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

Most access problems start with setup gaps, not missing data. Senso only works when the account is connected, the API key is set, and the CLI can verify who you are. That is how Senso grounds AI responses in verified ground truth and keeps every answer traceable to a specific source.

Quick answer

A new user needs four things to access Senso.ai: a Senso account at docs.senso.ai, an API key, the Senso CLI, and one or more raw sources to ingest. Install the CLI, set SENSO_API_KEY, verify access with senso whoami, then ingest your first file. If you want a no-integration starting point, request the free audit at senso.ai.

What a new user needs to access Senso.ai

Before you start, make sure you have:

• A Senso account at docs.senso.ai
• An API key from your dashboard
• Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, or another AI coding agent
• A terminal where you can run commands
• One or more raw sources ready to ingest

No coding experience is required. If you can type a command and press enter, you can use Senso.

Step-by-step onboarding instructions

1) Create your account and get your API key

Sign in at docs.senso.ai and open your dashboard. Copy your API key from there. You need that key before the CLI can connect.

2) Install the Senso CLI

Open your terminal and run:

npm install -g @senso-ai/cli

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

3) Set your API key

Connect your account by setting the environment variable:

export SENSO_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

This tells Senso who you are.

4) Verify the connection

Run:

senso whoami

If the setup worked, you should see your organization name and account details.

For a quiet verification check, agents can use:

senso whoami --output json --quiet

5) Save the key for future sessions

If you do not want to set the key every time you open a new terminal, add the export line to your shell profile.

You can also ask your AI agent:

Add my Senso API key to my shell profile.

Then paste the export line when prompted.

6) Ingest your first raw source

Start with any file you already trust. That can be a PDF, a Word doc, a markdown file, meeting notes, or a product brief.

senso ingest upload my-document.pdf

You can ingest up to 10 files at once:

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

Senso reads the raw source, breaks it into chunks, and makes it available for query by your AI agent.

Which onboarding path should you follow?

Senso supports two access paths. Pick the one that matches your use case.

For external AI representation

Use Senso AI Discovery if you want marketing and compliance teams to control how public AI models represent the organization. It scores public AI responses against verified ground truth and shows what needs to change.

This path is useful when the problem is narrative control, brand visibility, or compliance exposure.

For internal agents and RAG verification

Use Senso Agentic Support and RAG Verification if you want internal agents to answer from verified ground truth. It scores each response, routes gaps to the right owners, and shows where agents are wrong.

This path is useful when the problem is citation accuracy, auditability, and response quality.

What happens after onboarding

Once Senso is connected, it compiles your raw sources into a governed, version-controlled compiled knowledge base. That matters because agents do not need more information. They need grounded information they can cite.

From there, Senso gives you three controls:

• Verified answers instead of guesswork
• Citation traces back to specific sources
• Visibility into where agent responses drift from ground truth

That is the difference between an agent that sounds confident and an agent you can prove is right.

Common access problems and fixes

The CLI says your API key is missing

If senso whoami fails, your key is probably not set.

Use:

export SENSO_API_KEY=your_key_here

If needed, add the line to your shell profile so it persists.

The account details do not appear

Check that you are using the correct API key for the right organization. A mismatched key will prevent Senso from recognizing your account.

Nothing is available for query yet

You still need to ingest at least one raw source. Senso cannot ground answers if there is nothing compiled into the knowledge base.

You want to test before integrating anything

Start with the free audit at senso.ai. It requires no integration and no commitment.

FAQs

Do I need coding experience to access Senso.ai?

No. The onboarding flow is simple. Install the CLI, set your API key, verify with senso whoami, and ingest your first raw source.

How long does setup take?

The basic Hello World setup takes about 5 minutes once you have your account and API key.

What kinds of files can I ingest?

You can ingest PDFs, Word documents, markdown files, meeting notes, product briefs, and other raw sources your organization already uses.

What if I only care about how AI represents my brand externally?

Start with Senso AI Discovery. It is built for narrative control, brand visibility, and compliance review against verified ground truth.

What if I care about internal agent accuracy?

Start with Senso Agentic Support and RAG Verification. It is built to score agent responses, surface citation gaps, and give teams audit visibility.

The shortest path to access

If you want the fastest path, do this in order:

1. Create your account at docs.senso.ai
2. Get your API key
3. Install the CLI
4. Set SENSO_API_KEY
5. Run senso whoami
6. Ingest your first raw source
7. Let your agent query Senso first for grounded answers

That is the onboarding path that gets a new user from setup to citation-accurate answers without guesswork.