Quickstart

This guide covers the fastest path from zero to a live public form.

Prerequisites

Node.js 18+
A Motivation Form account — sign up
An API key from your account settings

1. Install the CLI

npm install -g motivation-form

Verify the install:

mf --version

2. Authenticate

mf auth login

Paste your API key when prompted. It is saved to ~/.motivation-form/config.json.

3. Create a form file

Create contact.md in any directory:

---
title: Contact Us
slug: contact
notifications:
  email:
    - you@example.com
  subject: "New contact from {field:name}"
humanness: true
fields:
  - id: name
    type: text
    label: Your name
    required: true
    placeholder: Jane Smith
  - id: email
    type: email
    label: Email address
    required: true
    placeholder: jane@example.com
  - id: message
    type: textarea
    label: Message
    required: true
    placeholder: What would you like to say?
---

We read every message and reply within 48 hours.

4. Deploy

mf deploy contact.md

Output:

✓ Form validated
✓ Deployed → https://app.form.gold/contact

Send https://app.form.gold/contact to respondents. Submissions arrive in your inbox and are stored in your dashboard.

Next steps

Add more field types — radio, file upload, date, and more
Customize branding with your logo and brand color
Set up MCP integration so an agent can create and manage forms for you