Get it running
Paste this into the AI that runs on your computer. It does the install, checks it works, and tells you what to type first. If anything fails, paste the error back to it.
Paste into Claude Code
Install documenso (https://github.com/documenso/documenso) on this computer and get it working for me. I am not a developer; explain each step in one line as you go and never skip one. You are Claude Code, running on my machine. 1. Check what this machine already has (git, Python or Node as the project needs, Docker if the README says so). Tell me anything missing and install it, asking me before anything that needs my password. 2. Clone https://github.com/documenso/documenso into ~/tools/documenso and follow the README's install exactly. 3. Configure it. If it needs an API key or a login, stop and ask me for it; never guess one and never store it anywhere except where the README says. Tool-specific notes: Set the required env vars before starting: POSTGRES_USER, POSTGRES_PASSWORD and POSTGRES_DB for the database; NEXTAUTH_SECRET, NEXT_PRIVATE_ENCRYPTION_KEY and NEXT_PRIVATE_ENCRYPTION_SECONDARY_KEY (each via openssl rand -base64 32); NEXT_PUBLIC_WEBAPP_URL and NEXT_PRIVATE_DATABASE_URL; and the NEXT_PRIVATE_SMTP_* variables for the mail account that will send signing links. Start it with docker compose --env-file .env up -d, wait for the database healthcheck to pass, then check status with docker compose ps and logs with docker compose logs -f documenso. It listens on port 3000. Mount your signing certificate at /opt/documenso/cert.p12 from outside the container, run sudo chown 1001:1001 /opt/documenso/cert.p12 and sudo chmod 400 /opt/documenso/cert.p12 so the container can read it, and set NEXT_PRIVATE_SIGNING_PASSPHRASE, never generate the certificate inside the container itself. Never run docker compose down -v; it deletes the database volume and every signed document with it. 4. Run the smallest test the README gives, and show me the output. 5. When it works, tell me what to type first, in one line, for this job: Send yourself a test document. If anything fails, show me the exact error and fix it before going on.
Paste into Kimi
Install documenso (https://github.com/documenso/documenso) on this computer and get it working for me. I am not a developer; explain each step in one line as you go and never skip one. You are Kimi, running on my machine. 1. Check what this machine already has (git, Python or Node as the project needs, Docker if the README says so). Tell me anything missing and install it, asking me before anything that needs my password. 2. Clone https://github.com/documenso/documenso into ~/tools/documenso and follow the README's install exactly. 3. Configure it. If it needs an API key or a login, stop and ask me for it; never guess one and never store it anywhere except where the README says. Tool-specific notes: Set the required env vars before starting: POSTGRES_USER, POSTGRES_PASSWORD and POSTGRES_DB for the database; NEXTAUTH_SECRET, NEXT_PRIVATE_ENCRYPTION_KEY and NEXT_PRIVATE_ENCRYPTION_SECONDARY_KEY (each via openssl rand -base64 32); NEXT_PUBLIC_WEBAPP_URL and NEXT_PRIVATE_DATABASE_URL; and the NEXT_PRIVATE_SMTP_* variables for the mail account that will send signing links. Start it with docker compose --env-file .env up -d, wait for the database healthcheck to pass, then check status with docker compose ps and logs with docker compose logs -f documenso. It listens on port 3000. Mount your signing certificate at /opt/documenso/cert.p12 from outside the container, run sudo chown 1001:1001 /opt/documenso/cert.p12 and sudo chmod 400 /opt/documenso/cert.p12 so the container can read it, and set NEXT_PRIVATE_SIGNING_PASSPHRASE, never generate the certificate inside the container itself. Never run docker compose down -v; it deletes the database volume and every signed document with it. 4. Run the smallest test the README gives, and show me the output. 5. When it works, tell me what to type first, in one line, for this job: Send yourself a test document. If anything fails, show me the exact error and fix it before going on.
