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

# Initial Setup

> Create your Windmill account, configure authentication, invite your team, and connect your first integrations like Slack, Google Workspace, and your HRIS.

This guide walks you through setting up your Windmill account and connecting the essential systems you'll need to get started.

## Account creation

Currently, the Windmill team sends account invitations directly. If you're interested in Windmill, [schedule time with our team](https://gowindmill.com/start) to get started.

Once you receive your invite (check your spam folder if you don't see it), accept the invitation to access your account. You'll be guided through the initial setup process by Windy, our AI assistant in Slack.

## Authentication

To log in to Windmill, visit [https://app.gowindmill.com/auth](https://app.gowindmill.com/auth).

Windmill supports the following authentication methods:

**Google** Recommended for companies using Google Workspace. No additional setup required. Click the Google sign-in button and authenticate with your company Google account.

**Microsoft** Recommended for companies using Microsoft 365. No additional setup required. Click the Microsoft sign-in button and authenticate with your company Microsoft account.

**Rippling** If you use Rippling for HR and SSO, you can authenticate through Rippling. A Windmill Admin must set up the Rippling connection first before users can authenticate with this method.

**SAML SSO** If your company uses an identity provider like Okta or Microsoft Entra ID, you can configure SAML SSO for your Windmill account. See [SSO and SCIM](/security/sso-and-scim) for setup instructions.

<Tip>
  We recommend all users in your account use the same authentication method.
  While not strictly required, this leads to the best experience and simplifies
  troubleshooting.
</Tip>

**Important notes about authentication:**

* Every user must be explicitly invited or provisioned as a Windmill member to use Windmill, including Windy in Slack and the Windmill Dashboard
* The email you use to invite members must match the email they use to authenticate
* Only invited or provisioned members can access Windmill

<Note>
  Login sessions last about seven days. After that, you'll be prompted to log
  in again regardless of how active you are. Active sessions refresh
  automatically in the background, so you won't see interruptions during
  normal use. MCP connections behave differently — see
  [MCP authentication](/features/mcp#authentication-and-permissions).
</Note>

## Connect Slack

After accepting your invite, you'll be guided through the Slack integration by Windy. Slack is where your team will interact with Windmill, so this connection is essential.

**Choose which channels Windy can access.** Most teams opt to have Windy join all public channels. This gives Windy the most context about team collaboration and helps identify the right moments to collect feedback.

You can configure this in **Settings > Integrations > Slack** at any time, or [add Windy to specific channels](/windy/adding-windy-to-channels) one by one if you prefer more control.

<Info>
  There is no separate Slack-only access for Windy. Anyone who uses Windy in
  Slack or the Windmill Dashboard must be a Windmill member.
</Info>

## Connect with us on Slack

Every Windmill customer gets a dedicated shared Slack channel with our team, set up through Slack Connect. It's the fastest way to reach us for support, share feedback, and ask questions—our SLA is under 24 hours, but we typically respond in under 10 minutes.

This is separate from the Windy integration above. You don't need to have connected Slack to create it—Windmill sets up the channel using our own support bot, and any member of your account can do it.

**During onboarding**, this is one of the final steps. On the **Connect with us on Slack** step:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Click Create support channel">
    Windmill creates a dedicated channel for your company and emails a Slack Connect invitation to your email.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Accept the invitation from your email">
    Open the invite and accept it to join the shared channel. You're now connected to the Windmill team.
  </Step>
</Steps>

If you'd rather set it up later, choose **Skip for now** and create the channel from your home page anytime.

**After onboarding**, you can create the channel from your home page:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open your home page">
    Go to your [home page](https://app.gowindmill.com/COMPANY/home) in the Windmill Dashboard.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Under Account setup, click Connect with us on Slack">
    This opens a dialog with the same setup option.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Create support channel">
    Windmill creates the channel and emails a Slack Connect invitation to your email. Accept the invite to join.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  The **Connect with us on Slack** card stays available on your home page until you create your support channel. Once a channel exists, the card changes to **Join support channel** and shows the invited email.
</Note>

## Connect your HRIS

Your HRIS (HR Information System) is the foundation of Windmill. We use it to build your org chart and understand your team's reporting structure.

**What Windmill collects from your HRIS:**

* Employee first name, last name, and email
* Manager and reporting structure
* Job titles and departments

**We do NOT collect:**

* Payroll information
* Addresses, Social Security Numbers, or other sensitive PII
* Employment contracts or benefits information

To connect your HRIS, go to **Settings > Integrations > Add Integrations** and select your HR system. View our full list of [available HR integrations](/integrations/integrations).

<Note>
  If you don't have an HRIS to connect, you'll need to [build your org chart
  manually](/org-chart/managing-your-org-chart). This ensures the right people
  have access to the right information within Windmill.
</Note>

## Add more integrations

The more systems you connect to Windmill, the smarter Windy becomes. Consider connecting:

* [**Google Workspace**](/integrations/google-workspace) or [**Outlook Calendar**](/integrations/outlook-calendar) - For calendar activity and automatic 1:1 detection
* [**GitHub**](/integrations/github) - For engineering contributions (requires username mapping)
* [**Jira**](/integrations/jira) - For project management activities (requires username mapping)
* [**Linear**](/integrations/linear) - For issue tracking
* [**Figma**](/integrations/figma) - For design contributions (requires username mapping)
* [**Salesforce**](/integrations/salesforce) - For sales activities and customer interactions

You can add integrations anytime by going to **Settings > Integrations > Add Integrations**. See our full [Integrations overview](/integrations/integrations) for detailed setup instructions for each integration.

## Next steps

Once you've connected your HRIS and Slack, you're ready to [build your org chart](/getting-started/building-your-org-chart) and start inviting members to Windmill.