Quickstart
Sign up, create your organization, connect your AI assistant, give Brain a file to read, build its memory and ask your first question.
In this tutorial you sign up, create your organization, give GuruSup Brain a file to read, connect your AI assistant, and ask a question about that file. Brain builds its memory in the background while you finish setup.
This page is for the person who creates the organization. That person becomes its first admin. If an admin invited you, your organization already exists and you skip this page. Sign in and connect your assistant with Setup and authentication.
Before you start
You need:
- An AI assistant that supports MCP, such as Claude, Claude Code, Codex, ChatGPT, Cursor or VS Code. MCP is the standard way an assistant uses outside tools.
- One file with something in it you can ask about. Brain reads PDF, Markdown, text, CSV, JSON, Word, PowerPoint and Excel files, plus ZIP and TAR.GZ archives, up to 256 MiB each. You can connect Slack, Notion or HubSpot instead.
Create your organization
Go to app.brain.gurusup.com and sign up.
If your email is not verified yet, Brain shows Verify your email. Click Continue to verification, finish the check, and you come back to the next screen.
Setup runs on one full screen, once, with three steps: Name your organization, Connect your sources and Connect your agent. The left side shows the Brain logo, a headline that changes with each step and the checklist of the three steps. The right side shows the step you are on.
On Set up your organization, Brain suggests a name from your email. For ana@acme.com it suggests "Ana's organization". Keep it or type your own, up to 240 characters, and click Continue. Company size is optional. Click a size to select it, and click it again to clear it. When you sign up yourself, this screen also shows the seats and the monthly usage the Free plan includes.
You can rename the organization later. See Rename your organization.
Give Brain something to read
Brain now shows Connect your docs, chats and tools. Cards are in two sections.
- Recommended sources: Slack, Notion and HubSpot. Click the plug button on a card (its label is Connect with the app name) and approve access in the app.
- Additional sources: Drop files, to upload documents once, and Custom webhook, to send data from any tool. Click the + button on the card.
When a source has content, its button turns into a green check labeled Manage with the source name. Click it to add more or change the source.
A file is the quickest way to try Brain. On Drop files, a side panel called Upload documents opens. Drop in a file or pick one, up to 256 MiB each. Each file uploads and is confirmed on its own, and the panel lists it under Uploaded files while Brain reads it. You can close the panel with Done while files are being read. The files stay listed.
How each source brings content in during setup:
- Notion and HubSpot: once you approve access, Brain imports everything it can reach, and for HubSpot the deals that are not archived. You do not pick anything.
- Slack: Brain does not import history. It reads messages sent after the app joins a channel, so run
/invite @GuruSup Brainin each channel Brain should learn from. A connected Slack with no messages yet does not hold you back. - Custom webhook: a side panel opens where you create the webhook and copy its URL. Send JSON sends a test object by hand and Done closes the panel. A webhook with nothing sent yet does not hold you back.
If something goes wrong with a file:
| You see | What to do |
|---|---|
| Upload failed on the row | Point at the row to read the reason. Click Retry, or click Remove on the row. |
| A reason that starts "Brain cannot read this file" | The format is not readable. Check the file, or choose another. |
| "Upload exceeds the 256 MiB limit. Choose a smaller file." | Split the file or choose a smaller one. |
| The upload area is greyed out and says "This organization is read-only right now" | Your organization is in demo mode. New data cannot be added. |
| The upload area is greyed out and says "Ingestion is paused for this organization" | Ingestion is paused for your organization. Contact support. |
See Upload content for the formats, the limits and what happens to files afterward. Slack, Notion, HubSpot and webhooks have their own guides: Connect Slack, Connect Notion, Connect HubSpot and Send data with a webhook. See Connectors overview for how they compare.
Start the build
Next to the button, a line tells you where Brain is: "Preparing your content. You can continue while we finish.", "Checking your content…", "Your source is connected." or "Your content is ready." Click Continue at the bottom of the screen. It reads "Starting…" while Brain saves your choice.
Continue turns on as soon as Brain has finished checking what you connected and one of these is true:
- a source is connected (an uploaded file does not count here),
- at least one document is ready, or
- something is still being prepared.
