[PR #1003] Add beginner-friendly first-time setup guide #990

New Issue

2026-02-15T18:16:53-05:00

yindo commented

2026-02-15 18:16:53 -05:00

📋 Pull Request Information

Original PR: https://github.com/open-webui/docs/pull/1003
Author: @MargusG
Created: 1/14/2026
Status: 🔄 Open

Base: main ← Head: main

📝 Commits (3)

fdbf46a Add beginner guide for first-time setup of Open WebUI
d3f522b Add first-time setup guide for Open WebUI
927e2a0 Delete docs/getting-started/getting-started/first-time-setup.md

📊 Changes

1 file changed (+172 additions, -0 deletions)

View changed files

➕ docs/getting-started/first-time-setup.md (+172 -0)

📄 Description

What this PR does

Adds a beginner-first “First Time Setup” guide focused on reducing confusion and early drop-off during initial use of Open WebUI.

The guide is written for non-technical users and:

avoids jargon where possible
defines clear success checkpoints
explains common points of confusion without blaming the user
includes a simple, verifiable document test flow
documents real first-run UI friction (upload delay, silent indexing)

Why this is needed

New users often struggle to reach first success due to:

not knowing whether the system is working
uncertainty around model selection
silent or slow document ingestion
difficulty finding Knowledge-related UI actions

This guide is designed to shorten “time-to-first-success” and reduce early abandonment.

Scope

Documentation only
No behavioral or UI changes
Beginner-focused, not a replacement for advanced docs

Target audience

First-time users
Non-technical users
Self-hosted users evaluating Open WebUI for the first time

Feedback welcome — especially on wording, structure, and placement.

_{🔄 This issue represents a GitHub Pull Request. It cannot be merged through Gitea due to API limitations.}

## 📋 Pull Request Information **Original PR:** https://github.com/open-webui/docs/pull/1003 **Author:** [@MargusG](https://github.com/MargusG) **Created:** 1/14/2026 **Status:** 🔄 Open **Base:** `main` ← **Head:** `main` --- ### 📝 Commits (3) - [`fdbf46a`](https://github.com/open-webui/docs/commit/fdbf46abb80f825f29968889535e9f18d626c211) Add beginner guide for first-time setup of Open WebUI - [`d3f522b`](https://github.com/open-webui/docs/commit/d3f522bc65bce9b4cab5fa4c81412c6bd70fdb8b) Add first-time setup guide for Open WebUI - [`927e2a0`](https://github.com/open-webui/docs/commit/927e2a08f3d0c7f4ec93a20ce42555f329d35fc2) Delete docs/getting-started/getting-started/first-time-setup.md ### 📊 Changes **1 file changed** (+172 additions, -0 deletions) <details> <summary>View changed files</summary> ➕ `docs/getting-started/first-time-setup.md` (+172 -0) </details> ### 📄 Description ### What this PR does Adds a beginner-first “First Time Setup” guide focused on reducing confusion and early drop-off during initial use of Open WebUI. The guide is written for non-technical users and: - avoids jargon where possible - defines clear success checkpoints - explains common points of confusion without blaming the user - includes a simple, verifiable document test flow - documents real first-run UI friction (upload delay, silent indexing) ### Why this is needed New users often struggle to reach first success due to: - not knowing whether the system is working - uncertainty around model selection - silent or slow document ingestion - difficulty finding Knowledge-related UI actions This guide is designed to shorten “time-to-first-success” and reduce early abandonment. ### Scope - Documentation only - No behavioral or UI changes - Beginner-focused, not a replacement for advanced docs ### Target audience - First-time users - Non-technical users - Self-hosted users evaluating Open WebUI for the first time Feedback welcome — especially on wording, structure, and placement. --- <sub>🔄 This issue represents a GitHub Pull Request. It cannot be merged through Gitea due to API limitations.</sub>

yindo added the pull-request label 2026-02-15 18:16:53 -05:00

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Reference: open-webui/docs#990