Onboarding and setup
In plain terms: Eigen Mesh supports two ways to get started — Eigen can host it for you, or you can run it yourself. Pick the path that matches how you plan to use Eigen Mesh.
Eigen supports two deployment styles — managed hosting (Eigen operates the stack) and self-hosted (you run Docker Compose on your own infrastructure). The product UI and onboarding flow are the same in both cases; only who configures infrastructure and LLM billing differs.
Who this is for
- End users on managed hosting — sign up and capture without running servers
- Operators self-hosting with Docker — provision the stack before users sign in
Choose your path
| I want to… | Start here |
|---|---|
| Sign up and use Eigen Mesh in the browser (Eigen hosts it) | Onboarding (managed) |
| Deploy and operate Eigen Mesh on my own server | Self-hosted setup |
Managed hosting (end users)
You do not need to run Docker, configure servers, or obtain LLM API keys unless you explicitly switch to bring-your-own-key (BYOK) billing.
→ Onboarding (managed) — sign-up, welcome tour, billing, and first capture.
Self-hosted (operators)
You provision Docker, environment variables, gateway accounts, and optional PayPal or OAuth before users can sign in.
→ Self-hosted setup — accounts to create, env vars, and first-run deployment.
For deployment philosophy (single codebase, no feature gating by plan), see Deployment model.
Troubleshooting
See Troubleshooting for common issues.
Next steps
- What is Eigen Mesh? — plain-language product overview
- MCP overview — connect your AI assistant
- Overview & quick start — self-hosted Docker deployment