Setup Workbench
The Setup Workbench keeps one profile, one repository decision, and one reviewed run in a visible five-step sequence.
Step 1: Start
Section titled “Step 1: Start”Choose Connect existing VPS for a new server you already own, or Resume a saved profile to continue prior work.
The DigitalOcean card currently routes guided provisioning to the Terminal UI. A concise provisioning form is also available under Profiles → New DigitalOcean profile; see Provision with DigitalOcean.
Step 2: Profile
Section titled “Step 2: Profile”Provide the values required for remote work:
- Local profile name.
- Server IP address or hostname.
- Private key path on the machine running Servestead.
- Base domain and Let’s Encrypt email.
Connection users and Pangolin credentials live behind Connection and credential overrides. Leave them collapsed when the defaults are correct.
Step 3: GitOps
Section titled “Step 3: GitOps”Choose how Servestead should prepare the configuration repository:
- Create the profile’s local repository.
- Use an existing local checkout.
- Clone a GitHub HTTPS repository.
Private GitHub repositories require a PAT. The submitted value is stored in the owner-only local profile secrets and is not rendered back to the browser.
Step 4: Review
Section titled “Step 4: Review”Review and confirm is the execution boundary. Verify the full plan, run target, and repository action. At this point Servestead has not prepared the repository or opened an SSH connection.
After you select Run after review, Servestead performs local preflight and repository preparation first. Remote stages begin only after those checks succeed.
Step 5: Run
Section titled “Step 5: Run”The run view keeps status, progress, and live logs together.
- Cancel safely requests cancellation and preserves the run outcome.
- Recoverable credential or repository problems appear with inline guidance.
- Retry starts a new run from the saved profile state.
Completed stages are persisted. A later full run can skip work already marked complete.
Resume a Profile
Section titled “Resume a Profile”Return to Setup, choose the profile in Resume a saved profile, and select Resume. Review the loaded values before continuing. Deleting a local profile does not change the server or cloud resource.
Where Local State Lives
Section titled “Where Local State Lives”Servestead stores profiles below the operating system’s user configuration directory in a servestead subdirectory.
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
profile.json |
Server, domain, user, cloud, and repository metadata. |
state.json |
Completed stages and run state. |
secrets.json |
Owner-only generated credentials and profile tokens. |
logs/*.jsonl |
Structured events for run history and diagnostics. |
Use Profiles and diagnostics to inspect that state through the interface. Use the Terminal UI only when you need its keyboard workflow or guided provider catalog.