# Getting Started with The Nest

Welcome! This guide will walk you through your first steps on **The Nest**!

## Requesting Access to the Nest

Are you a new user looking to join The Nest? You're in the right place! Take a trip to [https://fledgling.mynest.love](https://fledgling.mynest.love) to request initial access.

In order to join The Nest you'll need:

- A username you're happy with. You can't change this later without a lot of hassle!
- A working email. I don't care if this is an alias, but it will need to work for initial account setup, account recovery, and service notifications (if you enroll in them).

Once you've requested access, an admin will review your request and approve or deny you.

## Signing In with a Passkey

The Nest uses **passwordless authentication** powered by [Keycloak](https://keycloak.org/) and WebAuthn passkeys. This means:

1. You will never log in with a password (after initial setup).
2. You need a **passkey-capable password manager or device** — [Vaultwarden](communication-and-security/vaultwarden.md) (you will be given access to Vaultwarden upon account approval), a smartphone, tablet, or computer with a fingerprint reader, face scanner, or security key (e.g., YubiKey).
3. You will use the same passkey for all services in The Nest.

### First-Time Setup

Once approved, you will receive two emails:
1. An invite to join Vaultwarden.
2. An email with instructions on first-time setup that pointed you here. Hi!

If you would like to make use of Vaultwarden, accept the Vaultwarden invite, otherwise feel free to ignore it.

Once you have a passkey-capable password manager or device:

1. Visit [sso.mynest.love](https://sso.mynest.love) and click **Sign In**.
2. Enter the account name and temporary password you were provided.
  - **Note:** this will be the only time you are allowed to sign in using a traditional password.
3. Follow the instructions to set up a passkey for your account

## Your Default Account

When you join The Nest, you are granted access to the following services by default:

- [**Matrix**](communication-and-security/matrix.md) — Chat and voice/video calls
- [**Vaultwarden**](communication-and-security/vaultwarden.md) — Password manager (Bitwarden-compatible)
- [**Forgejo**](productivity-and-creation/forgejo.md) — Git hosting for code collaboration
- [**This Documentation Site**](https://mynest.love) — You're reading it right now
- [**Foundry VTT**](productivity-and-creation/foundry-vtt.md) - A virtual tabletop for RPGs

All other services require an admin to grant you access. See [Requesting Service Access](access-requests.md) for details.

## Exploring Services

Once your account is set up, browse the user-facing guides to learn about each service. Most will use **"Sign in with The Nest"** as their authentication method — no separate credentials needed.

*You may also see verbiage like "Sign in with OIDC", "Sign in with Keycloak", or "Sign in with SSO". These are all the same.*

## What If Something Goes Wrong?

- **Can't sign in?** Try a different passkey-capable device or contact an admin via Matrix.
- **Service won't load?** Some services auto-update daily around 03:00 EST. Wait a few minutes and try again.
- **Need help with a specific service?** Ask in the Matrix admin room.

>[!TIP]
>There is an "Admin" space in matrix with an "Ask an Admin" room.

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*Ready to dive in? Pick a service from the sidebar and start exploring.*