[cmcnally]

Why

First-time setup crossed between guides and made hosting requirements easy to discover too late. Readers need a clear path for local prototyping, team hosting, or joining an existing setup, without repeating completed work.

What changes

Add a local prototyping walkthrough and make the hosted walkthrough self-contained. State hosting and network requirements early, explain plugin and canvas setup, and give readers precise continuation points for work they have already completed. Keep the repository setup guide explicitly focused on instructions for Copilot.

Update the README and documentation index to explain the three starting paths. Add the AI product framing, product demo, and collapsible music credits while preserving the README's privacy, support, and license sections.

Public playback of the uploaded demo remains unverified: anonymous requests to its attachment URL returned 404.

[Copilot]

🟡 Changes recommended

Documented onboarding paths can still leave users blocked before setup or first publication completes.

3 open issues

• Sync prototype branch before publishing · New
• Document starter skills integration for adapted apps · New
• Allow container HTTPS access to GitHub OAuth · New

What changed in this PR

Clarifies Replica onboarding by separating local prototyping, shared hosting, and joining an existing team environment.

Changes:

• Adds a local walkthrough covering repository setup, canvas activation, team guidance, and a first prototype.
• Expands hosted setup with early infrastructure checks and continuation points that reuse completed work.
• Updates README framing, demo content, and navigation while keeping repository setup instructions focused on Copilot.

File	Description
README.md	Updates product framing, demo content, and the three onboarding paths.
hub/​docs/​deployment.md	Adds outbound network requirements for deployment and Hub.
docs/​README.md	Distinguishes user walkthroughs from the supporting agent guide.
docs/​prototype-repository-setup.md	Clarifies Copilot’s repository setup, approvals, and session handoff.
docs/​prototype-environment.md	Expands shared hosting setup from readiness checks through team feedback.
docs/​local-prototyping.md	Adds the local-first prototyping walkthrough and sharing continuations.
docs/​getting-started.md	Focuses onboarding on joining an existing team environment.

_{Review effort: Max}

[yaili]

Thank you, @cmcnally.

Generally it feels easier to follow, but I think we need a review focused on the following:

• Introduce formatting that makes sense for the text (e.g. I made a direct edit in the first section where it made sense to have list items)
• Separate more clearly what is a step and what is commentary.
• Break up long paragraphs that should be lists or some other format.