> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.cleve.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Getting Started

> Set up Cleve and start writing in under 2 minutes

## Create Your Account

Getting started with Cleve is simple and takes less than 2 minutes.

### 1. Sign Up

Head over to [app.cleve.ai](https://app.cleve.ai) and create your account. You can:

* **Sign up with Google** for instant one-click setup
* **Use email and password** for traditional authentication
* **Sign up with GitHub** if you prefer developer-friendly auth

All authentication is powered by [Clerk](https://clerk.com), ensuring enterprise-grade security.

### 2. Complete Onboarding

After signing up, you'll be guided through a quick onboarding flow that introduces you to:

* The **workspace layout** with resizable panels
* Your first **writing** creation
* The **AI chat** assistant
* **Ideas** for quick capture
* **Categories** for organization

<Tip>
  Don't skip onboarding! It only takes 60 seconds and ensures you understand the core features.
</Tip>

## Understanding the Workspace

Cleve's workspace is built with flexibility in mind using a dockable panel system.

### Main Areas

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Writing Editor" icon="pen">
    The main canvas where you create and edit long-form content with rich text formatting.
  </Card>

  <Card title="AI Chat" icon="message">
    Your context-aware assistant that can reference your writings and help you create content.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Ideas Panel" icon="lightbulb">
    Quick-capture space for thoughts that aren't yet full writings.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Categories Sidebar" icon="folder-tree">
    Hierarchical organization system for grouping writings and collaborating with others.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Panel Management

* **Resize panels** by dragging the borders between them
* **Rearrange panels** by dragging panel headers
* **Toggle panel visibility** using the view menu
* **Enter zen mode** (`Cmd/Ctrl + \`) to hide everything except your writing

Your layout preferences are saved automatically to browser storage and persist across sessions.

## Your First Actions

### Create Your First Writing

1. Click the **"New Writing"** button in the sidebar (or press `Cmd/Ctrl + N`)
2. Start typing in the editor—the first heading you create becomes the document title
3. Use the formatting toolbar or keyboard shortcuts:
   * `Cmd/Ctrl + B` for **bold**
   * `Cmd/Ctrl + I` for *italic*
   * `Cmd/Ctrl + K` to insert a link
4. Your work auto-saves every 750ms—no save button needed!

### Capture Your First Idea

1. Open the **Ideas panel** from the sidebar
2. Click **"New Idea"**
3. Type a quick thought or snippet
4. Press Enter to save

Ideas are perfect for:

* Quick thoughts you want to remember
* Quotes from articles or books
* Unformed concepts that need more thinking
* Voice notes transcribed to text

### Chat with the AI

1. Open the **AI Chat panel**
2. Select your preferred AI model (GPT-4, Claude, Gemini, etc.)
3. Type a prompt like:
   * *"Help me brainstorm ideas for a blog post about productivity"*
   * *"Summarize my writing titled 'Project Ideas'"*
   * *"Create a LinkedIn post based on my latest writing"*
4. Watch the response stream in real-time
5. Generated content appears in the **Artifacts panel** for easy copying

<Note>
  Free plan users get limited AI messages per month. Upgrade to Starter or Pro for more usage. [See pricing](/pricing/overview).
</Note>

## Organize with Categories

Categories work like folders but with collaboration superpowers.

### Creating Categories

1. Right-click in the **Categories sidebar**
2. Select **"New Category"**
3. Name your category (e.g., "Blog Posts", "Research Notes", "Project Ideas")
4. Drag writings into categories to organize them

### Nested Categories

Create hierarchies for deeper organization:

```
📁 Work
  📁 Client Projects
    📁 Acme Corp
  📁 Internal Documents
📁 Personal
  📁 Journal
  📁 Reading Notes
```

### Sharing Categories

1. Right-click a category
2. Select **"Share"**
3. Enter collaborator email addresses
4. Choose permission level:
   * **Read**: View only, cannot edit
   * **Write**: Full editing access

Collaborators will see shared categories in their sidebar with an avatar indicator.

## Keyboard-First Workflow

Cleve is designed for keyboard power users. Here are essential shortcuts to get started:

| Action          | Shortcut       |
| --------------- | -------------- |
| New writing     | `Cmd/Ctrl + N` |
| Search          | `Cmd/Ctrl + /` |
| Toggle zen mode | `Cmd/Ctrl + \` |
| Save writing    | `Cmd/Ctrl + S` |
| Bold text       | `Cmd/Ctrl + B` |
| Italic text     | `Cmd/Ctrl + I` |
| Insert link     | `Cmd/Ctrl + K` |

See the complete [keyboard shortcuts reference](/reference/keyboard-shortcuts) for the full list.

## What's Next?

Now that you've set up your workspace, dive deeper into specific features:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Master the Writing Editor" icon="pen-fancy" href="/features/writing">
    Learn about auto-save, offline mode, document linking, and zen mode.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Unlock AI Chat Power" icon="sparkles" href="/features/ai-chat">
    Discover context-aware prompts, model selection, and tools integration.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Search Like a Pro" icon="magnifying-glass" href="/features/search">
    Use full-text and semantic search to find anything instantly.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Collaborate with Teams" icon="users" href="/features/collaboration">
    Share categories, manage permissions, and work together.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Need Help?

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Troubleshooting" icon="wrench" href="/reference/troubleshooting">
    Common issues and how to fix them.
  </Card>

  <Card title="FAQ" icon="circle-question" href="/reference/faq">
    Frequently asked questions about Cleve.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>