First-Time Setup
Complete walkthrough from installation to your first successful file search
Quick Start Option
Want to skip the manual steps? Just run filefortress setup and follow the interactive prompts. It handles everything automatically!
Step 1: Install & Verify
Download and install FileFortress CLI
Download and install FileFortress CLI for your operating system, then verify the installation.
filefortress --version
Expected Output
You should see a version number like "FileFortress CLI v1.0.0" confirming successful installation.
Step 2: Initialize Device
Register your device with FileFortress
Register your device using device authorization (you'll be shown a URL + short code to enter in your browser).
filefortress setup
Follow the interactive prompts to sign in and complete device setup.
Tip: headless/SSH environments
If you don't want the CLI to auto-open your browser, run filefortress setup --no-browser. You can then use the printed URL and code from any device.
Step 3: Add Cloud Storage
Connect your first cloud storage account
filefortress remotes add
Choose your provider and follow the authentication flow:
Google Drive
OneDrive
Amazon S3
Backblaze B2
Local
Secure Secret Handling
Interactive mode (what you're using now) automatically masks secrets like AWS keys and passwords as you type them - they won't appear on screen or in your command history.
For automation and scripts, use environment variables or secret files instead of command-line arguments to keep your secrets safe. Learn more in our Security Best Practices guide.
Step 4: Scan Files
Build the initial file index
filefortress remotes scan --all
Patience Required
This may take a few minutes depending on how many files you have. The progress will be displayed in your terminal.
Step 5: First Search
Verify everything is working
Try your first search to verify everything is working!
filefortress search "document"
You should see a list of files matching your search term.
Setup Complete!
You're now ready to use FileFortress. Check out our Quick Recipes for common tasks or explore the Command Reference.