Lesson 2 of 7 · HQ fundamentals

Set Up Your HQ Company and Team Workspace

Name your HQ assistant, choose your team, connect a coding tool, bring in your context, and find where your team’s shared files live.

Begin lesson

Written path: 9 steps

Before You Begin

HQ is installed and HQ Desktop is open (see Lesson 1).
A Claude account for Claude Code, or a ChatGPT account for Codex. You only need one.
A few minutes to go through six short screens.

Step 1: Name your HQ assistant
HQ Desktop suggests a name for your assistant. Keep it or type your own, then click Next: Your team. Names can include numbers but must start with a letter.
ChoosePick this in HQ
```
— Next: Your team
```
Expected
HQ asks Who do you work with?
Note
The name shows up everywhere in HQ. You can rename your assistant later from its profile. Already have an assistant on another computer? HQ fills in its name for you.
Step 2: Choose your team
Key step
Pick the company that invited you, click Start a company and type its name, or click Just me to keep HQ to yourself for now. Then click Next.
ChoosePick this in HQ
```
— Start a company
— or Just me
— or pick the company that invited you
```
Expected
Your company is joined or created, and HQ moves on to Your coding tools.
Note
Starting a company makes you its owner. Chose Just me? You can add a company later.
Step 3: Connect a coding tool
Your assistant thinks with a coding tool signed in on your computer, under your own login. If Claude Code or Codex already shows Ready, click Next. If not, click Sign in with your Claude account (Claude Code) or Sign in with your ChatGPT account (Codex) and finish in your browser.
ChoosePick this in HQ
```
— Sign in with your Claude account
— Next: Bring in your context
```
Expected
At least one coding tool shows Ready, and Next takes you to Your context.
Note
You sign in to the coding tool directly, so HQ never sees your password. One tool is enough.
Step 4: Bring in your context
HQ offers to read the tools you already work in on this computer, like your code folders and past Claude Code and Codex sessions, so your assistant starts out knowing your companies, projects and people. Click Bring it in, or Skip for now.
ChoosePick this in HQ
```
— Bring it in
— or Skip for now
```
Expected
HQ lists what it found, with a count for each source, then shows Next.
Note
It reads only this computer, and nothing leaves it. It never reads passwords or keys.
Step 5: Connect your note taker
If your company uses a meeting note taker like Fireflies, Otter or Read.ai, click Connect next to it and sign in, so your assistant can use what was said in meetings. Don’t use one? Click Next.
ChoosePick this in HQ
```
— Pick your note taker
— or Next: Project management
```
Expected
Your note taker shows Connected, or HQ moves on.
Note
You only see this screen and the next one if you’re setting up HQ with a company.
HQContinue in chat
Back
Note taker
Bring in your meeting notes.
Connect the app that takes your meeting notes, so Pickles can use what was said. It connects to AwesomeCo.
FFathomRecords and summarizes callsConnect
GGranolaAI meeting notesConnect
ZZoomMeetings and recordingsConnect
LLoomNeeds an access key. Connect it later from Integrations.
Don't use one? Skip this with Next.
Next: Project management Finish with defaults
Step 6: Connect your project tracker
If your team tracks work in a tool like Linear, click Connect next to it and sign in, so your assistant can see projects and tasks. Don’t use one? Click Next.
ChoosePick this in HQ
```
— Pick your project tracker
— or Next: Done
```
Expected
Your project tracker shows Connected, or HQ moves on to the last screen.
Note
You can connect more apps later from Integrations.
HQContinue in chat
Back
Project management
Connect your project tracker.
Connect where AwesomeCo tracks its work, so Pickles can see projects and tasks.
LLinearIssues and projectsConnect
AAsanaTasks and projectsConnect
CClickUpTasks, docs and goalsConnect
JJiraAtlassian JiraConnect
Don't use one? Skip this with Next.
Next: Done
Step 7: Meet your assistant
The last screen sums up what you set up: your assistant, team, coding tool, context and apps. Click Talk to and your assistant’s name. It picks up the rest of setup in chat, starting after the steps you just finished.
ChoosePick this in HQ
```
— Talk to [your assistant]
```
Expected
Your assistant’s chat opens and it says hi by name. It doesn’t ask again about anything you already chose.
Note
Want to invite a teammate? Just ask your assistant in the chat.
HQContinue in chat
Back
All set
Meet Pickles.
Pickles picks up the rest of setup in chat, starting after the steps you just finished.
✦Your HQ assistantPickles
Your teamAWAwesomeCo
Coding toolClaude Code, signed in
Your context3 companies, 10 projects
Note takerFathom, connected
Project managementLinear, connected
Talk to Pickles
Step 8: Find your company’s folder
Click the folder icon at the top of HQ Desktop to open your HQ folder. Go into companies, then your company. Everything in there is shared with your team. The personal folder is just for you.
ChoosePick this in HQ
```
— Click the folder icon (Open HQ folder)
```
Expected
You can see your company’s knowledge, projects, policies, and skills folders.
HQFRI · SEP 25Launch Core
ALAll companies
COMPANIES
▣AwesomeCo
TODAYSEP 25
✦Pickles
JAJacob● SIGNED IN
✦PicklesChatDetails
✦
Pickles10:52 AM
Hi, I'm Pickles, your HQ assistant. You've named me and signed in Claude Code, so I won't ask about those again. As soon as you finish setting up in the app, I'll pick up from there and post my next question here.
Message Pickles — or type @ to mention a bot…
Step 9: Check your team in HQ Console
Click the globe icon at the top of HQ Desktop. Pick your company, then open Team.
ChoosePick this in HQ
```
— Click the globe icon (Open HQ Console)
```
Expected
You’re listed as the owner, and anyone you invited shows as pending.
HQFRI · SEP 25Launch Core
ALAll companies
COMPANIES
▣AwesomeCo
TODAYSEP 25
✦Pickles
JAJacob● SIGNED IN
✦PicklesChatDetails
✦
Pickles10:52 AM
Hi, I'm Pickles, your HQ assistant. You've named me and signed in Claude Code, so I won't ask about those again. As soon as you finish setting up in the app, I'll pick up from there and post my next question here.
Message Pickles — or type @ to mention a bot…

You’re done when

Your assistant has said hi by name, your company is in the sidebar, and HQ Console lists you as the owner.

Hit a snag? Here’s the fix.

It says no coding tool is signed in

On Your coding tools, click Sign in with your Claude account (Claude Code) or Sign in with your ChatGPT account (Codex) and finish in your browser. HQ notices on its own when you’re done. If it says Sign in did not finish, click Try again.

I want to skip the guided setup

Once you’re past Bring in your context, Continue in chat at the top takes you straight to your assistant’s chat, and it finishes setup with you there. You can also open your HQ folder in Claude Code or Codex and type /setup.

Bring it in found nothing

That’s fine on a new computer. Your assistant learns as you work. Click Next to keep going.

My team’s company didn’t show up

If a teammate invited you, sign in with the exact email the invite went to. HQ syncs your company by itself. If it can’t, you’ll see a banner with a Sync button.

I chose Just me but now want a company

No problem. Ask your assistant to create a company, or run /onboard in Claude Code or Codex and choose create.

Something else going on? The HQ knowledge base walks through the most common fixes, or reach out and we’ll help you get unstuck.