Getting Started with FanDesk

Welcome to FanDesk — the unified workplace that amplifies your team's collective brain capital. This guide walks you through everything you need to go from zero to fully set up.

Creating an Account

FanDesk supports multiple sign-up and login methods:

1. Magic Link — Enter your email and receive a one-click login link (no password needed)
2. Google Sign-In — Use your Google account for instant access
3. Password — Traditional email and password login
4. Invitation Link — If a teammate invited you, use the link in your invitation email

First-Time Setup Checklist

After your first login, work through these steps to get the most out of FanDesk:

• Set your profile name, title, and avatar
• Set your timezone
• Connect Google Workspace (Gmail, Calendar, Drive)
• Connect GitHub (if you are in engineering)
• Invite your team members
• Explore DeskMate AI

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Setting Up Your Workspace

Profile Setup

1. Click your avatar in the bottom-left sidebar
2. Select Settings
3. Fill in:
   • Name — Your display name across FanDesk
   • Title — Your job title (visible in the People directory)
   • Department — Your team or department
   • Phone — Work contact number
4. Upload a profile picture (JPG, PNG, GIF supported)
5. Set your timezone — this controls when your daily digest arrives and how calendar events display
6. Save changes

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Inviting Team Members

Bring your team into FanDesk:

1. Go to Settings > Team
2. Click Invite Member
3. Enter their email address
4. Choose their role:
   • Admin — Full control over workspace settings
   • Member — Standard access to all modules
   • Guest — Limited access (invited channels and pages only)
5. Click Send Invitation

They will receive an email with a sign-up link. Once they join, they appear in the People directory.

Bulk Invites

To invite multiple people at once, enter comma-separated email addresses in the invite field.

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Connecting Google Workspace

Connecting Google unlocks Gmail, Calendar, Drive, and Contacts inside FanDesk.

How to Connect

1. Go to Settings > Integrations
2. Click Connect Google Account
3. Sign in with your Google account
4. Grant the requested permissions:
   • Gmail: read and send emails
   • Calendar: view and manage events
   • Drive: browse and access files
   • Contacts: read contact list

Security: FanDesk only requests the minimum permissions needed. Your data is never sold or shared.

What Happens After Connecting

Multiple Google Accounts

You can connect more than one Google account. Switch between them in Mail, Calendar, and Drive.

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Connecting GitHub

Link GitHub to FanDesk for engineering workflows:

1. Go to Settings > Integrations
2. Click Connect GitHub
3. Install the FanDesk GitHub App on your GitHub account or organization
4. Select which repositories FanDesk can access
5. In your project settings, link the repository to the project

Once connected:

• GitHub issues sync every 10 minutes
• PR status (CI pass/fail) updates every 5 minutes
• Link commits and PRs directly to FanDesk tasks
• Auto-invite project members as repo collaborators

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Quick Tour of All Modules

FanDesk brings 12 modules into one platform:

Additional tools:

• Notes — Quick personal notes
• Reminders — Smart reminders with snooze
• Knowledge Graph — AI-powered relationship map across all your data

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Setting Up DeskMate AI

DeskMate is FanDesk's AI assistant. It has access to 250+ tools across every module and can manage tasks, emails, calendar, files, and more through natural conversation.

Opening DeskMate

Click DeskMate in the sidebar or navigate to the Chat section and select the DeskMate conversation.

What DeskMate Can Do

DeskMate uses a 3-tier model system that automatically upgrades based on query complexity:

Example Prompts

• "What tasks are due this week?"
• "Create a high-priority task in the Backend project: Fix login bug"
• "Summarize my unread emails from today"
• "Schedule a 30-minute meeting with sarah@example.com tomorrow at 2pm"
• "Find all pages related to the onboarding project"
• "Show me open incidents and who is assigned"

Approval Workflows

For sensitive actions (sending emails, deleting content), DeskMate will ask for your explicit approval before proceeding. This keeps you in control at all times.

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Understanding the Interface

The Sidebar

The left sidebar is your main navigation hub:

Main Navigation — The 8 core modules (Home through Drive), accessible by pressing number keys 1-8.

Secondary Navigation — People directory, Incidents, and other modules.

User Section — Your avatar at the bottom. Click to set status, access settings, or log out.

Quick Search (Cmd+K)

Press Cmd+K (Mac) or Ctrl+K (Windows/Linux) anywhere in FanDesk to open the command palette:

• Search files, tasks, pages, and people
• Navigate to any section instantly
• Create new items (type "new task", "new page", "new event")
• Access settings and shortcuts

Setting Your Status

1. Click your avatar in the sidebar
2. Choose: Online, Away, Do Not Disturb, or Offline
3. Optionally add a status message: "In meetings until 3pm"
4. Set an expiry time — status clears automatically

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Your First Five Actions

1. Send a message — Go to Chat, find a channel, and say hello to your team
2. Create a task — Press Cmd+K, type "new task", fill in the details
3. Write a page — Go to Pages, click + New Page, explore the rich editor
4. Check your calendar — If you connected Google, your events are already there
5. Ask DeskMate — Open DeskMate and ask "What should I focus on today?"

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Next: Learn about Navigation & Shortcuts to move faster through FanDesk.