Quickstart: your first grounded answer
Go from a new OpenbirdAI account to your first OpenFeather answer in a few minutes, with or without connecting an integration.
This quickstart takes you from a new account to a useful, sourced answer. It deliberately starts without an integration so you can see what works immediately, then shows how to add private data when you need it.
1. Create and sign in
Create an account with an email address you control and complete the sign-in flow. If a verification message does not arrive, check the spam folder before requesting another one, and use the sign-in recovery flow rather than creating a second account.
2. Send a question that needs no connection
Open Ask from the dashboard and try something that OpenFeather can answer from general capability:
- "Explain the difference between a cash flow statement and a profit and loss statement."
- "Draft a short checklist for reviewing a supplier contract."
- "What should I check before agreeing to a 12-month SaaS subscription?"
Read the answer and the sources it cites. Even without a connection, OpenFeather shows where its information came from.
3. Connect a platform when you need private data
When your question depends on Gmail, Drive, Calendar, YouTube, analytics, commerce, finance or another connected source, connect that account first.
- Open the integrations area from the dashboard.
- Choose the provider you need and start its authorisation flow.
- Review the permissions the provider requests before you approve them.
- Return to OpenbirdAI and confirm the account is shown as connected.
4. Ask a private-data question
Now try a question that only your data can answer, for example "What are the most important changes in my Drive documents this month?"
Check the sources listed under the answer. If the answer is empty or vague, the cause is almost always the selected account, the date range, or a missing permission — see troubleshooting for no data.
5. Continue the conversation
Follow-up questions keep the same conversation context, so you can narrow down without repeating yourself: "only Q3", "just the spreadsheets", "compare with last quarter". Open a new conversation when you want a genuinely fresh context.
- Name the platform when the request could refer to more than one connected source.
- Check citations and dates before relying on an important result.
- Ask OpenFeather to show its sources when a claim matters.
Common questions
How long does the quickstart take?
A few minutes for the first answer. Connecting a provider takes longer because you have to review and approve its permission screen.
Why does my first private-data answer come back empty?
Usually the connection is not finished, the wrong account is selected, the date range excludes your data, or the provider permission was not granted. See "No data in an answer".