Docs · set-up and reference
Skald docs: set it up, then check it
The Skald docs start with one question: where does your site run? Pick the answer, follow one page, and let the Test say it works. The full reference is on GitHub.
Skald docs are the set-up guides and the reference for Skald, the analytics that reads your server's access log. Each set-up page here walks one road. The reference on GitHub holds every detail: hosting, log intake, the counting rules and the data contract.
30-day free trial · no card · we set it up within one working day · free to self-host
- 10:40:12 Waiting for the first lines...waiting
- 10:41:00 Refused: the token is not for this site.fix shown
- 10:42:05 Connected: 1,240 lines received today, the last at 10:42.it works
- 10:42:06 Done: example.com is receiving visits.open its dashboard
Sample answers. Every set-up road ends with this Test, in plain words.
[01] where your site runs
Which Skald set-up guide fits your site
Skald reads every request your site answered. How those requests reach it depends on where the site runs. Pick yours: each answer is one page. The why behind it is server log analytics.
pick where it runs
One command on your web server
The best source. Run one line on the server, with or without Docker. It finds the site's access log by itself and sends new lines to your Skald. Skald makes the sending token for you.
curl -fsSL https://<your Skald>/traffic-kit/<code> | sudo bash
The Skald Worker sees cached pages too
A page Cloudflare serves from its cache never reaches your server's log. The Skald Worker posts one small record of each request to Skald after the response has gone out. It works on any Cloudflare plan, the free one included.
The platform posts its own request logs
Vercel has no log file for you to read, but it can post its request logs to Skald: a log drain. Drains need Vercel Pro or Enterprise. On Vercel Hobby, use the script tag.
The script tag, when there is no log
Shopify, Webflow, Squarespace and other site builders give you no log. One line in every page's head still counts people, their clicks, forms and bookings. It never sees AI crawlers or bots: they do not run scripts.
Mail the set-up pack, or hand it to Claude Code
One zip holds every case step by step, the installer, the script tag and the lead files. A person reads START-HERE.md. An AI coding agent reads CLAUDE.md: say Set up Skald from CLAUDE.md.
[02] the reference
Skald's technical docs on GitHub
The set-up pages here are short on purpose. Every detail, every setting and every counting rule is written down in the public repository, with its sources.
Hosting
Where Skald runs (Docker, Railway, Render, Fly.io, Coolify, Kubernetes) and how each host sends its requests.
Installing
Docker, Docker Compose, the install script with checksums, and every setting the container reads.
Log intake
The one-command installer, the shipper, log formats, log drains, and why no line is lost or counted twice.
The script tag
What the tag sends, what it never sends, visitor IDs, consent, and the first-party set-up.
Counting rules
The five groups, the order of the rules, and what a log cannot know. The data contract for every figure.
Upgrades and help
One-command upgrades with a backup and rollback, and the plain-word guides that open in the dashboard.
[03] check it
Check a set-up with skald-ship-check and the doctor
Two commands say what works and what to fix, one line per part, in plain words. Neither changes anything.
On the web server that sends its log, skald-ship-check checks the log, the send address, the token file and the shipper. On the server Skald runs on, doctor checks the daily run, the days stored, the hooks, the tag, mail and disk.
What the docs cannot do for you
- Without a server or CDN log (Shopify, Webflow, Squarespace, the script tag alone), Skald sees no AI crawlers and no bots at all.
- The one command is for Linux servers. A site on Microsoft IIS gets the script tag.
- Skald itself cannot run on Vercel, Netlify or Cloudflare Workers: it needs one machine that stays up, with a disk.
No card. We set up hosted Skald within one working day, or self-host it free.
$ sudo skald-ship-check ✓ OK the access log is growing (written in the last 10 minutes) ✓ OK the send address answers (401 without a token is expected) ✓ OK skald-ship is running (0 restarts) ✓ OK lines are leaving: the shipper sent some in the last 10 minutes All OK.
$ docker exec skald skald doctor
Sample output. The doctor exits 1 when anything needs attention, so a script can watch it.
in this section
Set-up guides, one page each
keep reading
More on Skald docs
questions
Skald docs FAQ
Straight answers, including what Skald does not do.
Where do I start setting up Skald?
Start with where your site runs. On your own Linux server with nginx or Apache, run the one command Skald gives you. Behind Cloudflare, use the Skald Worker. On Vercel Pro or Enterprise, use a log drain. Anywhere else, the script tag. Add a site to Skald walks you through the choice.
Do I need my own server to use Skald?
No. Hosted Skald runs on app.skaldanalytics.com, and we set it up within one working day. Your site still needs a way to send its requests: a server log, the Cloudflare Worker, a Vercel log drain or the script tag. Self-host Skald if you would rather run it yourself.
Can someone else do the set-up for me?
Yes. Send the set-up pack by mail to your developer, or give it to Claude Code and say Set up Skald from CLAUDE.md. A private Share with your developer link holds one task's steps and needs no sign-in. Set up Skald with Claude Code.
How do I know the set-up works?
Every set-up ends with a Test. It says what reached Skald, for example Connected: 1,240 lines received today, or why a batch was refused and the fix. On the web server, sudo skald-ship-check checks each part and changes nothing.
Where are the full technical docs?
On GitHub, in the public repository: HOSTING.md for every platform, INGEST.md for log intake, CLASSIFICATION.md for how each request is sorted, DATA-CONTRACT.md for every figure, and the in-app help guides under docs/help.
$ tail -f access.log | skald
See what AI does with your site. Free for 30 days.
No card. We set up hosted Skald for you within one working day, or you self-host it free. Every line of your log, sorted and added up.