Common Tasks

Onboarding

A short guided wizard runs the first time you sign in. Most steps are optional — you can skip them and come back from Settings.

The Onboarding Process

When you first sign up, a wizard walks you through five short steps:

  1. Welcome — what to expect
  2. AI Provider (required) — Anthropic, OpenAI, or Gemini
  3. GitHub (optional) — version-controlled manuscript backups
  4. Other integrations (optional) — image generation, email marketing, social platforms
  5. Notifications (optional) — browser push for long-running jobs

Tip

Setup typically takes 5 minutes. You can skip any optional step and finish later from Settings → Integrations.

Step 1: Account creation

Sign up at storytelleros.com:

  1. Enter your email address
  2. Check your email for a magic link
  3. Click the link to verify and sign in

Note

StorytellerOS uses passwordless authentication. You receive a fresh login link via email each time you sign in — no password to remember.

Step 2: AI provider key (required)

StorytellerOS uses your own API key from one of the supported AI providers. We never resell tokens — you bring your key, you control the cost, and you can switch providers any time.

Pick one:

  • Anthropic (Claude) — recommended for long-context work like story bible extraction. Get a key.
  • OpenAI (GPT) — broadly compatible. Get a key.
  • Google Gemini — strong free tier. Get a key.

Paste the key into the wizard and click Save. Keys are encrypted at rest.

Tip

You only need one provider to get started. You can add additional providers later and the app will automatically route to the best available model for each task.

Step 3: GitHub (optional)

StorytellerOS stores your manuscripts in our hosted backend by default — you don't need GitHub to use the app. If you connect GitHub, we also push every chapter as you write so your work is fully version controlled in a repo you own.

If you connect GitHub, we automatically create:

  • pen-names/<pen>/<series>/<title>/ — manuscript trees
  • images/cover-images/ — book covers
  • images/social-images/ — social media graphics

Note

If folder creation hits a permission issue during setup, onboarding continues with a warning and the folders will be created the first time you use them.

Step 4: Other integrations (optional)

Image generation (Freepik)

  • For AI cover and social-image generation
  • BYOK — bring your Freepik API key

Email marketing (FluentCRM)

  • Connect your existing FluentCRM install for email campaigns + subscribers
  • Requires a WordPress site with FluentCRM installed

Direct sales (Direct2Readers)

  • Track direct sales
  • Requires a Direct2Readers account

Social platforms

  • Schedule posts to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, Reddit, Bluesky, Threads
  • Connected via OAuth — no token copy/paste required

All optional

You can use StorytellerOS productively without any of these. Add them when you actually need them.

Step 5: Finish

Once you click Complete:

  • You land on the main dashboard
  • A short product tour highlights each Studio
  • You can immediately create your first pen name and title

Restarting onboarding

If you want to revisit any step:

  1. Open Settings → Account
  2. Scroll to Advanced
  3. Click Restart Onboarding

Your data is preserved

Restarting onboarding never deletes your data — it only re-opens the wizard so you can update connections.

Skipping steps

Every step except the AI provider can be skipped:

  • Click Skip for now
  • Add anything you skipped later from Settings

If you signed up before April 2026

Early-access users were on a different backend (Airtable + GitHub). We've migrated everyone to the new hosted backend. If you're a legacy user and your wizard still asks for an Airtable Personal Access Token, that means your account hasn't been flipped yet — contact support and we'll handle the migration.

Getting help during setup

  • Each step has a Why we ask tooltip
  • This documentation covers each integration in depth
  • If you're stuck, use the Contact Support link in your dashboard

After onboarding

  1. Create your first pen name — go to Pen Names and add the name you write under
  2. Add your first title — under that pen name, in any series or as a standalone
  3. Upload a manuscript — .docx file; we split into chapters automatically
  4. Generate your story bible — characters, locations, events, lore from the manuscript