---
title: "Self-serve signup"
space: "BenchPress Documentation"
url: "https://docs.benchpress.cloud/docs/operator/hosted-signup"
updated: "2026-08-29"
---

# Self-serve signup

*Optional and off by default — retire the waitlist and let people sign themselves up, with GitHub and Google as the primary paths and the abuse controls that make a free grant safe.*

**Optional, and off by default.** This applies to a **hosted** BenchPress,
which means `enable_credits` is on. With credits off none of it runs, and the
login page is Frappe's unmodified one.

**Who this is for.** Somebody running a public BenchPress who wants to stop
approving people by hand.

**Before you start.** Read
[Credits and billing](/docs/operator/credits-and-billing) first. Self-serve
signup hands out the credit grant, so it is meaningless without the metering
half switched on.

## The one switch

`Credit Settings → Self-serve Signup → Waitlist Open`.

![The Credit Settings document in Frappe Desk, Self-serve Signup section.](/files/docs-images/operator/hosted-signup/01-waitlist-switch.png)

*The Credit Settings document in Frappe Desk, Self-serve Signup section. The Waitlist Open checkbox is ticked, and its help text says that while it is on the landing page shows the waitlist form and self-serve signup is refused. The Blocked Email Domains text area beside it is empty, and its help says OAuth signups are not checked.*

On this host `waitlist_open` is **on**, which is how it ships, and
`blocked_email_domains` is empty.

| Waitlist Open | Landing page action | `waitlist.join` | `signup.sign_up` |
|---|---|---|---|
| On (default) | **Start free** opens the waitlist form | accepts | refuses |
| Off | **Start free** opens `/login#signup` | refuses | accepts |

Saving this field also writes `Website Settings → Disable Signup` to match.
That one Frappe field gates all three signup methods — the email form, and
through `provider_allows_signup` both OAuth providers. Turning the waitlist
off with Disable Signup still on would put a **Start free** button in front of
a page Frappe refuses to render, so the second switch follows the first.

The `Waitlist Entry` doctype and every row in it are kept. Flipping the switch
deletes nothing.

## Steps

1. **Set up at least one OAuth provider.** GitHub and Google are the paths to
   prefer. For each:

   1. Register an OAuth app with the provider. The callback URL is
      `https://<your-domain>/api/method/frappe.integrations.oauth2_logins.login_via_github`,
      or `…login_via_google` for Google.
   2. In Desk, open **Social Login Key → New**, pick the provider under
      *Social Login Provider*, and paste the client id and secret.
   3. Tick **Enable Social Login** and **Allow Sign-up**. Without the second,
      an existing user can sign in but a new one cannot be created.
   4. Save. The buttons appear on `/login` on the next request.

   GitHub is the primary button on purpose. An aged GitHub account is evidence
   that the person is real in a way a fresh email address is not, and that is
   what makes a free grant safe to hand out without a card.

2. **Set up email, if you want it.** There is nothing to configure beyond an
   outgoing **Email Account** — the verification mail is what proves the
   address. A site with no Email Account creates the user and then has no way
   to let them in.

3. **Set the abuse controls.** See [Abuse controls](#abuse-controls).

4. **Turn the waitlist off.** Set `waitlist_open` to `0`.

5. **Tell the people already on the waitlist.** Run this once as an admin:

   ```bash
   bench --site <site> execute benchpress.waitlist.notify_of_signup
   ```

   It emails every entry that has not been told, stamps `Invite Sent On` on
   the row, and mails nobody twice. Approved entries get the login page and
   everybody else gets signup. Re-running it is safe if a batch stops half
   way.

## Verify

```bash
curl -s -o /dev/null -w '%{http_code}\n' https://<your-domain>/login
```

Then open `/login` in a browser. With the waitlist off you should see the
signup form and any provider buttons you configured. Register a throwaway
account and confirm it lands with the `BenchPress User` role and a
`Credit Account` holding the grant.

## When the grant is posted

Never on the appearance of a `User` row. A row proves somebody typed an
address, not that they hold it, and free credits are what a throwaway-address
farm is after.

| Path | Granted at | Why there |
|---|---|---|
| OAuth (GitHub, Google) | insert | `frappe.utils.oauth` writes the provider row before it saves the user, so the row is itself proof the flow completed |
| Email | first login | `sign_up` sets a password the user never sees, so the only route to a session is the verification link |

Either way it happens **exactly once, ever**. `Credit Account` is named after
the email address, so a second arrival by any route finds the account already
open. A re-signup after an account was deleted does not re-grant. That needs
an operator's adjustment, on purpose. See
[Credits and billing](/docs/operator/credits-and-billing).

## Abuse controls

| Control | Where | Ships as |
|---|---|---|
| Signups per hour, per IP and address | `benchpress.signup.SIGNUPS_PER_HOUR` | 3 |
| Signups per hour, site-wide | `System Settings → Max Signups Allowed Per Hour` | 300 |
| Disposable-domain blocklist | `Credit Settings → Blocked Email Domains` | empty |
| Concurrent instances before a first purchase | `Credit Settings → Max Concurrent (Free)` | 2 |

**Blocked Email Domains** takes one domain per line. A leading `@` and any
casing are both accepted. It is checked on the email path only — an OAuth
signup has already been vouched for by the provider, which is the other reason
to prefer those buttons.

## Turning it back off

Set **Waitlist Open** back on. Signup refuses, Disable Signup goes back on,
and the landing page shows the waitlist form again. Accounts already created
keep their role, their balance and their instances.

## Troubleshooting

| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| **Start free** opens a page that refuses to render | `Disable Signup` and `Waitlist Open` disagree | Save `Waitlist Open` again. It writes the Frappe field to match |
| A provider button does not appear | **Enable Social Login** is off | Tick it, then reload `/login` |
| An existing user can sign in but a new one cannot | **Allow Sign-up** is off on the Social Login Key | Tick it |
| Email signup creates the user and nothing arrives | No outgoing Email Account | Configure one. The verification mail is the only way in |
| A new account has no credits | The grant only posts once per address, ever | Check for an existing `Credit Account` with that name |
| A user signed up and cannot deploy | They are at `max_concurrent_free` | See [Admission and limits](/docs/operator/admission-and-limits) |
| Signups stop at three from one address | `SIGNUPS_PER_HOUR` | Expected. Wait an hour |

## Reference

| Item | Value on this host |
|---|---|
| `waitlist_open` | `1` |
| `blocked_email_domains` | empty |
| `signup_grant_credits` | 40 |
| `SIGNUPS_PER_HOUR` | 3 |
| Retirement mailer | `benchpress.waitlist.notify_of_signup` |
| Roles granted | `BenchPress User` |

## Related

- [Credits and billing](/docs/operator/credits-and-billing) — the switch this page assumes is on.
- [Admission and limits](/docs/operator/admission-and-limits) — what a new free account may actually do.
- [Users and roles](/docs/operator/users-and-roles) — the role every signup lands with.