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Cove

Your first hour with Cove

Start with files on disk and finish with a small, useful collection you can find again.

Choose where to begin

This path is for anyone using Cove; no development tools or extension knowledge are required. If Cove is not running yet, complete the installation and shared first-run setup before continuing. If you imported or restored an established library, begin with Explore your library.

Cove navigation showing the library areas available after setup

Connect one representative folder

Open Settings, then Library, then Paths & Storage. Add a folder that contains a small but representative sample of your media. Cove reads files in place; it does not move them.

Paths and Storage settings with a library path and media-type exclusions

Scan, then generate browsing assets

  1. Open Settings, then Operations, then Scan & Generate.
  2. Run Scan to discover files and create library records.
  3. Run Generate to create the previews, thumbnails, and sprites used while browsing.
  4. Let both jobs continue in the background while you inspect the first results.
Scan and Generate controls in Cove settings

Complete the first-hour path

  1. Scan your first library and verify the records Cove creates.
  2. Explore the home page, media navigation, cards, and detail pages.
  3. Find an item again with global search and list-page filters.
  4. Organize a small collection with useful metadata and a static group.