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Overview

This guide will help you deploy Tesslate Studio on your own infrastructure. Whether it’s your local machine, a cloud server, or an on-premises datacenter, you’ll have complete control over your AI development environment.
Looking for the cloud version? Check out studio.tesslate.com for our hosted offering.

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Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

Docker Desktop

Windows/Mac: Download Docker DesktopLinux: curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh

System Requirements

  • 8GB RAM minimum (16GB recommended)
  • 10GB disk space
  • Windows, Mac, or Linux

API Key

At least one AI provider:
  • OpenAI (GPT-5, GPT-4)
  • Anthropic (Claude)
  • Or use Ollama (free local models)

Git

Download from git-scm.com

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Installation Steps

1

Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/TesslateAI/Studio.git
cd Studio
2

Create Environment Configuration

cp .env.example .env
3

Generate Secure Keys

Generate your secret keys using Python:
# Generate SECRET_KEY
python -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_urlsafe(32))"

# Generate LITELLM_MASTER_KEY
python -c "import secrets; print('sk-' + secrets.token_urlsafe(32))"
Copy these keys for the next step.
4

Configure API Keys

Edit the .env file and add your credentials:
# Required: Application secret key
SECRET_KEY=your-generated-secret-key

# Required: LiteLLM master key
LITELLM_MASTER_KEY=sk-your-litellm-master-key

# Required: At least one AI provider API key
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-your-openai-key
# OR
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-your-anthropic-key
If you prefer free local models:
  1. Install Ollama from ollama.ai
  2. Pull a model: ollama pull llama2
  3. Set in .env:
LITELLM_DEFAULT_MODELS=ollama/llama2
5

Start Tesslate Studio

docker compose up -d
This command will:
  • Pull required Docker images
  • Start all services (orchestrator, frontend, database, proxy)
  • Automatically seed the database with agents and templates
Wait about 30-60 seconds for all services to start.
6

Access the Application

Open your browser and navigate to:
http://studio.localhost
Can’t access studio.localhost?See Troubleshooting below.
7

Create Your Account

  1. Click “Sign Up” on the login page
  2. Enter your email and password
  3. The first user is automatically granted admin privileges
8

Create Your First Project

  1. Click “New Project”
  2. Choose a starter template:
    • Next.js 15 - Full-stack React with App Router
    • Vite + React + FastAPI - React frontend with Python backend
    • Vite + React + Go - React frontend with Go backend
  3. Give your project a name
  4. Click “Create”
Congratulations! Your self-hosted Tesslate Studio is now running.

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Quick Test

Let’s verify everything is working:
1

Start Building

In the chat interface, type:
Create a simple todo app with add, delete, and mark complete functionality
2

Watch the AI Generate

The AI will generate React components and you’ll see your app appear in the live preview within seconds.
3

Make Changes

Try modifying the app:
Add a dark mode toggle button
Changes appear instantly in the preview!

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Troubleshooting

Problem: studio.localhost doesn’t resolve or shows “connection refused”.Solutions:
  1. Check Docker is running:
    • Open Docker Desktop
    • Verify it says “Docker is running”
  2. Verify containers are running: 
    docker compose ps
    All services should show “Up” status.
  3. Check logs for errors: 
    docker compose logs orchestrator
docker compose logs app
  4. Try localhost with port: Some systems need explicit port: 
    http://localhost:80
  5. Restart everything: 
    docker compose down
docker compose up -d
Problem: Error says port 80 is already in use.Solution:
  1. Find what’s using port 80: 
    # Windows:
netstat -ano | findstr :80

# Mac/Linux:
lsof -i :80
  2. Stop the conflicting service or change Tesslate’s port: Edit docker-compose.yml: 
    services:
  traefik:
    ports:
      - "8000:80"  # Change to port 8000
    Then access at: http://studio.localhost:8000
Problem: Errors about database connection failures.Solution:
# Stop everything
docker compose down

# Remove old database volume
docker volume rm tesslate-studio_postgres_data

# Start fresh
docker compose up -d
This will delete all existing data!
Problem: “Invalid API key” or “API key not found” errors.Solution:
  1. Verify your key is correct in .env
  2. Make sure there are no extra spaces or quotes
  3. Test the key with your provider’s website
  4. Restart the orchestrator: 
    docker compose restart orchestrator
Problem: Projects fail to start or show “development server error”.Solution:
  1. Check Docker disk space: 
    docker system df
  2. Clean up unused containers/images: 
    docker system prune -a
  3. Check orchestrator logs: 
    docker compose logs orchestrator | grep -i error

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What’s Included

After installation, you’ll have:

10 AI Agents

Pre-installed agents for different tasks:
  • Stream Builder
  • Full Stack Agent
  • Code Analyzer
  • Test Generator
  • API Designer
  • And 5 more!

3 Project Templates

Production-ready starter templates:
  • Next.js 15 (App Router)
  • Vite + React + FastAPI
  • Vite + React + Go

Live Preview

Real-time preview with hot module replacement

Monaco Editor

VSCode-like code editor in the browser

GitHub Integration

Import, edit, and commit to GitHub repos

Architecture Diagrams

Auto-generated architecture visualizations

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Development Mode

For active development with hot reload:

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Stopping Tesslate Studio

docker compose down

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Next Steps

Configuration Guide

Customize your installation with environment variables

Deployment Guide

Deploy to production with custom domains and SSL

Security Best Practices

Harden your installation for production use

API Documentation

Explore the REST API

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Getting Help

GitHub Discussions

Ask questions and share ideas

GitHub Issues

Report bugs and request features

Email Support

Direct support (response within 24h)

Documentation

Browse the full documentation