create-sally

The official install and update tool for Sally.

Install Sally

npx --yes create-sally@latest

Update Sally

npx --yes create-sally@latest update

Check an existing install

npx --yes create-sally@latest doctor

Useful flags:

npx --yes create-sally@latest update --dir /opt/sally-instance --version latest --yes
npx --yes create-sally@latest doctor --dir /opt/sally-instance
npx --yes create-sally@latest install \
  --mode managed-simple \
  --dir /opt/sally-instance \
  --domain sally.example.com \
  --workspace Operations \
  --superadmin-email [email protected] \
  --superadmin-name "Sally Admin" \
  --acme-email [email protected] \
  --email-setup now \
  --smtp-host smtp.example.com \
  --smtp-port 587 \
  --smtp-user [email protected] \
  --smtp-password 'secret' \
  --mail-from [email protected] \
  --version latest \
  --yes

For a copy-paste Ubuntu / Debian walkthrough, see:

• ../../docs/ubuntu-debian-install.md

create-sally is the official npm operator tool for Sally — the API-first project management system for teams that collaborate with humans and agents.

It is designed to keep self-hosting and updates simple, clean, and low-noise.

What it does

The tool walks you through the setup or update flow and performs the deployment steps for you.

Depending on the command and mode, it can:

• check whether Docker / Docker Compose is available
• install Docker automatically on Linux if it is missing
• generate the required instance files
• verify DNS before setup
• ask for the first workspace name
• pull fresh Sally container images
• start Postgres
• apply the database schema
• bootstrap the first superadmin and first workspace
• restart the Sally services in the right order
• verify health checks
• prepare hosted Sally MCP usage
• print the final login or update summary

Commands

Install

npx --yes create-sally@latest

You can also call it explicitly as:

npx --yes create-sally@latest install

Update

npx --yes create-sally@latest update

Doctor

npx --yes create-sally@latest doctor

Install automation flags

Install now also supports non-interactive provisioning flags such as:

• --mode
• --dir
• --domain
• --workspace
• --superadmin-email
• --superadmin-name
• --acme-email
• --email-setup now|later
• --smtp-host
• --smtp-port
• --smtp-user
• --smtp-password
• --mail-from
• --version
• --yes

When --yes is used for install, create-sally expects the required install values to be provided up front instead of prompting interactively.

Current update scope:

• supports deployments created by create-sally
• updates the Sally image tag in .env
• pulls fresh images
• applies schema changes
• reruns bootstrap safely
• restarts services
• verifies health

This is intentionally narrow for now. It is meant for installer-managed deployments, not arbitrary custom Docker setups.

Install modes

managed-simple

Use this if you want the easiest path.

The installer sets up:

• Docker-based deployment
• local Postgres
• HTTPS via Caddy
• Sally web + API

Best for:

• single-server installs
• fast evaluation
• production-style self-hosting without custom infra work

existing-infra

Use this if you already have infrastructure and want Sally to fit into it.

Best for:

• custom reverse proxies
• existing TLS setup
• more advanced hosting environments
• teams that want more deployment control

Example install flow

npx --yes create-sally@latest

Then the installer will ask for things like:

• install mode
• target directory
• domain
• Sally version
• first workspace name
• superadmin email
• email delivery settings

For managed-simple, it also checks whether your domain already points to the server before continuing.

At the end, the installer prints a clean summary like:

W E L C O M E  :::::::  T O  :::::::  S A L L Y
URL: https://your-domain.example
USER: [email protected]
PASSWORD: generated-password

Example update flow

npx --yes create-sally@latest update

Then the updater will:

• ask where the existing Sally install lives
• detect current mode and version
• ask for the target version
• ask for confirmation
• update image references
• run image/schema/service refresh steps
• verify health checks

At the end, it prints a clean summary like:

S A L L Y  :::::::  U P D A T E D
VERSION: latest
URL: https://your-domain.example

Why this package exists

Most self-hosted install flows are either:

• too manual for normal people
• too magical for technical users
• or too noisy for everyone

create-sally tries to hit the middle:

• strong defaults
• minimal unnecessary questions
• clear checks before dangerous steps
• clean output
• enough structure for production-style installs and upgrades

Requirements

For a normal server install, you typically want:

• Linux server
• Docker + Docker Compose available
• a domain name
• DNS already pointed at the target server for managed-simple

For updates, you need:

• an existing Sally deployment created by create-sally
• access to the install directory
• Docker working on the target machine

What gets installed and updated

The tool relies on the official Sally images:

• ghcr.io/use-sally/sally-api
• ghcr.io/use-sally/sally-web

It writes or manages instance files such as:

• .env
• docker-compose.yml
• Caddyfile for managed-simple

For MCP, the primary path is the hosted MCP endpoint inside Sally itself.

Good to know

• If you use mutable tags like latest, the installer/updater pulls fresh images before starting services.
• For controlled production upgrades, use explicit version tags instead of relying on latest.
• Email setup is strongly recommended during install.
• The installer asks for SMTP_HOST, SMTP_PORT, SMTP_USER, SMTP_PASSWORD, and MAIL_FROM.
• Sally's API mailer supports those SMTP fields directly.
• You can defer email setup, but Sally will not be able to send invites, password resets, or notifications until SMTP is configured.
• Hosted MCP is now the primary path.
• After install, users create hosted MCP keys inside Sally itself and connect to the hosted /mcp endpoint.
• The old local sally-mcp path is advanced/legacy, not the primary onboarding path.

About Sally

Sally is the API-first project management system we built because existing PM tools were too bloated and too hostile to automation.

Sally is built for teams that want:

• clean project management
• real APIs
• self-hosting
• human + agent collaboration
• a system they can actually adapt

Main repo:

• https://github.com/use-sally/sally

Website:

• https://usesally.com

Docs:

• https://usesally.com/docs

Licensing

create-sally is part of the Sally project and follows the repository licensing.

See:

• LICENSE
• LICENSING.md
• https://usesally.com/docs/licensing