---
title: Setup progress checklist
description: The Setup progress card on the admin Overview shows the ten steps to a working shop and lets an AI assistant do the next one for you with Do it for me.
url: https://nexcmp.com/docs/configure-with-ai/setup-checklist/
applies_to: NexCMP 1.6.1
updated: 2026-11-02
---

# Setup progress checklist

> **Where in the admin:** Overview › Dashboard (`/`), the **Setup progress** card at the top. Empty lists on Plans, Customers, Zones, Payments and Infrastructure show the same help.

## What it does

A new installation needs ten things before the first customer can order and pay. The **Setup progress** card checks them for you from the real configuration, shows how many are done, names the **next step** and links to the page where you do it. If you have an AI source connected, **Do it for me** opens the [AI assistant](https://nexcmp.com/docs/configure-with-ai/ai-chat-in-admin/) with a ready question for that step. The assistant (and any AI client over [MCP](https://nexcmp.com/docs/configure-with-ai/mcp-admin/)) can read the same list with the `setup_checklist` tool.

## The ten steps

| # | Step | It counts as done when | Where you do it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | License active | The license is activated for your domain | System › Admin › License & updates (`/license`). See [License and purchase](https://nexcmp.com/docs/getting-started/license-and-purchase/). |
| 2 | Connect an infrastructure source | CloudStack is connected, or at least one Proxmox VE cluster is added | Infrastructure › Cloud provider › Providers (`/infra/providers`). See [CloudStack](https://nexcmp.com/docs/infrastructure/cloudstack/) and [Proxmox VE](https://nexcmp.com/docs/infrastructure/proxmox/). |
| 3 | Create a zone | At least one zone exists | Infrastructure › Datacenter › Zone (`/infra/zones`). See [Zones](https://nexcmp.com/docs/infrastructure/zones/). |
| 4 | OS templates | At least one template is enabled | Services › Virtual Machines › Plans & pricing, tab Templates (`/vm/catalog?tab=templates`). See [OS templates](https://nexcmp.com/docs/infrastructure/templates/). |
| 5 | Create plans | At least one plan is enabled | Services › Virtual Machines › Plans & pricing (`/vm/catalog`). See [Plans and pricing](https://nexcmp.com/docs/catalog/plans/). |
| 6 | Set up payments | Stripe, PayPal, crypto or bank transfer is configured | Finance › Payment channels (`/payments`). See [Payment channels](https://nexcmp.com/docs/billing/payment-channels/). |
| 7 | Email (SMTP) | Outgoing email is configured | System › Settings › Email (`/settings/email`). See [SMTP and e-mail templates](https://nexcmp.com/docs/administration/smtp-and-emails/). |
| 8 | Branding | A logo is uploaded, or the brand name is changed from the default | System › Settings › Brand (`/settings/branding`). See [Branding](https://nexcmp.com/docs/customers/branding/). |
| 9 | Terms & privacy | At least one legal text is filled in | System › Settings › Legal (`/settings/legal`). See [Legal pages](https://nexcmp.com/docs/customers/legal/). |
| 10 | Place a test order | At least one order exists | Place an order as a customer in the customer portal to check that everything works end to end; the card links to the Billing page (`/billing`). |

The card shows `done/total` (for example 6/10), a progress bar, the next step with **Open** and, when an AI source is connected, **Do it for me**. Click a step to jump to its page. Next to a step a small link opens the matching documentation page; some steps also show a detail such as "2 zone(s)".

![Setup progress card on the Overview with three of ten steps done and the Open and Do it for me buttons](https://nexcmp.com/docs/images/configure-with-ai/setup-checklist-01-card.webp)

## Use it

1. Open the Overview. The card sits at the top. Use the arrow to collapse it; the panel remembers your choice in your browser.
2. Click **Open** to go to the page for the next step, or click **Do it for me**.
3. With **Do it for me** the assistant opens with a request such as "Suggest a starter plan table from my offerings with a 40% margin, show me the preview before creating it." Answer its questions, then review and **Confirm** each card. See [AI Chat in the admin](https://nexcmp.com/docs/configure-with-ai/ai-chat-in-admin/).
4. When all ten steps are done the card disappears.

### Empty lists

When Plans, Customers, Zones, Payments or Infrastructure is empty, the page shows a **Next step** block with an explanation, a button for the action, **Do it for me** and a link to the documentation, so you never meet a blank table.

![Empty Plans page with a next-step explanation and the Do it for me button](https://nexcmp.com/docs/images/configure-with-ai/setup-checklist-02-empty.webp)

## Ask for it in your own words

You do not need the card. In AI Chat or any connected AI client you can ask:

```text
Check my setup progress and take me through the open steps, one at a time.
```

This is also the MCP prompt `initial-setup`. The assistant calls `setup_checklist`, explains why each open step matters, asks for the information it needs and uses the matching tool. Scopes needed: `admin:read` to read the list, plus the scope of the step you want done. See [Example prompts](https://nexcmp.com/docs/configure-with-ai/example-prompts/).

## Verify

1. After you finish a step the card's count goes up the next time the Overview loads.
2. In the assistant, `setup_checklist` returns the same numbers, with `done: true` on the finished step.

## Limits & notes

- The checks look at what is saved, not whether it works. A configured gateway counts as done even if its test fails. Use the **Test** buttons on each page, and the `system_health` tool for problems.
- The card is for administrators only.
- **Do it for me** needs an AI source connected under System › Settings › AI accounts; without one only **Open** is shown.
- The ten steps are the same for every installation; a step you do not plan to use (for example payments on a private cloud) still counts as open.

## Troubleshooting

| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The card is missing | All ten steps are done, or the card could not be loaded | Reload the Overview. Ask `setup_checklist` in AI Chat to see the state. |
| A step stays open after you did it | The save did not complete, or the condition is not yet met (for example a template exists but is disabled) | Open the step's page and check the table above. |
| Branding stays open after changing the logo | Branding counts when a logo exists or the brand name differs from the default "NexCMP" | Upload a logo or set your own name. |
| **Do it for me** does nothing | No AI source connected, or the demo panel | Connect a source in AI accounts. |