> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.merciv.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart

> Go from creating your account to your first cited answer.

This guide walks you through joining Merciv, adding your first document, and asking your first question.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create your account">
    Merciv accounts use work email addresses — personal addresses (Gmail and similar) are not accepted at signup.

    You can join in a few ways:

    * **Email invite** — an admin at your organization invites your email address. Sign up with that same address and the invite is accepted automatically; you land directly in your organization.
    * **Approved email domain** — if your organization has registered your company's email domain, signing up with a matching work email joins you automatically as a member.
    * **Invite code** — a signup link that carries a code from a teammate lets you through directly.
    * **Self-service signup** — where available, signing up creates a new organization with you as its owner and admin.

    After you sign up, check your inbox for a verification link — you can't enter the app until your email is verified. If it doesn't arrive, check your spam folder.

    <Note>
      Self-service signup is available on select plans. If you see "You're on the waitlist!" after signing up, access is by invitation — ask an admin at your organization to invite the exact email address you signed up with.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Complete onboarding">
    On your first login, Merciv asks a short questionnaire before you can use the app: your name, your role, and — if you're setting up a new organization — your company name and industry. Some steps can be skipped, but name and company cannot.

    After the questions, a short personalized chat helps tailor your experience. You can skip it, and everything you enter here is editable later under **Settings**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Upload your first document">
    Open **Knowledge** from the left sidebar and click **Upload Data**. You can upload up to 50 files at a time, 100 MB each — PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, CSV, and images are supported.

    Uploaded files show a **Processing...** badge while Merciv summarizes and indexes them. Processing happens in the background and can take a few minutes; once a file shows **Processed**, the assistant can find and cite it.

    See [Uploading files](/knowledge/uploading-files) for details.

    <Note>
      Knowledge is available on select plans. Contact your Merciv representative if you don't see it.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Ask your first question">
    From **Home**, type a question into the prompt box and press Enter to start a chat. You can also pick a prompt template from the carousel below the box to pre-fill it.

    To ground your question in a specific document, click **Add Sources** in the composer and pick the file you uploaded. The assistant answers with citations so you can verify where each claim came from.

    Learn more in [Chat overview](/chat/overview) and [Sources and attachments](/chat/sources-and-attachments).
  </Step>

  <Step title="What to try next">
    * [Learn the layout](/getting-started/navigation) — the sidebar, the **New** button, and global search.
    * [Create a Tracker](/trackers/overview) — set a topic and a schedule, and Merciv publishes research stories automatically.
    * [Group work into a Project](/projects/overview) — keep related chats, reports, and outputs together and share them with teammates.
    * [Write a Report](/reports/overview) — a collaborative document you can export and share.
    * [Browse Discover](/discover/overview) — read stories published by your trackers and your organization.
  </Step>
</Steps>