Quickstart

Five minutes from sign-up to your first server, channel, and project board. SynStacks runs on macOS, Windows, and the web — pick whichever fits your setup.

1. Create your account

Head to synstacks.dev and sign up with your email. You'll set a username and pick an avatar color (used as your initial avatar until you upload one).

• Email — used for login and password reset.
• Username — how teammates see you in chat. Lowercase, no spaces.
• Password — at least 8 characters. SynStacks uses Supabase Auth, so password resets work via email link.

2. Install the desktop app (optional)

The web version works fine in any modern browser, but the desktop apps add a few things — system tray icon, native notifications, and the auto-updater. Pick your platform:

macOS: "app is damaged" warning

The Mac build isn't code-signed during early access, so Gatekeeper will refuse to open it on first launch. After dragging SynStacks to your Applications folder, open Terminal and run:

$xattr -cr /Applications/SynStacks.app

This strips Apple's download quarantine flag, and the app opens normally afterwards. Code signing is on the roadmap for v0.2.

Auto-updates

Both desktop apps check for updates on launch and again every 30 minutes in the background. When a new version is available, a splash screen downloads it with a progress bar, then restarts cleanly into the new version. You can also force a check anytime from the system tray menu (Check for Updates).

3. Create or join a server

A server in SynStacks is a workspace — a shared space for one team, project, or community. When you first sign in, you'll see your server list on the far left rail. Click + at the bottom to create a new one or paste an invite link to join an existing one.

Creating a server prompts for:

• Name — what teammates see in the rail and channel list.
• Icon — upload an image, or just enter 1–2 initials and pick a color.

New servers come with a default General category containing a #general channel — that's where you can start chatting right away.

4. Invite your team

Once you have a server, invite teammates. Hover any channel and click the person+ icon, or open Server Settings → Invites. SynStacks generates a shareable invite link — anyone with the link can join your server.

Invite links can be one-time-use or unlimited. The default is unlimited with no expiration, suitable for sharing in a team chat or pinning to a doc.

5. Add channels

If you're the server owner or an admin, you can add more channels to a category by clicking the small + next to the category name in the sidebar. SynStacks supports five channel types:

6. Set up a project board

Add a board-type channel. SynStacks creates it with four default columns — Backlog, In Progress, In Review, Done. Click + Add a card at the bottom of any column to drop in a task. Each card supports:

• Priority (Critical, High, Medium, Low) — color-coded stripe on the card
• Assignees from your server members
• Labels (free-form, color-coded)
• Time estimate ("2h", "3 days", etc.)
• Start & due dates
• Rich-text description with task linking

Drag cards between columns to move them. To plan ahead, create a sprint from the board toolbar — give it a name, goal, start/end date, then drop cards into it from the master board.

See Project boards for the full walkthrough.

7. Set up your profile

Click your avatar in the bottom-left to open User Settings. From there you can:

• Change your display name and username
• Upload a custom avatar (or change avatar color)
• Set your status — Online, Idle, Do Not Disturb, Invisible
• Update your password and email
• Log out

Where next?

You've got an account, a server, and a board. From here, pick the feature you want to go deeper on: