Getting Started with Vaulken

Vaulken gives your AI assistant a secure file vault. Your AI can read, write, search, and organize files stored in S3-compatible storage, all through the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

This guide walks you through creating an account, setting up your first vault, and connecting an AI tool.

Create your account

1. Go to vaulken.dev/auth/signup
2. Sign up with Google or email
3. Choose a workspace name

Your account is free and includes one vault with 50 MB of managed storage.

Create your first vault

From the dashboard, click New vault. You have two storage options:

Managed storage (recommended to get started)

Vaulken provisions and manages an S3 bucket for you. No configuration needed.

1. Select Managed
2. Enter a vault name (e.g., "My notes", "Project docs")
3. Optionally choose Obsidian as the vault type if you plan to sync an Obsidian vault
4. Click Create vault

You'll see S3 credentials (endpoint, region, bucket, access key, secret key). Save the secret key immediately: it will not be displayed again. You can view the other credentials anytime from the vault detail page.

Bring Your Own Bucket (BYOB)

If you already have an S3-compatible bucket (AWS, Scaleway, MinIO, Cloudflare R2):

1. Select BYOB
2. Enter your S3 connection details: endpoint, region, bucket, access key, secret key
3. Click Create vault

BYOB vaults have no storage limit and are free on all plans.

Get your MCP URLs

Go to your vault's detail page. You'll find two MCP URLs:

• Read-Write: your AI can read, write, search, and modify files
• Read-Only: your AI can only read and search

Each URL is a unique endpoint for this vault. Copy the one that matches the level of access you want to grant.

Tip: start with the read-only URL to explore safely. Switch to read-write when you're ready for your AI to create or edit files.

Connect your AI tool

Paste the MCP URL into your AI tool. Vaulken uses OAuth 2.0: on first connection, you'll authorize access in your browser.

The quickest way to test: open claude.ai, go to Settings > Integrations > Add integration, and paste your MCP URL.

For detailed setup instructions per client, see our dedicated guides:

• Connect Claude (ai, Desktop, Code)
• Connect Obsidian via S3

Try it out

Once connected, try asking your AI:

• "List all files in my vault"
• "Search for notes containing 'meeting'"
• "Read the file README.md"
• "Create a new file called hello.md with a welcome message" (read-write only)

What's included in the free plan

Next steps

• Sync Obsidian: connect your Obsidian vault via S3 with our Obsidian guide
• Connect Claude: see our dedicated Claude setup guide
• Explore features: try semantic search, PDF reading, and frontmatter management from your AI tool