Manual Setup

Follow these steps to set up LaunchFast without using the automated npx -y launchfast@latest command.

1. Clone or Download the Repository

Download the LaunchFast template to your local machine:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/launchfast-template.git my-app-name
cd my-app-name

📸 Screenshot placeholder: Terminal showing successful git clone

2. Update App Name

Configure your app name in the configuration files:

Update package.json

{
  "name": "my-app-name",
  // Remove these if present:
  // "author": "...",
  // "license": "...",
  ...
}

Update fly.toml

Replace all instances of launch-fast-template with your app name:

app = "my-app-name"
primary_region = "iad"  # You'll update this later
...

📸 Screenshot placeholder: VS Code showing fly.toml file with app name highlighted

3. Set Up Environment Variables

Create a .env file from the example and generate secure secrets:

# Copy the example file
cp .env.example .env

Generate Random Secrets

Update these values in your .env file with random strings:

# Generate random 32-character hex strings
# macOS/Linux:
openssl rand -hex 16

# Or use Node.js:
node -e "console.log(require('crypto').randomBytes(16).toString('hex'))"

Update these lines in .env:

SESSION_SECRET="your-random-32-char-string-here"
INTERNAL_COMMAND_TOKEN="another-random-32-char-string"

⚠️ Never commit your .env file to version control

4. Configure Git

Set up your git repository with the correct branch name:

# Initialize git (if not already done)
git init

# Ensure you're on the main branch
git branch -m main

# Copy the correct .gitignore
cp remix.init/gitignore .gitignore

📸 Screenshot placeholder: Terminal showing git branch output

5. Clean Up Template Files

Remove unnecessary template files:

rm LICENSE.md CONTRIBUTING.md

6. Install Dependencies & Initialize App

Install packages and set up the database:

# Install npm packages
npm install

# Generate Prisma client
npx prisma generate

# Run database migrations
npx prisma migrate deploy

# Seed the database with initial data
npx prisma db seed

# Install Playwright for E2E tests
npx playwright install

📸 Screenshot placeholder: Terminal showing successful Prisma migration and seed output

7. Format Code

Format all code files to match the project style:

npm run format

8. Test Your Setup

Verify everything is working correctly:

# Start the development server
npm run dev

# In another terminal, run tests
npm run validate

Open http://localhost:3000 in your browser. You should see the LaunchFast homepage.

📸 Screenshot placeholder: Browser showing LaunchFast homepage at localhost:3000

9. Deploy to Fly.io (Optional)

To deploy your app to production, follow the Fly.io Deployment Guide.

10. Set Up GitHub Actions (Optional)

For automated deployments, see the GitHub Actions Setup Guide.

Next Steps

Once your setup is complete:

• Start customizing your app in the app/ directory
• Read the CLAUDE.md file for development commands
• Explore the documentation for features and patterns
• Make your first commit with your changes

Troubleshooting

Database Errors

If you encounter database issues:

# Reset the database
npx prisma migrate reset

# This will:
# - Drop the database
# - Run all migrations
# - Seed the database

Port Already in Use

If port 3000 is already in use:

# Find and kill the process using port 3000
# macOS/Linux:
lsof -ti:3000 | xargs kill -9

# Or use a different port:
PORT=3001 npm run dev

Need Help?

If you encounter issues not covered here, check the troubleshooting guide or reach out for support.