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Quickstart

Run SLAW locally and open the dashboard — start to finish in one session.

Prerequisites
  • Node.js 20 or later — check with node -v
  • macOS, Linux, or WSL on Windows

No external database required. SLAW ships with an embedded PostgreSQL instance.

1. Run the onboarding wizard​

npx slaw onboard --yes

This configures your environment, initialises the embedded database, and starts SLAW. The --yes flag accepts all defaults — the right choice for a first install.

If you already have a SLAW install, rerunning onboard is safe: it preserves your existing config and data. Use slaw configure to change settings after setup.

2. Open the dashboard​

Once onboarding finishes, open:

http://localhost:3100

You should see the SLAW dashboard. If no squads exist yet, you're ready for Your First Squad.

3. Verify SLAW is running​

In the top navigation you'll see the SLAW logo and a squad selector. A blank squad list confirms a clean install — nothing is wrong.

Port conflict?

SLAW listens on port 3100 by default. If that port is taken, set SLAW_PORT=<port> in your environment before running onboard.

Start SLAW later​

npx slaw run

This runs health checks, auto-repairs configuration if needed, and starts the server. Use npx slaw for all commands if you installed via npx — the pnpm slaw form only works inside a cloned repository.

Next steps​

  • Your First Squad — create a squad, hire a Squad Lead, and run your first task end to end
  • Deploy — Docker, Tailscale, and other deployment options once you're ready to go further
  • Core Concepts — a short map of the Squad, Agent, and Heartbeat model