Operator quickstart

Prepare the owner credentials and model access that turn a running Server into a usable Nautilo circle.

A healthy container is not a finished Nautilo deployment. The first successful run ends with a claimed Server, a known owner login, deliberately stored credentials, at least one model route you intend to use, and a client connected to the right Server.

1. Install the release CLI

npm install -g @nautilo/cli@<released-version>
nautilo --version

This package is not public yet. Until the release page supplies a real version, the command above is the launch contract—not an available installation path.

2. Create the deploy input outside a Git checkout

Create ~/.config/nautilo/deploy.toml with mode 0600:

schemaVersion = 1

[admin]
handle = "operator"
displayName = "Nautilo Operator"
password = { fromEnv = "NAUTILO_ADMIN_PASSWORD" }
pin = { fromEnv = "NAUTILO_ADMIN_PIN" }
forcePasswordChangeOnFirstSignIn = true

[[providers]]
key = "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"
value = { fromEnv = "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY" }

[genie]
mode = "randomize"

chmod 600 ~/.config/nautilo/deploy.toml

Keep only the providers you use. The schema does not require one particular model company. It does require that secrets resolve when deployment runs.

3. Set and record the credentials deliberately

Set NAUTILO_ADMIN_PASSWORD, NAUTILO_ADMIN_PIN, and the provider variables referenced by the TOML in your password manager or deployment secret store, then export them into the deployment shell. Do not generate credentials that the future owner cannot retrieve.

The first deploy consumes this file: it writes provider configuration, mints a claim invite, creates the first owner, and records that the deploy input was consumed. Re-running deployment is not a substitute for knowing the login.

4. Choose the target

After deployment, connect a client and prove that the intended owner can sign in.