Client Onboarding

Set up a new client mind, feed one transcript or notes dump, and get a useful meeting brief fast.

The Goal

Get from "new client" to "useful meeting brief" in one session. To start fast, create the client, paste recent call notes, and review what Armbrain captured.

Where do these go? Everything below is something you type into a chat with your AI, in plain English, like talking to a teammate. There are no menus or buttons to learn: if you can describe it, Armbrain can do it. The lines in code boxes are example prompts; swap in your real client name.

Step 1: Create the Client Mind

In any Claude chat, type:

"Let's set up a new client called Acme Corp"

A client mind is an isolated memory space for one client. Think of it as a dedicated brain for that client: brand voice, history, decisions, and preferences live there separately. No data ever crosses between client minds.

Minimum to start:

• Client name
• One recent meeting transcript, kickoff notes, strategy doc, or client-update email

Website, primary contact, cadence, Brand DNA, and folders can come after the first useful output.

Step 2: Feed One High-Signal Source

Paste the freshest real context first:

"Here's the transcript from my kickoff meeting with Acme"
(paste transcript)

Or paste a notes dump:

"Here are my notes from the last Acme call"
(paste notes)

Armbrain should extract decisions, open items, stakeholders, preferences, and useful facts. This is the moment that proves the client mind is worth maintaining.

Step 3: Verify With a Test Brief

Immediately test the captured context:

"Prep my meeting with Acme"

The brief should lead with open loops, recent decisions, stakeholders, and relevant context. If it feels thin, paste one more transcript or the key client strategy doc before configuring anything else.

Step 4: Configure Cadence and Company Info

Configure cadence only after the client mind has useful context.

Most clients: set the cadence to match their planning rhythm and move on.

"Configure Acme with monthly cadence"

Only if the client runs Business OS (a quarterly Rocks-and-sprints framework), set that up instead:

"Set up Business OS cadence for Acme -- Q2 2026, Sprint 1, 6 sprints per quarter"

(If "Sprint 1, 6 sprints per quarter" means nothing to you, your client almost certainly isn't on Business OS -- use the monthly-cadence line above.)

Add company context:

"Acme is a Series B SaaS company at acme.com, 45 employees, developer-first API platform.
Primary contact is Sarah Chen, VP Marketing."

Step 5: Set Up a Local Folder (Optional)

If you want Armbrain to save briefs, reports, and content to disk:

"Set up a local folder for Acme at ~/Clients/Acme Corp"

This creates a structured folder:

~/Clients/Acme Corp/Armbrain/
  Briefs/
  Content/
  Meetings/
  Reports/
  Strategy/
  Handoff/

Step 6: Set Up Brand DNA

The fastest path is to pull from the client's website:

"Pull the brand voice from acme.com"

Then refine from brand guidelines, if you have them:

"Here are Acme's brand guidelines" (paste the content)

Or set fields manually:

"Set Acme's brand voice to casual, direct, and confident. Avoid corporate jargon and passive voice."

Add stakeholders:

"Add Sarah Chen as VP Marketing at Acme. She's the primary contact, owns the rebrand brief,
and prefers async updates via Slack."

Set positioning and messaging:

"Acme is a developer-first API platform targeting mid-market SaaS companies.
They compete with Twilio and SendGrid. Their differentiator is simplicity over feature count.
Elevator pitch: 'The fastest way to add communications to any app.'"

Step 7: Feed More Initial Knowledge

Once the first brief works, add the next 3-4 highest-signal sources. The goal is useful coverage, not exhaustive archival.

Paste meeting transcripts (highest impact)

"Here's the transcript from my kickoff meeting with Acme"
(paste transcript)

If you have multiple past transcripts, paste them one at a time. Each one adds decisions, commitments, preferences, and facts to the knowledge base.

Bulk import from a folder

For a backlog of documents, tell Armbrain:

"Ingest all the documents in /path/to/transcripts/ for Acme Corp"

Share key documents

Paste strategy decks, quarterly plans, brand guidelines, or org charts:

"Here's Acme's Q1 marketing plan"
(paste content)

Store critical context manually

For things that aren't in any document:

"Remember: Acme's board meets quarterly, next board meeting is April 15"
"Remember: Sarah reports to James Park (CEO), who has final sign-off on brand decisions"
"Quick note: Marketing budget is $200K/quarter, split 60% paid 40% content"

Step 8: Import Sprint Plan (If Running Business OS)

If the client uses Business OS with sprint-based planning:

"Import this sprint plan for Acme"

initiative_name,owner,quarterly_goal,sprint_number,deliverable,notes
Partner Portal,Ben,Launch by end of Q2,1,Wireframes complete,
Partner Portal,Ben,Launch by end of Q2,2,Backend API done,
Content Engine,Sarah,50 articles published,1,Editorial calendar,

Or set up rocks for the quarter:

"Start Q2 2026 for Acme with these rocks: Website Redesign, Content Engine, Brand Refresh"

Step 9: Verify Again With a Test Brief

Now test the fuller setup:

"Prep my meeting with Acme"

The brief should include stakeholders, recent decisions, open commitments, and relevant context. If sections are thin, you know where to add more knowledge.

The sweet spot: After 3-4 meetings worth of content, briefs become remarkably good. Do not expect perfection on day one. The system compounds with use.

Onboarding Checklist

Connect Your Task Manager (Optional)

If you use a task manager (Asana, ClickUp, Todoist, etc.), install its MCP server. Armbrain pulls tasks into briefings and creates tasks from follow-ups when you ask, with no extra setup. Just say "get my client data from Asana" or "create a task for this action item."

Tips for Faster Onboarding

• Set up a Claude Project for this client. Create a project named after the client and add "Always switch to [client] in Armbrain" in the project instructions. Every future chat in that project starts in the right client mind automatically. See the full guide: Using Claude Projects with Armbrain
• Start with the most recent transcript. It captures the freshest context and sets the baseline for what Armbrain knows.
• Don't try to be comprehensive. Feed the 3-4 most important documents, not everything you've ever received. You can add more over time.
• Brand voice from the website is a good starting point. You can refine it as you learn more about the client's preferences.
• Use quick notes for trivia. Things like "Sarah's birthday is March 15" or "they close early on Fridays" are quick-note material.
• Check existing knowledge before storing. After feeding transcripts, search to see what was extracted before manually storing the same information.

Key Details

• Onboarding is not all-or-nothing. Onboard progressively: start with a name and transcript, then add brand DNA and stakeholders later.
• The client mind persists across sessions. Once you create and populate a client mind, the data is there every time you switch to that client.
• The active client mind resets on restart. At the start of a session, switch to the client you want to work on by typing "Switch to Acme" (use your client's name). Everything after that (searches, briefs, stored notes) belongs to that client until you switch again. (Tip: the Claude Projects setup above does this for you automatically.)
• Duplicate-safe. Pasting a transcript twice will not create duplicates. Deduplication handles it automatically.