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

# Quickstart

> From zero to a working agent in about 10 minutes.

This guide takes you from signing up to watching your first agent act on a real integration — in about 10 minutes.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create your account">
    Go to [app.atako.ai](https://app.atako.ai) and sign up with email (a one-time code) or Google.

    <Tip>
      New companies can start a 14-day free trial with no credit card — up to 3 active agents and 1,500 credits included. Trial activation requires phone verification and is available once per company.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create your first agent">
    From the dashboard, click **Create an agent** and fill in the form:

    | Field                   | What to put                                                                              |
    | ----------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
    | **Agent name**          | Something descriptive, e.g. "Marketing assistant"                                        |
    | **Image**               | Pick from the built-in set, or click it to shuffle to another one                        |
    | **Instructions**        | Optional — the agent's role, tone, and how it should behave                              |
    | **My business context** | Optional — your business, tools, and working style, so the agent needs less hand-holding |
    | **AI Models**           | Pick a model from the curated list, or leave the recommended default                     |

    For companies where Atako has enabled model selection, an advanced **execution engine** option is also available at creation time — this choice is permanent and can't be changed later, so leave it on the default unless you have a specific reason to change it.

    Click **Create agent**. It briefly shows as **provisioning** while its environment is set up, then switches to **active** — usually within moments.

    <Note>
      Creating an agent requires either being a company admin or having the **Allow creating agents** permission granted by one. See [Creating and managing agents](/guides/creating-agents).
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send your first message">
    Open the agent's page and type a message in the chat. The agent replies in real time — no page refresh needed. This conversation is private to you; if a colleague also messages the same agent, they get their own separate thread, while the agent's memory and files stay shared across the team.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Connect an integration and grant access">
    Go to **Settings → Integrations** and connect a tool your agent needs (GitHub, Slack, Notion, Gmail, and more). Then, from the agent's page, open the **Security** panel and click **Manage** to choose exactly which actions — read and/or write — this agent can use on that connection.

    See [Integrations overview](/integrations/overview) and [Permissions](/integrations/permissions) for the full picture.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Activate a channel">
    Chat isn't the only way to reach your agent. Turn on email, webhooks, or a recurring cron schedule so it can work without you being in the room. See [Channels overview](/channels/overview).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Follow what it's doing">
    Open the **Activity** panel on the agent's page to watch its timeline in real time — every turn, tool call, and sub-agent, with status and duration. This is your main window into what an autonomous agent is actually doing. See [Activity](/guides/activity).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Creating and managing agents" icon="robot" href="/guides/creating-agents">
    Every field explained, plus lifecycle, slots, and permissions.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Chat" icon="messages" href="/guides/chat">
    Daily use, the side panel, and prompting tips for a persistent agent.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Integrations overview" icon="plug" href="/integrations/overview">
    Connect tools and grant agents access to them.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Channels overview" icon="tower-broadcast" href="/channels/overview">
    Every way to reach an agent beyond chat.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>