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Configuration

Initial Setup (Onboarding)​

When you first open the Ambrosia Desktop App, you will be greeted by the onboarding wizard. This process will guide you through creating your first store and administrator account.

Step 1: Choose Your Business Type​

The first screen asks What type of business do you have? Store is already selected, so click Next. Restaurant and Freelancer are marked as coming soon.

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Moving from another Ambrosia installation? Click Restoring from a previous backup? on this screen to restore a backup file exported from it instead of starting from scratch (see Backup and Restore).

Step 2: Create Your Admin Account​

This account has full access to all features and settings. Keep these credentials safe: you need them to manage your store. Later you can add a user for each person on your team: see Users and Roles.

User Name

Admin

Password and Confirm Password

It protects access to the wallet and must be at least 8 characters long and include uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters.

Ambrosia2026!

PIN

The 4 digits you use to log in to the app.

0000

Step 3: Enter Your Store Details​

These details appear on receipts, reports and throughout the system.

Store name

Lightning Electronics

Currency and Timezone are also required, but they come pre-filled: USD and the timezone detected on your device. Change them if they don't match your store.

Optional fields:

  • Address
  • Phone
  • Email
  • Tax ID
  • Store logo (PNG, JPG or GIF, up to 5 MB)

Step 4: Choose the Lightning Backend​

Keep phoenixd selected and leave Remote phoenixd node turned off. This tutorial uses the phoenixd node that comes with your installation.

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Ambrosia can also receive payments through Nostr Wallet Connect (any NWC-compatible wallet, such as Alby Hub) or a Remote phoenixd node running elsewhere. The rest of this tutorial assumes phoenixd. See Lightning Settings for the other backends.

Step 5: Add Extra Security (Optional)​

Checking Encrypt phoenixd password, NWC connection, and notification key with a password protects those secrets with an Unlock password. Write it down somewhere safe: it can't be recovered, and you may need to enter it again when the app restarts. While it's locked, the app asks you to unlock it in Settings → Bitcoin & Wallet → Secrets encryption (see Lightning Settings).

You can leave it unchecked and turn it on later from Settings.

Step 6: Review and Finish​

Check the Summary of your setup, use Edit to fix any section, and click Finish. A success message appears, then the page reloads and shows the login screen.

First Login​

  1. Under Employee Selection, choose your user.
  2. Enter your 4-digit PIN.
  3. Click Log In.

Back Up Your Recovery Phrase​

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Do this before depositing any funds. Your recovery phrase (seed) is the only way to recover your funds if your device is lost, reset or damaged. Write it down, store it offline somewhere safe and never share it with anyone.

  1. Go to Settings → Bitcoin & Wallet.
  2. In the Lightning SEED card, click View SEED.
  3. Enter your Wallet password and click Confirm.
  4. Write the words on paper, in order. Don't save them in digital format.

You can replay the app's guided tour about the seed from Settings → Help: click Replay next to SEED Phrase.

Open a Channel / Get Inbound Liquidity​

Your node opens its first Lightning channel, with ACINQ, when it receives its first payment. The Desktop App comes with auto-liquidity turned off, so a payment of 5000 sats is enough to open it.

  1. Go to Wallet, enter your wallet password in Confirm Wallet Access and click Access.

  2. In the Receive tab, make sure Sats is selected and enter the amount:

    5000

  3. Add a description (optional), for example:

    Channel open

  4. Click Create Lightning Invoice.

  5. Scan the invoice with your Lightning wallet and pay it. You should see a confirmation on the screen.

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Make sure you create the invoice for 5000 sats to open the channel, otherwise the payment could fail.

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These sats cover the mining fee to open a channel with ACINQ. They are not refundable.

You can replay the app's guided tour of these steps from Settings → Help: click Replay next to Lightning Channel. To send funds out of the POS and review your payments, see Wallet.

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Need more inbound liquidity later? In Settings → Bitcoin & Wallet → Lightning Network, click Manage Auto Liquidity, confirm your wallet password and turn on Auto Liquidity. Your node will then open channels automatically when it needs inbound liquidity, and on-chain fees apply each time.