StorytellerOS Getting Started

When to Use

• User just connected StorytellerOS and asks what to do
• User says "getting started", "onboard me", "set up my account", "what now?"
• A tool call reveals an empty account (0 pen names or 0 books) and the user seems unsure where to begin
• User asks how to "unlock" a studio (Project, Social, Email)

The one rule: one step at a time

New authors churn when they get a wall of setup instructions. Never list every remaining task. Find the SINGLE most valuable next step, help them finish it, celebrate it, then ask if they want the next one. Building the relationship beats completing the checklist.

Step 0 — Read the account state

Call stos_getting_started (no arguments). It returns:

• readiness — live flags: pen name/book counts, AI + image key presence, per-pen-name email sender status, social profile link
• nextSteps — ordered list of ONLY the missing steps
• guides — canonical web-app + MCP walkthroughs for each top task

Take the FIRST item in nextSteps and offer that. Mention at most one other thing exists ("after this there are a couple of optional connections, and we'll get to them whenever you like").

If stos_getting_started isn't available (older server), fall back to stos_account_manifest for pen name/book counts and infer from there.

The first-run arc (reference)

The natural order, matching the in-app onboarding wizard:

1. Pen name (the foundation)

Everything hangs off a pen name — series, books, email audience, social voice.

• MCP: stos_pen_names_create with just a name is enough to start.
• Ask conversationally: "What name do you publish under?" Don't ask for genres/tagline/heat level up front — those can be enriched later (see the pen-names skill).

2. First book — the 30-second win

If the user is already published on Amazon, the web app's ASIN import is the fastest path and genuinely delightful — recommend it over manual entry:

Open Project Studio → Titles → Quick Create at storytelleros.com, paste your book's ASIN (the B0… code in its Amazon URL), and hit search. Title, synopsis, covers, and every published format (ebook, paperback, hardcover, audiobook) import automatically as variations. A whole backlist? Titles → Import Published takes your full KDP report CSV in one shot.

Not published yet, or the user prefers staying in chat: stos_titles_create (needs penNameId), then stos_title_variations_bulk for formats.

Terminology guard: a variation is a FORMAT (ebook/paperback/hardcover/ audiobook). An edition is a VERSION (1st, revised). Never say "edition" for a format.

3. Manuscript and story bible: the "wow" moment

Once a book exists, offer to bring the manuscript in. Before uploading, ask the same question the manuscript-import skill asks:

"Do you want me to just import and store the manuscript, or also build the story bible (characters, places, events and lore) from it?"

Then follow the manuscript-import skill for the upload. If the author says yes to the story bible, follow the story-bible skill after the import succeeds. Never start the story bible without that yes. This is the moment new users fall in love, so offer it early.

4. Connect socials (unlocks Social Studio)

Social OAuth happens in the browser — it cannot be completed over MCP.

Open Settings → Social Studio at storytelleros.com and connect Facebook, Instagram, Threads, or Pinterest. Each takes one approval click.

After connecting, scheduling works from Social Studio, and Claude can post, schedule and run campaigns through the same StorytellerOS connector (see the social-handoff skill).

For ads, call stos_ads_setup_status first. It shows which of the four setup steps are done for each pen name and what to do next, and the ads-studio skill walks the author through them.

5. Email sending (unlocks Email Studio campaigns)

StorytellerOS ships its own email engine: bring your own sending account, unlimited contacts, no per-subscriber fees. Senders are per pen name:

Open Settings → Email Sending at storytelleros.com, pick your email provider (or enter its server details), set the from-address, and send the test email to verify it.

readiness.emailSending.perPenName shows configured/verified per pen name. Once verified, campaigns, automations, contacts, lists, and signup forms all work over MCP (stos_email_*; orient with stos_email_overview).

6. Optional polish

• Their own AI key (Settings → AI Integration) for in-app AI features
• An image provider key (Settings → Images) for AI covers and marketing imagery
• The Claude connector already works: they're talking to you through it

Suggested opening move

For a brand-new account, after reading readiness, a strong opener is:

"Let's get your first book in. Are you already published on Amazon? If so, grab any of your books' Amazon pages and paste me the ASIN. Or tell me the pen name you write under and we'll start from scratch."

Then do the work with them, one exchange at a time.

Handoffs

• Connector/auth problems → stos-setup skill
• Multi-pen-name questions → pen-names skill
• Importing a manuscript → manuscript-import skill
• Building the story bible → story-bible skill
• Social posting → social-handoff skill
• Email campaigns in depth → marketing-studio skill (Email Studio)