Skip to main content
Primo has two starting points. Pick the one that matches how you work:

Start local

Run primo new to create a workspace on your machine. Build the site locally, then deploy when ready.

Start deployed

Deploy Primo to Railway or a VPS first, then pull it down to your laptop with primo pull for local edits.
Both paths land at the same place: a workspace on disk that you can edit with code, AI agents, or the visual CMS.

​
Path 1: Build locally, deploy later

Best for: starting from scratch, prototyping, or experimenting before committing to a host.
1

Install the CLI

npm install -g primo-cli
Requires Node.js 18+.
2

Create a site

primo new my-site
This scaffolds a workspace and starts the local CMS at http://my-site.localhost:3000.
Open http://my-site.localhost:3000/admin to use the visual editor. Edits round-trip to your files in real time.
3

Edit blocks and pages

Open the workspace in your editor:
my-site/
├── server.yaml
├── library/
└── sites/my-site/
    ├── site.yaml
    ├── blocks/
    ├── pages/
    ├── page-types/
    └── site/
Edit blocks/<name>/component.svelte in your editor — the CMS reflects changes immediately. See Local Development for the full workflow including --author modes.
4

Let AI agents help

For Claude Code, Cursor, or other agents, install the MCP server so they can validate edits and scaffold blocks correctly:
npm install -g primo-mcp
claude mcp add --transport stdio primo -- primo-mcp
See the MCP server reference for details.
5

Deploy when ready

primo deploy
Interactive picker for Railway or Fly.io. See Deploy with the CLI for other options.

​
What’s Next

Core Concepts

Sites, page types, pages, blocks, fields

Build from Scratch

Walk through building a complete site end-to-end

Local Development

primo dev, author modes, uploads folder

Invite Collaborators

Hand the site off to non-technical editors