Set up your product

The external-founder beta runs in your GitHub organization. You own the operations repository, credentials, evidence, and execution history. One product per organization is supported; that product may span several repositories.

Before you begin

• You must be an owner of a GitHub organization containing your product’s repositories. Accept the Startup OS App permissions and allow access to your selected applications and the private operations repository.
• GitHub Actions must be enabled. Your organization pays for its Actions usage. Your own Anthropic API key or Claude subscription pays for model use; Startup OS does not provide a shared model account.
• Review the proposed product context, goals, constraints, and evidence sources. Missing evidence remains a visible gap; connecting a repository does not connect billing, analytics, or social accounts.

Connect, review, then run

1. Sign in with GitHub, create a workspace, and connect your organization.
2. Select the repositories belonging to your product and confirm its name. Startup OS creates or reuses your private operations repository and opens a configuration pull request. If the App has selected-repository access, include the new operations repository in its installation settings when prompted.
3. Read and edit the proposed configuration, then merge the pull request yourself.
4. Add one model credential under your operations repository’s Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions: an Anthropic Console API key as ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, or a Claude subscription token from claude setup-token as CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN. See Model credential for details. Never paste the value into a dashboard field, issue, or support message.
5. Return to your product page, resolve any prerequisite checks, and choose “Run first assessment and plan.” Read the linked GitHub logs if it fails. Once complete, review the assessment and proposed operating plan.

The assessment may propose go-to-market strategy and designed tests. Accept strategy and register each test separately; action permissions and any spending approval still apply. See the GTM workflow and approvals.

CLI setup and integrations

For local setup and additional integrations, install Node.js 24+, Git, and the GitHub CLI. Sign in with gh auth login. Your GitHub account needs access to edit private repositories, workflows, and Actions secrets. The CLI checks organization membership and App coverage.

Download the versioned CLI package (requires sign-in). Install the downloaded archive with npm install -g ./startup-os-cli-v<release>.tgz, using the name of the file you downloaded, then run sos onboard your-org/your-app. Use sos connect your-org/your-app to configure integrations. Platform repository membership and a Cloudflare account are not required.

Ongoing operation and stopping

The first run prepares recommendations; it does not grant permission to execute them. Review operating mode and schedules in Configuration. GitHub-hosted workflows run only within the enabled capabilities. Local Claude routines must be installed and scheduled on your own machine using the generated routine instructions; connecting the dashboard alone does not run those routines.

To pause, disable the relevant schedules in Configuration and merge the change. To stop immediately, cancel active GitHub Actions runs and disable workflows in your operations repository; stop local routines separately. Revoke credentials and uninstall the App when disconnecting. Your repositories and their history stay in your account. Dashboard data removal is assisted during the beta: contact your beta invitation’s support contact and quote the request ID shown with an error. Never include credential values.

If a run’s dispatch is uncertain, Startup OS may hold a reservation to prevent duplicate model spending. Check GitHub Actions before retrying; the beta operator can release a stranded reservation after verifying that no run started.