You do not have to wait for preparation to finish. A file that is still uploading, a webhook that is still being created or an app that is still connecting must finish first.
Continue saves your request to build the memory and takes you to the next step right away. The choice is kept if you reload. Brain starts the build by itself when preparation has finished and at least one document is ready. Until then, Home shows "Preparing your documents." and you can close the page. If every document is dropped and none is left to use, your request stays saved and the build waits for content.
Before you add anything, the button is Proceed without connecting. It opens Continue without a source? with the text "Brain builds its memory from your sources, so it won't be able to answer anything until you connect one." Click Cancel to go back, or Continue anyway to move on. Continuing anyway does not start a build. Home keeps showing No sources connected yet until you add a source.
If something goes wrong, Brain shows one of these messages:
| You see | What to do |
|---|---|
| "Could not load sources" or "Could not prepare your sources" | Reload the page. If it stays, contact support. |
| "Could not start building your memory" | Click Continue again. Your sources are safe. |
| "Connect a source or upload a file before building your memory." | Connect an app or upload a file, then click Continue again. |
| "Brain could not check your content. Your work is safe; contact support for help." | Reload. If it stays, contact support. |
| On a card: "(App) could not read this account. Open the connection above to check its permissions or reconnect." | Open the connection and reconnect, or share the content in the app. |
| On a card: "(App) is temporarily unavailable. Your work is safe; preparation will resume automatically when it responds." | Wait. Nothing to do. |
| On a card: "We could not prepare your (App) content because of a problem on our side..." | Wait, or contact support. Preparation resumes on its own. |
Documents Brain cannot prepare are dropped on their own while it checks your content, without any click from you: files that failed or were rejected, blocked content and content over your usage. Slack content that fails three times is dropped too.
Connect your AI assistant
Brain now shows How will you talk to Brain?, step 3 of 3, with one card for each assistant: Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Codex, ChatGPT, Cursor, VS Code and Other MCP client.
Click the plug button on your assistant's card (its label is Connect with the assistant name). A dialog opens with the tabs Quick and Manual.
- Quick is there for Cursor and VS Code. Click Add to Cursor or Add to VS Code. The app opens and asks you to confirm. For Claude Code and Codex, Quick shows a one-line command. Click Copy, which shows "Copied.", and paste it in your terminal.
- Manual lists the steps and the configuration to copy. Use it when a link does not open, and for Claude Desktop, ChatGPT and other clients.
Each dialog ends with "Then sign in to Brain when (assistant) asks." Do that when your assistant asks you to sign in. An Official guide link opens the assistant's own documentation. Guides for Claude, Claude Code, ChatGPT, Cursor and Codex are in the MCP tab.
Click Finish. It is always on, so you can connect an assistant later too. Brain MCP stays in the sidebar. Finish takes you to Home.
Ask your first question
Once the build has finished, ask your assistant something your file answers, for example a question about a decision or a figure in it.
Your assistant asks Brain and writes the answer from what Brain returns. Check that the answer names a page of Brain's memory that comes from your file. If Brain finds nothing, it says so instead of guessing. See Ask questions.
Add everything first
The first build reads a first batch of what is ready, not everything. Brain picks in this order: uploaded files, Notion, HubSpot, webhook content, then Slack. It takes up to 25 documents, within a size budget. Brain chooses this batch by itself when preparation has finished and at least one document is ready. Brain adds the rest through its normal ingestion after your memory is active. With large imports, the first answers may not cover everything yet. Content you add after the build is added to your memory on its own. Uploads and syncs use your usage. See Plan and usage.
