# Account Setup

Before you build your first tool, you need three things in place: an account, an organisation, and a workspace. This page walks you through each one and explains what they're for - so you're not just clicking through setup screens.

The whole process takes about five minutes.

***

## Step 1: Create Your Account

1. Go to [mcpfunctions.ai](https://backoffice.mcpfunctions.ai).
2. Enter your email address and choose a password, or sign in with a supported identity provider.
3. Check your inbox for a verification email and click the link inside.
4. Log in - you'll land on the dashboard.

![Login Screen](https://1140963605-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FcNkjl1Dsug0KQrLLIjPR%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-67ac5088d26f0c150242a3c36e18c076d178ddda%2Fsetup-step1-signup.png?alt=media)

***

## Step 2: Create an Organisation

An **organisation** is the top-level container for everything - your workspaces, team members, billing, and settings. Think of it as your company account.

Most teams create one organisation. You might create more than one if you're managing completely separate business units or different clients.

1. On the dashboard, click **Create Organization**.
2. Fill in two fields:
   * **Organization name** - the display name shown throughout the dashboard (e.g. `Acme Corporation`, `Platform Team`)
   * **Organization slug** - a short, lowercase identifier used in URLs (e.g. `acme`, `platform-team`). Choose something stable - it's harder to change later.
3. Click **Create**.

![Organization Setup](https://1140963605-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FcNkjl1Dsug0KQrLLIjPR%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-aa87284727e64f44fa4a67ad5208a622adf41acd%2Fsetup-step2-create-org.png?alt=media)

> **Slug tip:** Keep the slug short and avoid special characters. Once workspaces and servers are created under it, changing the slug can break existing URLs.

***

## Step 3: Create Your First Workspace

A **workspace** is an isolated environment inside your organisation - it has its own API keys, secrets, MCP servers, and tools. Workspaces are how you separate projects, teams, or deployment stages from each other.

**How to name your workspace:**

| If you're...                  | Consider naming it...                  |
| ----------------------------- | -------------------------------------- |
| Just getting started          | `Sandbox` or `Development`             |
| Building for a specific team  | `Customer Support`, `Sales Automation` |
| Separating environments       | `Production`, `Staging`, `Dev`         |
| Working with multiple clients | `Client A - Prod`, `Client B - Dev`    |

**What to do:**

1. Open your organisation from the dashboard.
2. Click **Create Workspace**.
3. Give it a clear name that reflects its purpose.
4. Click **Save**.

![Workspace Setup](https://1140963605-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FcNkjl1Dsug0KQrLLIjPR%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-5932e571a5601a11cdaed9d6521f2361eb5f664a%2Fsetup-step3-create-workspace.png?alt=media)

{% hint style="info" %}
You can create as many workspaces as you need. A common setup is three: `Development`, `Staging`, and `Production` - so you can build and test tools without risking your live environment.
{% endhint %}

***

## Step 4: Invite Team Members

Once your organisation is set up, you can invite colleagues. Each person gets a role that controls what they can see and do.

**What to do:**

1. Go to your organisation and open the **Members** tab.
2. Click **Invite Member**.
3. Enter their email address.
4. Select a role:

| Role       | What they can do                                                                                                                         |
| ---------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Owner**  | Full access - manage members, billing, settings, and all resources. Assign this to account administrators only.                          |
| **Admin**  | Manage resources and team members across workspaces. Cannot access billing or delete the organisation. Good for team leads.              |
| **Member** | Create and use tools within workspaces they have access to. Cannot manage members or organisation settings. Right for most team members. |

5. Click **Send Invite**. They'll receive an email with a link to join.

![Team Members](https://1140963605-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FcNkjl1Dsug0KQrLLIjPR%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-a066e833e4bd83f7fe24b09edaa916fb6629bc2f%2Fsetup-step4-invite-members.png?alt=media)

{% hint style="info" %}
Members can also be given different roles at the **workspace level** - for example, someone might be a Member at the organisation level but have Admin access to a specific workspace. Manage this from the workspace's own Members tab.
{% endhint %}

***

## Step 5: Security Basics Before You Build

A few habits that will save you problems later:

**Keep API keys out of your code and conversations.** API keys are generated per workspace and used by AI assistants to authenticate with your MCP servers. Store them in a password manager or secrets vault - not in Slack, email, or a notes file.

**Use workspace secrets for external credentials.** If your tools will call external APIs (CRMs, databases, payment systems), store those credentials as workspace secrets - not directly in tool code. Secrets are encrypted and injected at runtime. See [Add Secrets for External APIs](https://docs.mcpfunctions.ai/documentation/quick-start#step-5-add-secrets-for-external-apis-if-needed) in the Quick Start for how this works.

**Give people the lowest role they actually need.** A team member who only runs and tests tools doesn't need Admin access. Use the Member role by default and elevate only when there's a clear reason.

**Separate development from production.** Use different workspaces for dev and production environments. This prevents an accidental change to a test tool from affecting a live assistant - and keeps credentials isolated between environments.

***

## You're Ready

You now have:

* An account and verified login
* An organisation to manage your team and resources
* A workspace to build in
* Team members with appropriate roles
* A clear security baseline

**Next:** [Quick Start Guide](https://docs.mcpfunctions.ai/documentation/getting-started/quick-start) - create and publish your first tool in minutes.


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.mcpfunctions.ai/documentation/getting-started/account-setup.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.