1
Sign In to Lava
Open Lava Desktop. On the sign-in screen, enter your email address or continue with a social account. Lava opens a browser window to complete the sign-in flow. Finish it there, and the app picks up your session automatically.What you’ll see: The main window opens with your apps sidebar on the left and the agent panel on the right.
2
Connect Your First App
Click the + button at the bottom of the sidebar. The Connect Lava to providers screen opens; find the app you want on the Browse providers tab (for example, Gmail) and select Connect.A browser window or in-app tab opens for that app’s sign-in. Sign in there. When you return to Lava, the app appears as a tab in the sidebar. This tab flow is for providers with the App badge; a provider with only the Connector badge is authorized directly from the picker and adds no tab.What you’ll see: The app is now open in its tab. The sidebar shows the app’s icon as active.
Authorizing the connector (so the Lava desktop agent can act through the app for you) and signing into the app’s tab (so you can see it) are separate steps. If one is still pending, the picker’s Complete setup section shows what’s left to finish.
3
Make Sure You Have Funds
The agent draws from your balance as it works. Before your first task, check that your account has funds.Click the Lava icon at the top of the sidebar to open the Lava home pane and check your balance there.If your balance is zero, click Add funds. Lava opens the billing page in your browser. Add funds there and return to the app.For a full walkthrough of funding, see Funding Your Account.What you’ll see: Your current balance in the Lava home pane.
4
Ask the Agent Something
Open the agent panel on the right side of the window. If it isn’t visible, press
Cmd+\ (Mac) or Ctrl+\ (Windows) to show it.The panel shows a few suggestion buttons (for example, “Triage my unread email” or “Draft a reply to my latest email”). Click one to try it, or type your own request in the input bar at the bottom.Keep the first task small. A good first ask is one the agent can complete in one or two steps. Try something like: “Reply to my latest email and let them know I’ll follow up tomorrow.” The agent will draft and send the reply, which means it will pause for your approval before it sends.What you’ll see: The agent responds in the panel and begins working. It may switch to the connected app’s tab to act.5
Approve the Action
Before the agent sends the reply, it pauses and shows you an Approve action card in the panel. The card describes exactly what it is about to send.Sending is a high-stakes action, so the agent pauses here by default. Review what the card says, then click Approve (orange button) to let it proceed, or Decline (stone button) to cancel. You can also select Approve and stop asking for this run if you want the agent to proceed through the rest of the current task without pausing again.What you’ll see: After you approve, the agent sends the reply.
6
See the Result
Once the agent finishes, it shows you what it did in the panel and surfaces the result on the app’s tab. If it drafted a message, the draft appears in the app. If it summarized content, the summary appears in the panel.What you’ll see: The completed output in the agent panel, and the effect (if any) visible on the app’s tab.
What You’ve Done
You signed in, connected an app, confirmed your balance, gave the agent a task, approved its action, and saw the result. That’s the full loop: the agent reads context from the active tab, asks your approval before it sends or deletes, and shows you the outcome.Next Steps
Connect Your Apps
Add more apps, connect multiple accounts, and manage what the agent can reach.
Working with the Agent
Give better tasks, follow the agent across apps, and stay in control of longer runs.