documentation
04 admin

Admin overview

The admin section is for the people running an Exolvra instance — installing it, managing users, handling approvals, and keeping it healthy. The dashboard consolidates admin into six hubs; this page explains each one and walks through the six-minute admin checklist for a fresh install.

Who this section is for

If you’re the person responsible for a deployed Exolvra instance — setting it up, inviting users, configuring providers, granting access, reviewing audit logs, handling approval requests — this is your section. It’s written for admins, not end-users.

Dashboard end-users who chat with agents, run projects, and use the tools can skip straight to Concepts and Dashboard.

The six admin hubs

The dashboard used to have a dozen flat admin pages. It’s consolidated into six hubs, each grouping related pages under one jumping-off point. This docs section mirrors the new structure:

HubWhat it holdsRead first
Dashboard (/admin)Spend, usage, entitlements, and needs-attention calloutsLoad the dashboard weekly to spot anomalies
People & accessUsers, Teams, Access Rules, Service Accounts, LicenseWhen a new user needs an account
Review queuesApprovals, Skill Approvals, Learning ReviewDaily if you have rules enforced
ObservabilityActivity Timeline, Audit Log, AnalyticsWhen something looks off or before a compliance review
Agent rulesGlobal behavior rules layered on every agent’s promptWhen setting instance-wide policy
Dev toolsTest Runner, Tool Playground, DebugWhen troubleshooting or before a demo

Two pages sit outside the hub structure because they’re cross-cutting:

Settings — the other half of the operator surface — has its own section. See Settings overview.

Admin vs. settings

  • Admin is identity and governance — who can use the instance, what they can do, what’s waiting for review.
  • Settings is behavior and cost — how the instance runs, how much it spends, which models it uses.

Both are admin-only. They’re split because the read frequency is different: admins hit admin pages weekly (approvals, audit, dashboard); they hit settings pages rarely (usually only when tuning).

The six-minute admin checklist

If you just stood up a new Exolvra instance, here’s what to do first:

  1. Log in with the bootstrap credentials printed to the console on first run, and immediately change the admin password from Profile → Security.
  2. Configure at least one LLM provider from Settings → Providers. Paste your API key and save — agents need a provider to run.
  3. Set a daily budget from Settings → Budget so a mistake can’t burn through your billing.
  4. Review security defaults from Admin → Security and Settings → Security. If you’re hosting Exolvra for multiple people who don’t fully trust each other, turn on cloud mode and skill signing.
  5. Create your second user from Admin → People → Users and pick the right role for them.
  6. Test an agent in the dashboard by opening Chat and sending a message. Verify tool calls stream and cost lands in the Budget dashboard.

Once those six steps work, you’re live.

Operational rhythm

After the initial setup, a typical admin week looks like:

  • Daily (or when a notification fires) — clear Review queues. Handle approvals first (agents paused), then skills, then learnings.
  • Weekly — glance at the Admin dashboard. Check spend is in the expected envelope. Skim the digest email if you’ve configured one.
  • Monthly — review Analytics for trends. Rotate provider keys. Export the audit log for compliance archives.
  • As needed — edit Global agent rules, reorder team membership under People, troubleshoot via Dev tools.

A well-configured instance takes <15 minutes a week. A misconfigured one takes hours.

Built-in agents

A fresh install seeds 16 specialist agents plus 4 chatbot templates. You don’t need to create anything on day one — the default roster covers most use cases, and you can clone, customize, or delete as you discover what your workspace actually needs. See Agents & chatbots for the full roster and how to pick between specialists.