Paste into Gemini CLI
Install documenso (https://github.com/documenso/documenso) on this computer and get it working for me. I am not a developer; explain each step in one line as you go and never skip one. You are Gemini CLI, running on my machine. 1. Check what this machine already has (git, Python or Node as the project needs, Docker if the README says so). Tell me anything missing and install it, asking me before anything that needs my password. 2. Clone https://github.com/documenso/documenso into ~/tools/documenso and follow the README's install exactly. 3. Configure it. If it needs an API key or a login, stop and ask me for it; never guess one and never store it anywhere except where the README says. Tool-specific notes: Set the required env vars before starting: POSTGRES_USER, POSTGRES_PASSWORD and POSTGRES_DB for the database; NEXTAUTH_SECRET, NEXT_PRIVATE_ENCRYPTION_KEY and NEXT_PRIVATE_ENCRYPTION_SECONDARY_KEY (each via openssl rand -base64 32); NEXT_PUBLIC_WEBAPP_URL and NEXT_PRIVATE_DATABASE_URL; and the NEXT_PRIVATE_SMTP_* variables for the mail account that will send signing links. Start it with docker compose --env-file .env up -d, wait for the database healthcheck to pass, then check status with docker compose ps and logs with docker compose logs -f documenso. It listens on port 3000. Mount your signing certificate at /opt/documenso/cert.p12 from outside the container, run sudo chown 1001:1001 /opt/documenso/cert.p12 and sudo chmod 400 /opt/documenso/cert.p12 so the container can read it, and set NEXT_PRIVATE_SIGNING_PASSPHRASE, never generate the certificate inside the container itself. Never run docker compose down -v; it deletes the database volume and every signed document with it. 4. Run the smallest test the README gives, and show me the output. 5. When it works, tell me what to type first, in one line, for this job: Send yourself a test document. If anything fails, show me the exact error and fix it before going on.
Paste into Codex
Install documenso (https://github.com/documenso/documenso) on this computer and get it working for me. I am not a developer; explain each step in one line as you go and never skip one. You are Codex, running on my machine. 1. Check what this machine already has (git, Python or Node as the project needs, Docker if the README says so). Tell me anything missing and install it, asking me before anything that needs my password. 2. Clone https://github.com/documenso/documenso into ~/tools/documenso and follow the README's install exactly. 3. Configure it. If it needs an API key or a login, stop and ask me for it; never guess one and never store it anywhere except where the README says. Tool-specific notes: Set the required env vars before starting: POSTGRES_USER, POSTGRES_PASSWORD and POSTGRES_DB for the database; NEXTAUTH_SECRET, NEXT_PRIVATE_ENCRYPTION_KEY and NEXT_PRIVATE_ENCRYPTION_SECONDARY_KEY (each via openssl rand -base64 32); NEXT_PUBLIC_WEBAPP_URL and NEXT_PRIVATE_DATABASE_URL; and the NEXT_PRIVATE_SMTP_* variables for the mail account that will send signing links. Start it with docker compose --env-file .env up -d, wait for the database healthcheck to pass, then check status with docker compose ps and logs with docker compose logs -f documenso. It listens on port 3000. Mount your signing certificate at /opt/documenso/cert.p12 from outside the container, run sudo chown 1001:1001 /opt/documenso/cert.p12 and sudo chmod 400 /opt/documenso/cert.p12 so the container can read it, and set NEXT_PRIVATE_SIGNING_PASSPHRASE, never generate the certificate inside the container itself. Never run docker compose down -v; it deletes the database volume and every signed document with it. 4. Run the smallest test the README gives, and show me the output. 5. When it works, tell me what to type first, in one line, for this job: Send yourself a test document. If anything fails, show me the exact error and fix it before going on.
What to point it at first
1
Send yourself a test document
Upload a one-page PDF, place a signature field, and send it to your own email so you can complete the whole signing flow before anyone real sees it.
2
Check the signed record
Open the completed document and confirm it shows a visible signature, a timestamp, and an audit trail you could hand to a lawyer if asked.
3
Send one real contract
Once the test round-trips clean, send one actual client contract through it and confirm the reminder and completion emails land in an inbox you check.
What it must never do unattended
- It drafts. It never sends.
- Never let it change a price or a term.
- Never generate or store the signing certificate inside the container, the docs require it mounted from outside, or a server rebuild can invalidate every signature already made.
- Never run docker compose down -v on a live instance, it deletes the signed-document database permanently.
Who made it
documenso/documenso on GitHub, under the AGPL-3.0 licence. 14,943 stars, checked 9 September 2026. Last change 9 September 2026. We did not write it; we checked it, and wrote this page so you can use it.
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