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Quickstart Guide

Get up and running with Backstack in about 10 minutes. This guide walks you through creating your first workspace, installing a tool, and connecting an AI client.

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Prerequisites

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Step 1: Sign Up and Create an Account

  1. Visit app.backstack.io
  2. Click Sign Up and choose your authentication method:
    • Email and password
    • Continue with Google
    • Continue with GitHub
  3. Complete the sign-up process and verify your email if required
You’ll be automatically signed in after creating your account.
If you already have an account, click Sign In instead and use your preferred login method.

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Step 2: Create or Join an Organization

After signing in for the first time:
  1. You’ll be prompted to either:
    • Create a new organization - Enter your organization name and click Create
    • Join an existing organization - Enter the invitation code from your admin
  2. If you created an organization, you’re automatically assigned the Owner role with full administrative access
Your organization is where you’ll manage team members, install tools, and configure settings. All team members share access to organization tools and workspaces.

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Step 3: Create Your First Workspace

Workspaces organize tools and resources for specific projects or teams:
  1. Navigate to Workspaces in the sidebar
  2. Click Create Workspace
  3. Enter a workspace name (e.g., “Development”, “Research”, “Marketing”)
  4. Add an optional description
  5. Set visibility:
    • Private - Only visible to members you invite
    • Organization - Visible to all organization members
  6. Click Create
Your new workspace is now ready to use.
Start with an “Organization” visibility workspace so all team members can access it. You can create private workspaces later for sensitive projects.

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Step 4: Install Your First MCP Tool

Add a tool that your AI can use:
  1. Navigate to Organization → Services (admin/owner access required)
  2. Click Add Service
  3. Select Install NPM Package
  4. Enter a package name:
    • For GitHub integration: @modelcontextprotocol/server-github
    • For filesystem access: @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem
    • For Brave search: @modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-search
  5. Leave version as “latest” unless you need a specific version
  6. Add environment variables if required (e.g., GITHUB_TOKEN for the GitHub server)
  7. Click Install
The tool will build and deploy automatically. This takes 2-5 minutes.
Many MCP tools require environment variables like API keys. You can configure these during installation or add them later from the service menu.

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Step 5: Connect Your AI Client

Connect Claude Desktop (or another MCP-compatible client) to Backstack:

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For Claude Desktop

  1. Open Claude Desktop
  2. Go to Settings → Developer
  3. Find the MCP Servers section
  4. Copy your MCP endpoint from Backstack:
    • In Backstack, click your profile icon → Copy MCP URL
  5. Add a new server in Claude Desktop: 
    {
  "backstack": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["-y", "@backstack/mcp-client"],
    "env": {
      "BACKSTACK_URL": "your-mcp-url-here"
    }
  }
}
  6. Restart Claude Desktop
Claude will now have access to your Backstack tools and resources.

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For Other Clients

See the full MCP Setup Guide for instructions on:
  • VS Code with Continue or Cline
  • Cursor
  • Windsurf
  • Zed
Your MCP URL is unique to you and includes your authentication token. Keep it private and don’t share it publicly.

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Step 6: Start Your First Conversation

Test your setup with an AI conversation:
  1. Open your connected AI client (Claude Desktop, VS Code, etc.)
  2. Start a new conversation
  3. Try using one of your installed tools:
    • If you installed the GitHub server: “List my GitHub repositories”
    • If you installed the filesystem server: “Show me the files in my Documents folder”
    • If you installed Brave search: “Search for the latest news about AI”
Your AI will execute the tool and return results!
Tools appear automatically in your AI conversations. You don’t need to explicitly enable them - just ask questions that require tool use.

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Next Steps

Now that you’re up and running, explore more features:

Invite Team Members

Add colleagues to your organization and workspaces

Install More Tools

Browse and install additional MCP tools for your team

Set Up Security Policies

Define security rules to protect your organization

Share Documents

Upload and share documents for AI access

Configure Desktop App

Install the desktop client for document sync

View Analytics

Monitor tool usage across your team

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Troubleshooting

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MCP Connection Issues

AI client can’t connect to Backstack:
  • Verify your MCP URL is correct and includes your authentication token
  • Check that you’ve restarted your AI client after adding the server
  • Ensure your internet connection is stable

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Tool Not Working

Installed tool doesn’t appear in conversations:
  • Wait for the installation to complete (check status in Organization → Services)
  • Verify the tool is assigned to your workspace
  • Restart your AI client to refresh available tools

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Authentication Problems

Can’t sign in or session expires quickly:
  • Clear your browser cache and cookies
  • Try a different authentication method (Google, GitHub, email/password)
  • Check that your email is verified if using email authentication

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Need Help?

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Estimated Time

Following this guide should take approximately 10 minutes:
  • Account creation: 2 minutes
  • Organization and workspace setup: 2 minutes
  • Installing first tool: 3-5 minutes (build time)
  • MCP client connection: 2-3 minutes
  • First conversation: 1 minute
Welcome to Backstack!