Overview
This guide covers the minimum steps to enable Charlie in your GitHub organization. Slack and Linear are optional and can be connected anytime from the dashboard.Prerequisites
- GitHub organization admin permissions (to install the app on repos)
- Access to a Linear workspace and/or a Slack workspace (optional)
- Ability to add repository environment variables for private builds/tests (optional)
1
Sign up to the dashboard
- Go to https://dashboard.charlielabs.ai/signup and sign up. You’ll land on onboarding.
2
Install the GitHub App (required)
- Click “Install on GitHub” and install the GitHub App on the repositories where you want Charlie to help.
- App slug:
charliecreates(direct link: https://github.com/apps/charliecreates/installations/select_target) - You can choose “all repositories” or a subset; you can change this later.
- App slug:
- After installation, you’ll be returned to the dashboard to finish setup.
3
Invite the @CharlieHelps GitHub user
Invite the GitHub user account
@CharlieHelps at the organization level (recommended) so teammates can request reviews from and mention Charlie directly in GitHub. If you don’t have org‑level permissions, inviting @CharlieHelps to a single repository is an acceptable alternative.-
Add to a single repository
- Open https://github.com/YOUR_ORG/YOUR_REPO/settings/access
- Click “Add people” and search for
CharlieHelps - Set the repository role to
Triageand confirm the invite
-
Add at the organization level (recommended; org owners)
- Open https://github.com/orgs/YOUR_ORG/people
- Click “Invite member” and search for
CharlieHelps - Invite
@CharlieHelpsas a member - During the invite (or after acceptance), grant repository access to the target repos with the
Triagerole
This is separate from the GitHub App installation. The App provides repo access; the
@CharlieHelps user enables mentions and PR review requests.4
(Optional) Connect Linear
You can connect Linear during onboarding or later at Manage → Integrations.
- To connect: the dashboard redirects you to Linear OAuth, then back to the dashboard.
- After connecting, link a repository to a Linear team (Onboarding → “Link Repository & Team”, or Manage → Integrations → Linear):
- Pick the GitHub repository
- Pick the Linear team
- Click “Complete Linking”
Linking ensures Charlie uses the intended repo/team without guessing.
5
(Optional) Connect Slack
You can connect Slack during onboarding or later at Manage → Integrations.
- To connect: the dashboard redirects you to Slack OAuth, then back to the dashboard.
- After connecting, link a repository to a Slack workspace (Onboarding → “Connect Slack”, or Manage → Integrations → Slack):
- Pick the GitHub repository
- Pick the Slack workspace
- Click “Complete Linking”
6
(Optional) Connect Sentry
Let Charlie reference your error data during runs. You can connect Sentry anytime from Manage → Integrations.
- In Sentry, create a user token with API access.
- In the dashboard, go to Manage → Integrations → Sentry and paste the token; choose the Sentry organization to link.
- After connecting, you can ask Charlie to “check Sentry for this issue” in Slack/Linear or a PR thread, and Charlie will pull incidents and traces as context.
7
(Optional) Add repository environment variables
If your repo needs secrets for building, linting, or tests (used by Charlie’s devbox when running your
checkCommands), add them per‑repo:- Manage → Organization → select a repository → Environment variables
- Add key/value pairs. Values are encrypted and hidden in the UI after save.
8
Verify everything works
- Open or mark a pull request “Ready for review”. By default, Charlie automatically reviews PRs when opened or marked ready.
- You can also request a review from
@CharlieHelpsor mention@CharlieHelpsin a PR/issue comment to ask for help.