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

> ## Agent Instructions
> This handbook preview targets personal CLI 0.11.1. Check installed command help and the matching backend schema before using examples with another release. Examples with named people and placeholder IDs are fictional.

# Accounts, setup and subscriptions

> How signing in, model access, connected accounts and Almanac execution fit together.

Setting up Almanac connects a person to their saved workspace, the model that does the work, and the accounts that supply context. These are distinct forms of access. A successful sign-in does not establish that an email account is connected, and a working email connection does not establish that agent execution is available.

The current desktop introduction walks through connecting ChatGPT, adding accounts, setting up iMessage and checking Almanac access. Accounts can be added later. The person can also open their saved workspace without completing every introduction step. Dismissing that introduction does not grant a subscription or provider permission.

## Model access and Almanac access

The current personal product uses a connected ChatGPT subscription for managed model calls. Almanac's own execution access is checked separately. When helping with setup, identify which check failed instead of describing every access problem as a missing subscription.

The app's billing view supplies the current plan and access state. Checkout or a billing-management page may open in the person's browser, after which the app checks for confirmation. Returning to the app is not itself proof that payment completed. If confirmation is delayed, report the observed state and use the available status check rather than claiming that the agents are ready.

Plan prices, trial eligibility and available funding methods can change. Use the current app and checkout for the person's actual offer; this article does not establish their eligibility or promise a particular allowance. [Access, usage and limits](/reference/billing-and-limits) explains the distinction between product access and native provider usage metadata.

## Bringing in context

Connected accounts let Almanac read relevant originals and perform supported actions under the person's authorization. Discover the actual connections before assuming an inbox, calendar or document service is available. Preserve the returned account identity when following an object. Two accounts at the same service can contain different information and grant different access.

For a supported but disconnected service, provide the connection flow the current tools return. The person signs in through that flow; the agent should not ask them to paste passwords or secrets into chat. A connection card can make the setup route easy to find, but presenting the card does not complete authorization. [Connected accounts](/integrations/overview) gives the operational discovery path.

A connection makes information available; understanding develops by examining it alongside conversations and existing knowledge. An account list is therefore not proof that research is complete. [Background work](/almanac/background-work) explains how Shadow and Dream reconcile what they find, and [privacy](/almanac/privacy) explains why disconnecting access differs from deleting retained understanding.