Your first conversation

This page walks you through nod's onboarding, your first tasks and what to do when nod needs you.

Onboarding at a glance

nod opens onboarding the first time you use it. In the desktop app, you can answer and connect accounts while nod prepares its computer. Connect an AI provider and Gmail, then answer the setup questions. Telegram is optional.

flowchart LR
  hi[Welcome and<br/>usage data] --> model[Connect<br/>a model]:::accent
  model --> gmail[Gmail]:::accent
  gmail --> q[A few<br/>questions]
  q --> tg[Telegram]:::muted
  tg --> cards([First tasks<br/>in chat]):::go

Go through onboarding

Say hi. nod introduces itself and asks whether to Share usage data. It's off unless you turn it on, and you can change it later in Settings → General. Select Let's go.
Connect a model. Pick OpenAI, Anthropic or OpenRouter. Select Sign in with ChatGPT or Connect OpenRouter to use your account, or paste an API key. In the desktop app or a source install, you can instead pick OpenAI-compatible to use a local model: check the server address, then select Connect. Your key is encrypted and never shown to the model. nod uses your provider’s default model when available. You can change it later in Models. Setup moves on once the new connection and model are ready; if a model choice is still needed, select one and then Continue.
Connect Gmail. On desktop or a personal web install, choose Easy Connect and sign in with an allowed Google account, or save your own Composio key. Then select Connect for Gmail and approve its separate permissions. Setup continues after Gmail connects. If sign-in fails, retry or change your connection setup; your earlier answers stay saved.
Answer a few questions. nod says hello, then asks what you're working on and what it can take off your plate, and sometimes what you're aiming for. If you connected Gmail and its inbox summary is ready, it also mentions what it noticed in your inbox. It asks at most three questions and keeps an encrypted draft so you can resume after closing nod. Select Continue to save your answers to memory and remove the encrypted draft text. A browser session copy lets you revisit your answers until setup finishes or the tab closes. Select Change my answers to discard it and start again. A completion record lasts 30 days so returning to setup doesn't ask you to save the interview again.

If a draft can’t be opened, Try again keeps it. Start interview again discards only that draft; saved connections and settings stay in place.
Connect Telegram (optional). Follow the numbered steps. Scan the code or select Open Telegram to open BotFather, send /newbot, and choose a name and a username ending in bot. Select I have my token, paste BotFather's reply, and select Connect bot. In Open your bot, scan the new code or open Telegram, then press Start. Check your account details and select Confirm.
Enable desktop preferences. In the desktop app, turn on Desktop notifications, then select Continue. Turn on Open at login, then select Start chatting. Both are required to finish setup. You can change them later in Settings → General. If alerts are blocked, allow nod in your computer’s notification settings.

Setup finishes after Telegram in the web app, or after desktop preferences in the app. If the computer is still preparing, nod shows its progress and opens chat when ready.

You can add more later from Apps and Channels in the sidebar. See Connect apps and Channels.

To revisit setup in your browser, open /onboarding?replay=1 on your nod address. This returns to Welcome while keeping saved connections, settings and your unfinished interview. Use Change my answers to restart the interview.

In the desktop app, Replay onboarding opens the questions again without deleting saved connections or preferences. While first setup is still running, it returns to your current step. For a separate empty test install on a Mac, use the Mac test installer; it creates a new isolated profile.

Start your first task

nod greets you in the chat, by the first name on the Gmail account you connected when it has one, and lines up three first tasks as cards: one it can finish Right now, and two Ongoing jobs it keeps doing for you, such as a morning briefing or a weekly check-in. It bases them on your answers and, if you connected Gmail, on a short inbox summary prepared during setup. If no summary is ready, it uses recent inbox subjects and snippets instead. If a card doesn't come out right, you get a standard one in its place, such as Plan my next two weeks.

Each card shows where the task comes from (Gmail, For you or Telegram). Select Do it, or Set it up on an ongoing card, to send the card's title to nod as your message. The card shows On it… while nod works, then Done or Set up. You can also ignore the cards and type any request.

Write a good first request

Say what done looks like: "Compare these three suppliers and put the price and delivery time in a table."
Name the account or site: "Download last month's invoice from billing.example.com with my saved login."
Say whether to send or draft: "Draft a reply to the Northstar quote. Don't send it."
Ask for a schedule in plain words: "Every Monday at 9 am, send me a summary of new client email."

You can keep writing while nod works. nod reads new messages before its next step.

When nod needs you

nod needs	What you see	What you do
A choice or a missing detail	A question in the chat	Reply in the chat
Your OK for an action	"Reply yes to go ahead, no to skip it, or tell me what to change."	Reply yes or no
A password, code or card	A private form, such as Sign in or Approve payment	Enter it in the form, not the chat
You to use a website	An Open browser link	Take over, then select Done

What you type in a private form goes to the website, not to the model. nod never asks for a password, code, card number or API key in the chat. See Approvals and the trust check and Vault.

Stop nod

To stop nod, select Stop, the square button next to the send button. It shows while nod is working. nod stops the current work and cancels anything still queued. Stopping can't undo an action that already started, such as an email that's already on its way.