What you see while Brain builds
The first build takes longer than later updates. After you click Continue, Brain prepares your documents and then builds in the background. Until the first batch is queued, Home shows "Preparing your documents." with "Brain is getting content from your sources. Your memory will be built automatically when preparation finishes." and how many documents are ready so far. If no document is ready, it shows "Your memory needs documents to get started." and "We found no documents ready to use. Your build request is saved." Home shows the build page below once you click Finish and the first batch is queued.
| Heading | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "Your memory build is queued." | Your files are saved. Processing starts when a scheduled slot is available. The page may say "Processing starts in about N min." or "Waiting for an available processing slot." | Nothing. You can close the page. |
| "Brain is building your company memory." | Brain is reading your documents. The page shows how many documents it has read, for example "3 of 12 documents read". | Nothing. |
| "Preparing your memory for questions." | Your documents have been read. Brain is preparing the answers your team will use. | Nothing. |
| "Brain is picking up where it left off." | The build stopped and Brain is recovering on its own. | Nothing. If it stays this way much longer than you expected, use Email us at the bottom of the page. |
| "Taking a little longer" | The estimate has passed. Your files are saved and you do not need to upload them again. | Wait. Use Email us if it keeps going. |
The page shows an estimate, marked as approximate, of the time remaining. Three steps run across the top: 1. Waiting to start, 2. Reading documents and 3. Preparing answers. Brain turns on by itself when it finishes. Whatever your connected apps send in the meantime is picked up too. Everyone in the organization sees this page, not only admins.
Under While you wait, Invite your team and Connect another app are one click away. See Invite your team and Connectors overview. Outside Home, a banner at the top of every page says "Brain is building your memory, about N min left. Answers will be incomplete until it finishes." while it runs, and "Your memory build is waiting to start, about N min to go." while it is queued. View progress takes you back to this page. While Brain is still preparing your documents, the banner says "Brain is preparing your documents. Your memory will be built automatically when they are ready." If no document is ready, it says "Your sources have no documents ready to use. View progress for the next step."
If the build needs attention
If a build stops, Overview shows a card titled Gurusup Brain needs attention. It says the build stopped safely, that new content can keep arriving, and it shows a short error line.
- Click Retry bootstrap if the button is there. It is the button's label in the app. Only admins see it.
- If there is no button, your team cannot retry it from the app. Your content is safe. Contact support and they finish the build for you.
Check that it worked
- The first item in the sidebar changes from Get started to Overview as soon as you confirm the build. Overview shows your usage over time, questions asked, and the memories Brain has learned.
- Sources lists your source with a count of memories. See Check source status.
- Ingest shows the file as Learned. See Follow ingestion.
- Your assistant answers a question about your file.
Sources, Ingest, Conflicts, Skills, Synapses, Queries and My requests stay locked before the build. They show "Available once your memory is built". While Brain prepares your documents after you confirm, they say "Brain is preparing your company memory." with View progress. As soon as the first batch is queued they open, and they fill in as Brain learns. Before an admin confirms the build, members see "An admin in your organization needs to build it first." On Home, members read "An admin in your organization needs to connect a source before Brain can answer company questions."
If you come back later
Your place is kept. If you reload during setup, Brain returns you to the step you were on in the same browser tab. Setup runs once for each admin. After that, if you skipped the sources, Home shows No sources connected yet, with the three blocks Connect a source, Brain builds your memory and Ask from your tools, and the same source cards with a Build my memory button. Brain does not send you back through setup every time you sign in. If you leave while Brain is building, opening Brain shows the build page again. Once the memory is built, Overview shows the usage dashboard.
If you cannot sign in
| You see | What to do |
|---|---|
| "Couldn't reach GuruSup Brain. Check your connection and try again." | Click Try again. |
| "Sign-in didn't complete. Your browser may be blocking cookies for this site. Allow them and sign in again." | Allow cookies for the site, then click Sign in again. |
| Verify your email | Click Continue to verification. |
Free plan and seats
New organizations start on the Free plan. Free includes one seat, which is yours, and €5 of usage a month. To invite more people you need to upgrade. When you click Invite on Team and the seat is already used, Brain offers an upgrade. See Plan and usage.
Rename your organization
Admins can rename the organization in Settings, in the Organization field. Click Save. Brain confirms the change. Only admins can rename the organization. See Organization settings.
Next
- Invite your team and set roles in Members and roles.
- Connect the tools where your knowledge lives: Connectors overview.
- Keep an eye on what Brain is learning: Follow ingestion and Overview.
- Get better answers: Ask questions.
- Something not working: MCP troubleshooting.