Your first conversation

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

Onboarding at a glance

Otto opens onboarding the first time you use it. In the desktop app, it starts once Otto has prepared its computer. It's a short chat, and you can skip Gmail and Telegram until later.

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

Go through onboarding

Say hi. Otto introduces itself. 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. Your key is encrypted and never shown to the model. Otto picks a recommended model, which you can change. Select Continue.
Answer three questions. Otto asks what you're working on, what you're aiming for and what it can take off your plate. Type a short answer to each. Otto shows a summary and saves it to its memory. Select Continue, or Change my answers to start again.
Connect Gmail (optional). Paste your Composio key and select Save. Then select Connect Gmail and sign in to Google. No key yet? Make a free account at app.composio.dev, or select Skip for now.
Connect Telegram (optional). Scan the code to open BotFather, send /newbot and pick a name. Select I have my token, paste the token and select Save. Then scan the new code and send /start to your bot. When Otto asks Is this you?, select Confirm.
Decide on usage data. Turn on Share usage data if you want to help the Otto team. It's anonymous and never includes your messages, files or keys. Select Start chatting.

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

Start your first task

Otto greets you in the chat and lines up three first tasks as cards. It bases them on your answers and, if you connected Gmail, on the subjects and previews of a few recent emails. If it can't prepare them, you get a standard set, such as Plan my next two weeks.

Each card shows where the task comes from (Gmail, For you or Telegram). Select Do it to send the card's title to Otto as your message. The card shows On it… while Otto works and Done when it finishes. 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 Otto works. Otto reads new messages before its next step.

When Otto needs you

Otto 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. Otto never asks for a password, code, card number or API key in the chat. See Approvals and the trust check and Vault.

Stop Otto

To stop Otto, select Stop, the square button next to the send button. It shows while Otto is working. Otto 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.