Getting Started

Get up and running with Vectly in just a few minutes.

Last Updated: 5/27/2025

Getting Started with Vectly

Welcome to Vectly! This guide will help you get started with our AI chat platform in just a few minutes.

Step 1: Create Your Account

Sign Up Options

You can create a Vectly account using:

  • Email and Password: Traditional signup with email verification
  • Google Account: Quick signup with your Google credentials
  • GitHub Account: Perfect for developers who want to use our GitHub integration

Free Credits

Every new account receives 25 free credits to explore the platform. No credit card required!

Step 2: Explore the Interface

Dashboard Overview

After signing in, you'll see:

  • Sidebar Navigation:
    • New Chat button to start conversations
    • Recent chats list
    • Projects section
    • Settings and billing
  • Main Chat Area:
    • Model selector at the top
    • Chat input at the bottom
    • Message history in the center

Step 3: Start Your First Chat

Choose an AI Model

Click the model selector to choose from:

  • Claude 4 Opus: Best for complex reasoning and analysis
  • GPT-4.1 Turbo: Great for general tasks and code
  • GPT-4o Mini: Fast and efficient for simple queries
  • Claude 4 Sonnet: Balanced performance and cost

Enable Features (Optional)

Toggle advanced features:

  • Web Search: Let AI search the internet for current information
  • Reasoning Mode: See the AI's thought process (Claude models)
  • Prompt Caching: Reduce costs for repetitive contexts

Send Your First Message

Type your question or request and press Enter. You'll see:

  • Real-time streaming responses
  • Credit usage for each message
  • Option to copy or regenerate responses

Step 4: Organize with Projects

Create a Project

Projects help you organize related chats and share context:

  1. Click "New Project" in the sidebar
  2. Give it a descriptive name
  3. Add an optional description

Benefits of Projects

  • Keep related chats together
  • Share files and context across chats
  • Track credit usage per project
  • Collaborate with team members (coming soon)

Step 5: Add Context to Your Chats

Upload Documents

Make your AI conversations more relevant:

  1. Click the paperclip icon in the chat
  2. Upload PDFs, text files, or markdown
  3. The AI will reference these in responses

Connect GitHub Repositories

For code-related work:

  1. Go to project settings
  2. Click "Connect Repository"
  3. Select repos from your GitHub account
  4. Choose files to include/exclude

Next Steps

Now that you're set up, explore more features:

Tips for New Users

💡 Pro Tips

  1. Start with GPT-4o Mini for testing - it uses fewer credits
  2. Use projects to organize different topics or clients
  3. Upload relevant documents for better context
  4. Enable prompt caching for repetitive tasks
  5. Monitor credit usage in the bottom-left corner

âš¡ Quick Actions

  • Ctrl/Cmd + K: Quick model switch
  • Ctrl/Cmd + N: New chat
  • Ctrl/Cmd + /: Toggle sidebar
  • Shift + Enter: New line in message

Common Questions

Q: How do credits work? A: Each AI response costs credits based on the model and message length. See Credits & Billing for details.

Q: Can I get more free credits? A: Free accounts receive 25 credits monthly. Upgrade to a paid plan for more credits and features.

Q: Is my data secure? A: Yes! We use encryption and never train AI models on your data. See Security & Privacy.

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