# Getting started

Turn a folder of Markdown files into a documentation site. Keep writing and reviewing in Git; use docu.fast to configure, publish, and manage the reader.

## Before you start

The hosted app is in early access for invited GitHub accounts. Customer documentation sites are private during this test. These product guides are public so you can try the reader before signing in.

Start with a small repository containing committed Markdown. Ordinary Markdown needs no frontmatter. Executable MDX, repository plugins, and build scripts do not run in docu.fast.

## Connect your documentation

1. Sign in with your invited GitHub account and choose **Add a site**.
2. Enter a public repository URL or choose a connected repository.
3. Select the branch and documentation folder. If you clear a custom folder, select a folder again before continuing.
4. Create a preview and wait for the build to finish.

GitHub sign-in identifies your account. Access to private repositories is a separate read-only grant. See [Connecting GitHub](https://docu.fast/docs/connecting-github/).

## Make the site your own

Open **Settings** to set the site name, choose a homepage, adjust appearance, and organize navigation. Save applies those choices to retained documentation without changing your repository files.

Read [Customizing your site](https://docu.fast/docs/customizing-your-site/) and [Organizing navigation](https://docu.fast/docs/organizing-navigation/).

## Publish and manage your site

Read the first preview, then choose **Continue to publish**. Choose **Publish this version** to make the first site current. Opening a preview alone does not publish it.

Automatic updates are not yet available in this early-access release. Use **Check for updates** to prepare committed changes on your selected branch, then publish the new version. Site keeps your current documentation in view, with settings and previous versions nearby. Your last working version stays available if an update fails. See [Publishing and recovery](https://docu.fast/docs/publishing-and-recovery/).

## Try this reader

Use **Search docs** to find “restore” or “private repository.” Follow the sidebar links, copy a code example, or download a page as Markdown. This documentation is generated from the product’s own Markdown folder by the same reader engine used for customer sites.