Quickstart

This guide takes you from a fresh install to your first real result. It takes about 15 minutes, most of which is Pencel working while you do something else.

Before you start: install Pencel and sign in. New accounts get free starter credits, so you don't need a plan or an API key to try it. See Accounts, plans and credits.

1. Open Home

After you sign in, Pencel opens on Home. The first time, Home shows a short stack of setup cards. Each card asks one thing, and you can skip any of them.

The first card asks What should Pencel find for you? Your answer decides which room Pencel sets up first.

2. Pick what Pencel should look after

Choose	Best for	What you do	What happens
Find government RFPs	Businesses that sell to federal, state or local government	Describe what your company sells and to whom, in a sentence. Optionally say what looks similar but you'd never bid on. Click Start scanning.	Pencel searches federal and state and local bid sources and scores each opportunity against what you sell. The first search usually takes 4 to 10 minutes.
Handle my inbox	Anyone with a busy Gmail inbox	Click Connect Gmail and sign in with Google.	Pencel reviews your recent unread mail, sorts out what needs you, drafts replies, and opens your inbox room. Nothing is sent without you.
Stock watch	Anyone who holds stocks or ETFs	Type the tickers you hold, such as AAPL, VOO, MSFT. Click Brief me.	Pencel writes your first morning brief (price moves, news and analyst views) and opens the Stock Watch room.
Something else	Any other recurring work	Describe what you want looked after. Click Draft my room.	Pencel drafts a room for you to review: its goal, teammates and routines. See Set up your own Room.

You can add the others later with Team ▸ Add a teammate.

3. See your first result

When Pencel finishes, results show up in two places:

• The room. Under Team in the sidebar, click the teammate doing the work, such as Rory for bids (# rfp-ops) or Max for email (# mailroom). Results appear as cards on the room's Work tab, and documents it wrote appear under Artifacts.
• Home. Anything that needs a decision from you, such as a bid to pursue or pass on, or a reply to approve, also appears on Home.

Try replying to the room the way you'd reply to a colleague: "Why did you rank this one first?" or "Make the reply shorter." See Team and rooms.

4. Tell Pencel a bit more

The remaining setup cards help Pencel get your business right. Each takes under a minute:

• Confirm what you sell. If Pencel researched your company, confirm or reject each fact it found. Nothing it finds is used until you confirm it.
• What's your role? One tap. It sharpens what Pencel suggests and how it writes for you.
• Connect your email. Connect Google so Pencel can review your Gmail and check your calendar. Microsoft 365 works too, through chat.
• Import your notes. Choose a folder of notes or documents. Pencel adds them to Knowledge so every room can use them.

If you chose Find government RFPs, you'll also get cards asking which registrations you hold, which contract sizes are worth your time, and where you can deliver. Answer them: they make the scoring much sharper.

5. Take the tour

The last card, Show me around, gives you a one-minute tour of Home. Each other page (Team, each room, Knowledge, Documents and Studio) shows its own short tour the first time you open it.

To see the setup cards and tours again, go to Settings ▸ General ▸ Getting started and click Restart getting started.

What's next

• Team and rooms: how to work with a room day to day
• Review and approve work: handle what Pencel brings you
• Teach Pencel about your business: better results from every room
• Ready-made Rooms: what each one does

Stuck? See Troubleshooting.