Capell quickstart

This guide gets a fresh Laravel app running with Capell demo content. Use it when you want to see the admin, pages, media, and frontend flow before wiring Capell into a real project.

For existing Laravel apps, use the install guide.

Before you start

Tool	Version
PHP	8.3+
Laravel	11.44.2+, 12.x, or 13.x
Filament	4.7+ or 5.2+
Node.js	20+
Composer	2.7+
Database	MySQL 8+, MariaDB 10.3+, SQLite, or your configured Laravel database

Required PHP extensions: fileinfo, intl, mbstring, openssl, curl, simplexml, and either gd or imagick.

1. Create the Laravel app

composer create-project laravel/laravel music-store
cd music-store
cp .env.example .env
php artisan key:generate

Set your database values in .env. For a fast local trial, SQLite is fine:

touch database/database.sqlite

Then set:

DB_CONNECTION=sqlite
QUEUE_CONNECTION=sync
APP_URL=http://localhost:8000

2. Install Capell

If your project uses private Capell repositories, add them to composer.json first. Otherwise install the umbrella package:

composer require capell-app/capell -W
php artisan filament:install --panels
php artisan capell:install --demo --url=http://localhost:8000

During the installer, expect prompts for:

Prompt	Good local answer
Site URL	http://localhost:8000
Admin user	Pick an existing user or let the installer create one
Clear caches	Yes
Generate sitemap	Yes for the demo
Generate static site	Yes for the demo

3. Start the app

php -S 127.0.0.1:8000 -t public public/index.php

Open:

• Admin: http://localhost:8000/admin
• Frontend: http://localhost:8000

You should see the Capell admin dashboard after login:

4. Check the first page

In the admin, open Pages. Demo installs should show a page tree.

Open a page, change a small piece of text, then click Save. Use the preview action from the Pages list to confirm the draft renders. When you are happy with it, click Publish.

If QUEUE_CONNECTION=sync, the static HTML is generated during the request. If you use database or redis, keep a worker running:

php artisan queue:work

If the page does not change after publishing, start with the admin Clear Cache action or the cache commands in Create your first page. Then use Troubleshooting for the shortest stale-page fix, or Debugging public output when the rendered frontend HTML, cache headers, or package output look wrong.

5. Add one useful package

For the full editor experience, add ContentSections:

composer require capell-app/content-sections
php artisan capell:content-sections-install
php artisan capell:content-sections-demo

ContentSections adds reusable content and widget-based layout building to the admin.

First-run fixes

Symptom	Run this	Read next
php artisan says permission denied	chmod +x artisan && chmod -R u+rwX storage bootstrap/cache	Troubleshooting
You log in but pages do not update	php artisan queue:work	Published pages never generate
The frontend shows old content	php artisan capell:html-cache:clear; if capell-app/html-cache is installed, also run php artisan capell:static-site	Published pages still show old content
Package classes are missing	composer dump-autoload && php artisan optimize:clear	Debugging package discovery
Tailwind misses Capell admin styles	Add the @source lines from theme compilation	Tailwind vendor CSS

Find the right follow-up guide

Use these links when the quickstart works, but the next symptom needs more context:

When you see this	Go here
A published page is stale or missing	Operations troubleshooting
Cache is bypassing or unsafe	Debugging public output
You need to clear or warm HTML cache	Frontend guide
A queue-backed job is not completing	Site Health and published pages never generate
Package output is missing from a page	Extension troubleshooting
You need the command owner	Capell CLI command index

Next

• Install guide for a real app.
• Capell Learn for the shortest concept path.
• How Capell works for the model and extension points.
• Music store CMS example for a realistic content model.
• Admin for page editing and admin extension points.
• Operations for cache, queue, deploy, and first-run fixes.