diff --git a/server/server.go b/server/server.go
index 0c04348..670027b 100644
--- a/server/server.go
+++ b/server/server.go
@@ -8,15 +8,18 @@ import (
 	"path/filepath"
 	"sync"
 	"time"
+	"encoding/json"
 
 	"github.com/dgraph-io/badger/v4"
 	"github.com/robfig/cron/v3"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+	"github.com/google/uuid"
 
 	"kvs/auth"
 	"kvs/cluster"
 	"kvs/storage"
 	"kvs/types"
+	"kvs/utils"
 )
 
 // Server represents the KVS node
@@ -117,6 +120,100 @@ func NewServer(config *types.Config) (*Server, error) {
 	// Initialize authentication service
 	server.authService = auth.NewAuthService(db, logger)
 
+	// New: Initial root account setup for empty DB with no seeds
+	if len(config.SeedNodes) == 0 {
+		hasUsers, err := server.authService.HasUsers()
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to check for existing users: %v", err)
+		}
+		if !hasUsers {
+			server.logger.Info("Detected empty database with no seed nodes; creating initial root account")
+
+			now := time.Now().Unix()
+
+			// Create admin group
+			adminGroupUUID := uuid.NewString()
+			hashedGroupName := utils.HashGroupName("admin")
+			adminGroup := types.Group{
+				UUID:      adminGroupUUID,
+				NameHash:  hashedGroupName,
+				Members:   []string{},
+				CreatedAt: now,
+				UpdatedAt: now,
+			}
+			groupData, err := json.Marshal(adminGroup)
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to marshal admin group: %v", err)
+			}
+			err = db.Update(func(txn *badger.Txn) error {
+				return txn.Set([]byte(auth.GroupStorageKey(adminGroupUUID)), groupData)
+			})
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to store admin group: %v", err)
+			}
+
+			// Create root user
+			rootUUID := uuid.NewString()
+			hashedNickname := utils.HashUserNickname("root")
+			rootUser := types.User{
+				UUID:         rootUUID,
+				NicknameHash: hashedNickname,
+				Groups:       []string{adminGroupUUID},
+				CreatedAt:    now,
+				UpdatedAt:    now,
+			}
+			userData, err := json.Marshal(rootUser)
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to marshal root user: %v", err)
+			}
+			err = db.Update(func(txn *badger.Txn) error {
+				return txn.Set([]byte(auth.UserStorageKey(rootUUID)), userData)
+			})
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to store root user: %v", err)
+			}
+
+			// Update admin group to include root user (bidirectional)
+			adminGroup.Members = append(adminGroup.Members, rootUUID)
+			groupData, err = json.Marshal(adminGroup)
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to marshal updated admin group: %v", err)
+			}
+			err = db.Update(func(txn *badger.Txn) error {
+				return txn.Set([]byte(auth.GroupStorageKey(adminGroupUUID)), groupData)
+			})
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to update admin group: %v", err)
+			}
+
+			// Generate and store API token
+			scopes := []string{"admin", "read", "write", "create", "delete"}
+			expirationHours := 8760 // 1 year
+			tokenString, expiresAt, err := auth.GenerateJWT(rootUUID, scopes, expirationHours)
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to generate JWT: %v", err)
+			}
+			err = server.authService.StoreAPIToken(tokenString, rootUUID, scopes, expiresAt)
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to store API token: %v", err)
+			}
+
+			// Log the details securely (only once, to stderr)
+			fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, `
+***************************************************************************
+WARNING: Initial root user created for new server instance.
+Save this information securely—it will not be shown again.
+
+Root User UUID: %s
+API Token (Bearer): %s
+Expires At: %s (UTC)
+
+Use this token for authentication in API requests. Change or revoke it immediately via the API for security.
+***************************************************************************
+`, rootUUID, tokenString, time.Unix(expiresAt, 0).UTC())
+		}
+	}
+
 	// Initialize Merkle tree using cluster service
 	if err := server.syncService.InitializeMerkleTree(); err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to initialize Merkle tree: %v", err)