start the development server:
31 
32```bash
33cd my-docs
34npm run dev
35```
36 
37Then open **http://localhost:3000** in your browser to preview your documentation site.
38 
39---
40 
41## Manual installation
42 
43If you prefer to set up from scratch or integrate CamelMind into an existing Next.js monorepo, install the package directly:
44 
45```bash
46npm install camelmind
47```
48 
49<Callout type="warning">
50Manual installation is intended for advanced use cases. For most projects, we recommend using the <code>init</code> CLI, which automatically creates your project with the correct directory structure, configuration, and compatible dependency versions.
51</Callout>
52 
53---
54 
55## Update CamelMind
56 
57To update an existing CamelMind site, use one of the following update options:
58 
59| Option | Command |
60|---|---|
61| Update your site to the latest CamelMind platform files | `npx camelmind@latest update` |
62| Preview the changes without modifying any files | `npx camelmind@latest update --dry-run` |
63| Update files without running npm install | `npx camelmind@latest update --no-install` |
64| Preserve a customized scaffold file during the update | `npx camelmind@latest update --ignore-file app/page.tsx`|
65 
66Before upgrading, review the changelog for any breaking changes or migration notes.
67 
68---
69 
70## CamelMind environment variables setup
71 
72Configuring CamelMind environment variables allows you to customize authentication and production settings. CamelMind works out of the box with default settings, but advanced features such as authentication or deploying require you to configure environment variables.
73 
74To get started, copy the example file:
75 
76```bash
77cp .env.example .env.local
78```
79 
80Then update the values you need.
81 
82| Variable | Default | Description |
83| --- | --- | --- |
84| `CAMELMIND_URL` | `http://localhost:3000` | The public URL of your documentation site. Update this before deploying (for example, `https://docs.example.com`). |
85| `CAMELMIND_AUTH_ENABLED` | `false` | Enables built-in authentication. |
86| `CAMELMIND_AUTH_REQUIRE_LOGIN` | `false` | Requires users to sign in before accessing any page. |
87| `SESSION_SECRET` | — | A long, random secret used to encrypt user sessions. You must provide this when enabling authentication. |
88 
89---
90 
91## Deploying CamelMind to production
92 
93When deploying your CamelMind site to production hosting environments like Vercel or Netlify, update `CAMELMIND_URL` to match your live production domain.
94 
95```env
96CAMELMIND_URL=https://docs.example.com
97```
98 
99Then configure the same environment variables in your hosting provider (such as Vercel, Netlify, or your own infrastructure) before deploying your site.
100 
101<Callout type="tip">
102If your site is publicly accessible, you can leave authentication disabled. Enable it only if you want to protect your documentation behind a login.
103</Callout>
104 
105See the [Environment Variables](/deployment/environment-variables) reference for the complete list of available options.

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