> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://d83127a-margin.manicule.dev/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
> For every page in one file, fetch https://d83127a-margin.manicule.dev/docs/llms-full.txt (large).
> To search and read these docs as tools, connect the MCP server at https://d83127a-margin.manicule.dev/docs/api/mcp.
> Every agent surface: https://d83127a-margin.manicule.dev/docs/.well-known/llms-manifest.json

# Quickstart (/docs/quickstart)

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Related: [Introduction](/docs/index.md), [Run locally](/docs/local-development.md), [Migrate from Mintlify](/docs/migrate-from-mintlify.md)

> Host the latest Margin release on Manicule, with an included database and no servers or environment variables to configure.

Publish your docs on a free `manicule.dev` address, then push an edit and confirm it is live. Manicule hosting is free, with no limits. Margin is Apache 2.0 whether you use Manicule or self-host.

You need a GitHub account and a repository containing your docs. If you do not have one yet, start from the [Margin template](https://github.com/maniculehq/margin) and its `docs/` folder, or create a repository with a single `index.mdx`. For a single-page site, use this content:

```mdx
# Welcome

This documentation is published from my repository.
```

## Deploy your docs site

<Steps>
  <Step title="Sign up or sign in">
    Open [Manicule](https://app.manicule.com/onboard?product=margin) and sign up or sign in. New users create an organization with the docs product preselected.

    Confirm that you reach “Where are your docs?”.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Connect GitHub">
    At “Where are your docs?”, select “Connect GitHub” and install the Manicule GitHub app. Manicule reads only the repositories you choose during installation. Include the repository containing your docs.

    Confirm that your repository is available at “Deploy your docs from GitHub”.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create docs site">
    At “Deploy your docs from GitHub”, choose your repository and deploy branch. This is the docs branch: every push to it publishes your site, and pull requests targeting it get previews.

    Choose the folder containing your docs if they are not at the repository root. The folder is optional and defaults to the repository root. For the Margin template's docs, choose `docs`.

    Select “Create docs site”. Confirm that the first deployment starts.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open your published site">
    Wait until “Your docs site is up.” appears, then open the shown `manicule.dev` address. Confirm that your documentation landing page renders. Save this address for the final check.

    At “Want your own domain?”, you can connect a domain now or do it later from Domains. Your site can use `<site>.manicule.dev` or your own domain; Domains manages the domain.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Publish your first edit

<Steps>
  <Step title="Edit the landing page" stepNumber="5">
    Clone the repository you connected. Replace the clone URL and branch below with your repository and the docs branch you selected:

    ```bash
    git clone 'https://github.com/YOUR_ACCOUNT/YOUR_REPOSITORY.git' my-docs
    cd my-docs
    git switch 'YOUR_DOCS_BRANCH'
    ```

    Open `index.mdx` in the selected docs folder (`docs/index.mdx` for the Margin template, or `index.mdx` for a repository-root site). Append this paragraph after the existing content, outside any code fence, unless it is already present:

    ```markdown
    This documentation is published from my repository.
    ```

    If the paragraph is already present, change it to `My first documentation edit is live.` instead, and use that sentence in the final check.

    Review the diff. Set `DOCS_PAGE` to your landing page's repository-relative path; this example uses the template's `docs/` folder:

    ```bash
    DOCS_PAGE='docs/index.mdx'
    git diff -- "$DOCS_PAGE"
    ```

    Confirm that the diff shows your changed paragraph.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Commit and push" stepNumber="6">
    Commit the changed page and push the docs branch:

    ```bash
    git add "$DOCS_PAGE"
    git commit \
      -m "Update documentation landing page"
    git push
    ```

    Confirm that a deployment starts for this commit. Push to the docs branch to update the live site; pull requests targeting that branch get previews.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm the published edit" stepNumber="7">
    Wait for the deployment to complete, then reload the site's landing page at `/`. Confirm that it contains your edited sentence.

    For a terminal check, replace the URL with your site's address and set the sentence to match your edit:

    ```bash
    SITE_URL='https://YOUR_SITE.manicule.dev'
    EXPECTED='This documentation is published from my repository.'
    curl --fail --silent --show-error "$SITE_URL/" \
      | grep -F "$EXPECTED"
    ```

    A successful check prints a matching line from the HTML. If the sentence is missing, check that the deployment uses your edit's commit and that you pushed to the docs branch.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Continue building

<CardGroup cols="2">
<Card title="Custom domain" href="/docs/deploy/manicule">Connect your own domain from Domains.</Card>

<Card title="Run locally" href="/docs/local-development">Run Margin locally and preview edits before pushing.</Card>

<Card title="Customize your site" href="/docs/settings/docs-json">Configure navigation, colors, and page metadata.</Card>

<Card title="Self-host instead" href="/docs/deploy/self-host">Run Margin on your own infrastructure under Apache 2.0.</Card>
</CardGroup>