> ## 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.
# Onboarding Guide
> Walk through your first minutes with Cleve step-by-step
## Welcome to Cleve!
After creating your account, you'll go through a guided onboarding flow designed to get you productive in under 2 minutes. This guide walks you through what to expect.
## Onboarding Steps
### Step 1: Welcome & Introduction
**What you'll see:**
* Brief introduction to Cleve
* Overview of core features
* Option to skip onboarding (not recommended!)
**What to do:**
* Click **"Get Started"** to begin
* Optionally watch the intro video
Don't skip onboarding! It only takes 60 seconds and ensures you understand the basics.
### Step 2: Workspace Tour
**What you'll see:**
* Interactive overlay highlighting key areas:
* Writing Editor
* AI Chat panel
* Ideas panel
* Categories sidebar
* Search and navigation
**What to do:**
* Click **"Next"** to advance through each highlight
* Take note of where each feature is located
* The tour adapts to your screen size
### Step 3: Create Your First Writing
**What you'll see:**
* Empty writing editor with helpful prompts
* Formatting toolbar introduction
* Auto-save indicator explanation
**What to do:**
1. Type a heading (e.g., "My First Writing")
2. Add a few sentences of content
3. Watch auto-save work automatically
4. Click **"Next"** when ready
**AI guidance:**
Cleve's AI may offer suggestions like:
* *"Try adding a heading with # or using the toolbar"*
* *"Notice how your changes auto-save every 750ms"*
### Step 4: Capture an Idea
**What you'll see:**
* Ideas panel opens automatically
* Quick-create input is highlighted
**What to do:**
1. Click **"New Idea"** in the Ideas panel
2. Type a quick thought (e.g., "Things to build with Cleve")
3. Press Enter to save
4. Click **"Next"** to continue
**Why this matters:**
Ideas are perfect for quick captures before they become full writings.
### Step 5: Chat with AI
**What you'll see:**
* AI Chat panel opens
* Pre-filled example prompt
* Model selector introduction
**What to do:**
1. Read the example prompt (or write your own)
2. Press Enter to send
3. Watch the AI respond in real-time
4. Try enabling context sources (Writings, Ideas)
5. Click **"Next"** when ready
**Example prompts:**
```
"Summarize what I just wrote in my first writing"
"Help me expand on the idea I captured"
"Create a blog post outline about productivity"
```
### Step 6: Organize with Categories
**What you'll see:**
* Categories sidebar is highlighted
* Instructions for creating a category
**What to do:**
1. Right-click in the Categories sidebar
2. Select **"New Category"**
3. Name it (e.g., "Personal", "Work", "Projects")
4. Drag your first writing into the category
5. Click **"Next"** to continue
### Step 7: Quick Search Tutorial
**What you'll see:**
* Search overlay demonstration
* Keyboard shortcut reminder (`Cmd/Ctrl + /`)
**What to do:**
1. Press `Cmd/Ctrl + /` to open search
2. Type a keyword from your first writing
3. See it appear in results
4. Close search with `Escape`
5. Click **"Next"** to continue
### Step 8: Onboarding Complete!
**What you'll see:**
* Completion celebration ๐
* Quick reference card with key shortcuts
* Links to documentation and resources
**What to do:**
* Click **"Start Creating"** to begin using Cleve
* Bookmark the documentation for reference
* Optionally join the community or follow on social media
## Post-Onboarding
After completing onboarding, you'll land in your workspace with:
* โ
One sample writing created
* โ
One idea captured
* โ
One category set up
* โ
AI chat tested
* โ
Basic shortcuts learned
## Onboarding Recovery
If you accidentally close the browser during onboarding:
1. Log back in to Cleve
2. Onboarding resumes from where you left off
3. Your progress is saved automatically
**To restart onboarding:**
```
Settings โ Account โ Restart Onboarding
```
This clears progress and starts fresh (useful if you want to see it again).
## Skipping Onboarding
If you choose to skip:
* You land directly in an empty workspace
* Sample content is not created
* You can access the tutorial anytime from **Help โ Onboarding Tutorial**
Skipping onboarding means you'll need to learn features on your own. We recommend completing it even if you're familiar with similar tools.
## AI-Guided Help
Throughout onboarding, Cleve's AI provides contextual guidance:
* **Streaming text help**: Tips appear in real-time as you progress
* **Interactive hints**: Suggestions based on your actions
* **Error recovery**: If you get stuck, the AI offers solutions
This makes onboarding feel like a conversation, not a rigid checklist.
## Customizing Onboarding
For teams or enterprise users, onboarding can be customized:
* **Custom welcome message**
* **Company-specific examples**
* **Pre-configured categories and templates**
* **Branded UI elements**
Contact support for enterprise onboarding customization.
## Onboarding Metrics
We track (anonymously) how users progress through onboarding to improve the experience:
* **Completion rate**: Percentage of users who finish
* **Drop-off points**: Where users get stuck
* **Time to complete**: Average duration
This data helps us refine the flow. No personal data is collected.
## Common Onboarding Questions
### How long does onboarding take?
**60-90 seconds** if you follow the flow without exploring. Most users take 2-3 minutes if they experiment with features.
### Can I redo onboarding later?
Yes! **Settings โ Account โ Restart Onboarding**
### Will onboarding delete my data?
No. Onboarding creates sample content, but restarting onboarding only clears the tutorial stateโnot your actual writings and ideas.
### What if I skip a step?
The tutorial adapts. You can skip forward, but we recommend completing all steps for the best learning experience.
## Next Steps After Onboarding
Now that you've completed onboarding, here's what to do next:
Learn about auto-save, offline mode, and zen mode.
Explore context-aware prompts and model selection.
Customize panel layout and create saved presets.
Become a power user with keyboard-first navigation.
## Getting Help
If you need assistance during or after onboarding:
* **In-app help**: Click the **?** icon in the top navigation
* **Documentation**: Browse these docs for detailed guides
* **Community**: Join our Discord or Twitter community
* **Support**: Email \[email protected] for personalized help
Welcome to Cleveโlet's build something amazing together! ๐