What onboarding instructions should a new user know to access Senso.ai?

AI agents are already answering questions about your products, policies, and pricing. A new user should not start with guesswork. To access Senso.ai, you need a Senso account, an API key, and the Senso CLI. Then you install the CLI, connect your key, verify access, and ingest your first raw sources. Most users can finish the setup in about 5 minutes.

Quick Answer

A new user should access Senso.ai by creating an account at docs.senso.ai, getting an API key from the dashboard, installing the Senso CLI, and setting the SENSO_API_KEY environment variable. After that, run senso whoami to confirm access, then ingest your first document with senso ingest upload. No coding experience is required.

If you want to check fit before setup, Senso also offers a free audit at senso.ai with no integration and no commitment required.

What a new user needs before starting

Requirement	Why it matters
Senso account	Gives you access to the dashboard and API key
API key	Authenticates your terminal session
Senso CLI	Lets you connect, verify, and ingest raw sources
A first document	Gives Senso something to compile into a governed knowledge base
AI agent like Claude Code, Cursor, or Copilot	Lets you use Senso with the tools you already work in

You do not need prior coding experience. If you can type a command and press enter, you can use Senso.

Step-by-step onboarding instructions

1. Create your Senso account

Start at docs.senso.ai. Use the account setup flow there to get into the product and open your dashboard.

You will need the dashboard because that is where you get your API key.

2. Install the Senso CLI

Open your terminal and run:

npm install -g @senso-ai/cli

This installs the command-line tool on your machine. You only need to do this once.

3. Connect your API key

Set your API key in the terminal:

export SENSO_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

This tells Senso who you are.

If you do not want to enter the key every time you open a new terminal, add that line to your shell profile. You can also ask your AI agent to do it for you.

4. Verify that access works

Run:

senso whoami

If access is set up correctly, you should see your organization name and account details.

For agent workflows, you can also verify in JSON mode:

senso whoami --output json --quiet

If that fails, your API key is not set or not loaded in the current shell.

5. Ingest your first raw source

Take a document you already trust. Use a PDF, Word file, markdown file, meeting notes, or a product brief.

Run:

senso ingest upload my-document.pdf

You can also ingest up to 10 files at once:

senso ingest upload doc1.pdf doc2.md doc3.docx

Senso will compile those raw sources into a searchable, governed knowledge base that your AI agent can query for grounded answers.

What Senso does after onboarding

Once your first raw sources are ingested, Senso compiles them into verified knowledge your agents can use.

That matters because many enterprise systems hold fragmented information. AI agents need grounded answers, not guesses.

Senso helps in two ways:

• Internal agent support and RAG verification. Senso scores agent responses against verified ground truth and shows where an answer goes wrong.
• AI Visibility. Senso scores public AI responses for accuracy, brand visibility, and compliance, then shows what needs to change.

The same compiled knowledge base supports both use cases. You do not need duplicate content streams.

What new users should expect during setup

Senso onboarding is designed to be simple.

• You create an account.
• You get an API key.
• You install the CLI.
• You verify the connection.
• You ingest your first document.

That is the full access path for most new users.

If you are on a marketing, compliance, IT, or operations team, this setup gives you a controlled way to see what AI agents are saying and whether those answers trace back to verified ground truth.

Common onboarding issues and fixes

“senso whoami does not work”

Your API key is probably not set in the current terminal session.

Run:

export SENSO_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

Then try again.

“The CLI is not recognized”

Install the CLI first:

npm install -g @senso-ai/cli

Then open a new terminal and retry.

“I do not know which document to ingest first”

Start with one trusted source that your team already relies on. Good first files include:

• brand guidelines
• product briefs
• policy documents
• internal FAQs
• meeting notes
• contract summaries

“I do not want a long setup project”

Use the free audit at senso.ai. It gives you a low-friction way to evaluate fit before you connect anything.

Best practices for new users

• Start with one team-owned source of truth.
• Use clear file names.
• Ingest the documents that agents answer from most often.
• Verify access before ingesting more files.
• Ask your AI agent to query Senso first when a question should be answered from your own documents.

These steps keep the first setup clean and make it easier to see where your knowledge gaps are.

FAQ

Do I need coding experience to access Senso.ai?

No. Senso says that if you can type a command and press enter, you can use it.

Where do I get the API key?

You get it from your Senso dashboard after you create an account.

What tools work with Senso?

Senso works with Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, and other AI agents that can use the CLI.

How many files can I ingest at once?

You can ingest up to 10 files at once.

Is there a way to try Senso before a full setup?

Yes. Senso offers a free audit at senso.ai with no integration and no commitment required.

If you want, I can also turn this into a shorter setup checklist or a more technical onboarding guide for IT teams.