SynthLabs Setup

SynthLabs Setup

Overview

Use this skill to locate a real SynthLabs checkout, start the documented local services, and prove the backend is healthy before doing anything else.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• the task depends on a local SynthLabs checkout being present and healthy,
• generation, review, or curation work cannot start until the backend answers /health,
• you need to decide whether to use npm, bun, or the repo's Docker Compose path,
• or the operator asks you to start, verify, or troubleshoot a local SynthLabs instance.

Do not use this skill when:

• the task is not about SynthLabs,
• a healthy SynthLabs instance is already known and the work should move directly into generation, curation, or UI operation,
• or the operator is asking for backend route usage or verifier work rather than local setup.

Key Requirements

• Verify backend health with GET /health before any session, generation, curation, or UI step.
• Never overwrite an existing .env.local.
• Never fabricate API keys, Firebase values, database credentials, or service-account paths.
• API keys may be required for provider-backed generation.
• Backend DB and Firebase settings are optional and depend on the workflow; leave them unset unless the operator or task explicitly needs backend persistence or cloud sync.

Find the Checkout

Look for a repository root that contains all of these anchors:

• package.json with "name": "synthlabs-reasoning-generator"
• server/index.js
• .env.example

If the checkout location is not already known, verify the candidate repo before running commands there.

If no local checkout exists yet, clone the public repository first: