Auto-KJ — Venue Kiosk Guide & FAQ

The kiosk is the singer app in tablet mode: an attract screen by the stage or the bar where walk-ups pick a song and get a place in line without a phone, an account, or any typing beyond their name. This guide is for hosts and venue staff. Singers get the short version from the ? button on the tablet itself.

1. Setting up a kiosk tablet

Open the kiosk URL in the tablet's browser: https://singer.auto-kj.com/?kiosk=1 (or https://kiosk.auto-kj.com, which redirects there). On a show running on venue Wi-Fi only, use the host laptop's local address instead: http://<laptop-ip>:8080/?kiosk=1.
Enter the show code on the TABLET KIOSK connect screen (the 3–8 letter code from the host's Settings → Active Venue / Gig or the crowd screen) and tap Initialize Kiosk.
Install it (recommended): use the browser's Add to Home Screen / Install app. The kiosk ships its own manifest, so the shortcut opens fullscreen, landscape, straight into ?kiosk=1. The show code is remembered, so the kiosk reconnects on launch.
Lock the tablet down with the operating system, not the app: iPad Guided Access or Android Screen pinning / a kiosk launcher. The kiosk has no PIN of its own; anyone can leave it by closing the browser.
Turn off auto-lock/sleep and leave it plugged in.

The kiosk connects to the show as a singer named Kiosk, so it receives the same rotation and library updates as a phone.

2. What walk-ups see

Screen	What's on it
Attract	🎤 WANNA SING? with two paths: 📱 SCAN (a QR that opens the singer app on their own phone, plus or join with code CAZZ) and 👆 TAP HERE → START to request on the tablet. Under it, a live strip: NOW SINGING and UP NEXT (next four).
🎵 Song	Search by title or artist. Rows show + Request or Taken (already requested or performed tonight). Load more results pages through. A mini QR and Exit Search sit in the sidebar.
🎙 Mics	How many singers? 1 Person to 4 People.
✍ Names	Singer #1…#N stage names. The first name is the lead. Submit Request.
🎉 Done	You're #N in line! as soon as the host confirms. If the host rejects it: Request not taken with the reason. Returns to the attract screen after 6 seconds.

A progress rail (🎵 Song → 🎙 Mics → ✍ Names → 🎉 Done) shows where they are. Every screen has a ? button that opens a one-card explainer of the steps and the fair-play rules.

Automatic reset: after 60 seconds with no touches the kiosk clears the search and names and returns to the attract screen. Nothing is stored between walk-ups.

Requests closed: when the host turns off Accept Requests Online, the headline is replaced by 🚫 NOT TAKING REQUESTS AT THIS TIME and anyone mid-flow is returned to the attract screen. Turning requests back on restores it live.

3. How kiosk requests reach the host

Each submission arrives in the host's Inbox exactly like a phone request, tagged with the names typed. Approve, reject, reassign, or let Auto-Approve handle it.
Duets and groups typed on the kiosk are booked with the full lineup (2–4 mics). Each named singer who is on the singer app gets the accept/decline pop-up; walk-ups without phones are simply seated.
Same person, different spelling: the host's Similar-Name banner (“Are Dave and David the same singer?”) and right-click → Merge with… fix double entries in one click. Encourage singers to use one name all night.
No account, no history: kiosk singers are anonymous. If they later sign in on their own phone under the same name, the app offers to Claim the seat and the host approves it.
The kiosk never shows blocked songs, and it respects the host's repeat-song rule (Taken).

4. FAQ

Does the kiosk need internet? For a cloud show, yes (same as phones). For a show running on the host's LAN fallback, no: point the tablet at the laptop's http://<ip>:8080/?kiosk=1 on the venue Wi-Fi. The kiosk switches modes only by the URL you give it.

Can singers sign in, favorite, or see badges on the kiosk? No. The kiosk is deliberately anonymous: no login, no favorites, history, friends, bands, applause, or push alerts. The SCAN card sends anyone who wants those to the singer app on their own phone.

Can a walk-up cancel or change a request from the kiosk? No. The kiosk forgets everything after the confirmation screen. Cancellations and lineup changes are done by the host, or by the singer from their own phone if they joined there.

Is there a printout or a staff PIN? No printing, no PIN. Lock the device with the OS (Guided Access / Screen pinning).

Does the kiosk count as a singer in the rotation? No. It connects as Kiosk but never requests for itself; the names typed into it are the singers who get seats.

Two kiosks at one venue? Fine. Any number of tablets can connect with the same show code.

Which plans include the kiosk? Any paid Auto-KJ plan (the kiosk is the singer app). Free version has no singer app access at all.

5. Troubleshooting

Symptom	Cause / fix
Connection failed on the connect screen	Wrong or expired show code, or no network. Check the code on the host's crowd screen; on LAN shows confirm the tablet is on the venue Wi-Fi and the URL uses the laptop's IP.
Kiosk drops back to Connect to Show with a message	The host ended the show (the reason is shown). Tap Initialize Kiosk when the next show starts; the code is remembered.
🚫 NOT TAKING REQUESTS AT THIS TIME	The host turned requests off in the Inbox tab.
Search finds nothing	Library still syncing right after the host started the show; wait a few seconds. Try artist only.
Every song shows Taken	The host's repeat rule is once per night and the room has been busy. The host can change it under Settings → Fairness Rules.
Request not taken	The host rejected it, or the song is a duplicate. The reason is printed on the screen.
The tablet keeps sleeping or leaving the app	Set the OS to never sleep and use Guided Access / Screen pinning.
QR on the attract screen doesn't open the singer app	The QR encodes `<kiosk origin>/?show=<code>`. On a LAN-only show that origin is the laptop's IP, so phones must be on the venue Wi-Fi.

Auto-KJ Kiosk Guide • Documentation Revision 2026-09 • singer.auto-kj.com/?kiosk=1