Meet Your Helper

1. Your Helpers Are Already Starting

There is no “create an agent” button. When your account is provisioned, BrainRoad starts both helper runtimes (OpenClaw and Hermes) automatically in your private workspace. On the Helper page (your dashboard home) you can watch the status:

• “Waking — usually 10–40 seconds.” while a helper boots
• “Queued — waiting for capacity. We’ll start your agent automatically.” if capacity is momentarily full

You can switch between the two helpers, or stop one, from the runtime switcher in the sidebar. Both work from the same Business Brain. See how agents work for the differences.

2. Your Trial Key Is Automatic

During provisioning BrainRoad creates a trial API key through OpenRouter and configures it inside your helper. It carries a small credit budget (currently $5.00) so you can explore without entering a credit card or creating an account with any AI provider. Nothing to activate.

When the trial credit runs low, the dashboard prompts you to add your own provider key. See step 6 below.

3. Have the First Conversation

On the Helper page, click Open OpenClaw chat (or Open Hermes chat). The chat opens in a new tab, in the helper’s own interface.

The first conversation is where your helper introduces itself and picks its name together with you. BrainRoad does not pre-name your helper; the name you two settle on shows up on the dashboard afterward, and you can rename it later from the Helper page.

Good first things to say:

• “Here’s what my business does and who my customers are. Ask me what you need to know to be useful.”
• “Research this company and give me a short brief: what changed recently, why it matters, and what I should verify before I reach out.”
• “Draft a reply to this message, but show me the draft first and tell me what facts you’re missing.”

4. Your Helper Gets a Mailbox, and You Get a First Draft to Review

After the helper names itself, it gets a managed agent mailbox at <name>@mg.brainroad.com. Email sent to that address flows into your workspace, and replies your helper drafts route through your review.

BrainRoad sends one welcome email into that mailbox. Your helper drafts a reply, and that draft lands in your Inbox (the dashboard’s review queue) as your first item to review. Open it, read the draft, edit it if you like, and approve or decline. That is the core workflow: draft first, approve second. Learn more in the approvals overview.

5. Upload Your First Business Documents

The single highest-leverage setup step is giving your helper real context. Open Business Brain in the sidebar, go to the Upload tab, and drop in a few real documents: a price sheet, an FAQ, a contract, meeting notes, or a couple of example customer emails. Text files process right away; PDFs and images are read in the background.

The “Brain completeness” bar on your dashboard shows how much working context your helper has so far. See the Business Brain overview for everything the Brain can hold.

6. Add Your Own API Key (When You Are Ready)

The trial key is for exploration. When you want your own provider, open the Helper page and use the API Keys tab. BrainRoad supports keys from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, OpenRouter, xAI, and more — see Choosing a Provider for the full list. The guided key setup can walk you through choosing a provider if you are not sure.

Your provider bills you directly for model usage; BrainRoad adds no markup on tokens. See Plans & Pricing for how the trial, subscription, and model costs fit together.

What Happens Next

Get oriented with the Dashboard Overview, keep building your Business Brain, and review your helper’s drafts in the Inbox as they arrive.