Getting Started
Sign up, set up your workspace, and add your first manual — usually under five minutes.
1. Create an account
Head to /signup and create an account with your email or sign in with Google. We use Supabase Auth and store the minimum required to keep your data isolated.
After confirming your email (or on first Google sign-in), you'll land on the dashboard with an empty workspace ready to go.
2. Name your workspace
Your workspace is the container for all your buildings, manuals, and team members. Each new account gets a default workspace called "My Workspace" — rename it from Settings → Workspace to something meaningful (e.g., "Maple Court Apartments" or "Acme Facilities").
You can also upload a custom logo and favicon in Settings → Branding.
3. Add a building
ManualVault organizes manuals by physical location. Go to Buildings in the sidebar and click "Add Building" — set a name (e.g., "Main House") and optionally a street address.
Inside each building you create spaces (rooms, mechanical areas, units, etc.). On the free plan you get one building and up to five spaces.
4. Add your first manual
From the Manuals page (or the Dashboard panel), click "Add Manual" to open the upload sheet. There are three ways in:
- Upload — drag in a PDF you already have.
- Find Online — type the make and model. We surface official manuals from across the web; tap a result to import.
- Photo — open your camera, snap the product nameplate, and we'll identify it and run a Find Online search automatically.
After adding, the PDF is processed in the background (text extraction, embeddings, auto-filled metadata). Status moves from Processing to Ready in under a minute for most manuals.
5. Ask the AI
Once a manual is Ready, open Ask AI in the sidebar (or use the panel on the Dashboard) and ask anything — "How do I reset the Bosch dishwasher?", "What's the warranty on the rooftop unit?", "What error code means low refrigerant?".
The AI searches all your Ready manuals and answers with source references so you can jump straight to the page.
What's next
Once you've got a manual or two in, explore the rest of the docs:
- Buildings & Spaces — organize across multiple sites
- Alerts & Reminders — never miss a warranty or service
- Team & Permissions — invite your maintenance crew