# Getting Started

Install Clay, build a first site in five minutes and learn which file does what.

Clay turns a folder of Markdown files into a documentation website. You write pages in `docs/`, describe the site in `clay.yaml`, and Clay builds static files you can publish anywhere. No templates, no theme to configure, no JavaScript to write.

| If you want to … | Read |
|------------------|------|
| Add Clay to a project, or try it without installing | [Installation](https://clay-doc.github.io/clay-example-repo/3.x/getting-started/installation.md) |
| Go from an empty folder to a finished site | [Quick Start](https://clay-doc.github.io/clay-example-repo/3.x/getting-started/quick-start.md) |
| Know what each file and folder of a project is for | [Project Structure](https://clay-doc.github.io/clay-example-repo/3.x/getting-started/project-structure.md) |

## What you need

- [Node.js](https://nodejs.org) and npm
- A folder of Markdown files, or the wish to write some
- A text editor; `clay dev` shows every change in the browser right away

> [!TIP]
> Already know Clay 2? Skip ahead to [upgrading to Clay 3](https://clay-doc.github.io/clay-example-repo/3.x/guides/upgrading-to-clay-3.md).

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All pages of these docs, as Markdown for language models: https://clay-doc.github.io/clay-example-repo/3.x/llms.txt