Getting Started
How to Set Up an AI Executive Assistant
Getting started with an AI executive assistant can feel overwhelming, but the setup takes a few minutes, and once it is done you can email your assistant to schedule and reschedule meetings, find and file documents, and keep your software in sync. This walkthrough is the full setup in Carly, in the order that makes sense. First give the assistant its identity: rename it or change its signature under Customize, put it on your own company domain from the Organizations tab, and create more named agents from the Email Agents tab. Then connect your apps on the Integrations tab, starting with the email addresses you write from, because that is how the assistant knows a message is really from you, then your calendar, email, contacts, drive and the other apps you use. Next, edit your preferences, which ship prefilled with defaults most people like. Make them yours with shorthand terms (say "our blog" and the assistant knows which GitHub repository you mean), how you like times proposed, your ideal meeting length, and the codes you use when you want a really short meeting. If you already pay for ChatGPT or Claude, add Carly there too: usage through the Carly connector is free, so your existing subscription does more, and you keep emailing Carly directly for the threads where it needs to be cc'd. Finally, open the Workflows tab and start from a prebuilt template for repeat work like filing email, follow-ups and daily briefings.
Step by step
- 01
Rename your assistant or change its signature
In Carly, press Customize. You can keep the name and just change Carly's signature, or give the assistant a completely new name and signature. The one in this video is called John.
- 02
Put it on your company domain
To have the assistant email from an address on your own company domain, set it up from the Organizations tab. If you want more than one named agent, create them from the Email Agents tab, but start with your main assistant.
- 03
Add the email addresses you write from
Open the Integrations tab and add the email addresses you want the assistant to recognize before anything else. That is how it knows an email is from you and not from someone else on the thread.
- 04
Connect your calendar, email and apps
Next, connect your calendar, email, contacts and drive, then scroll to the third-party integrations, which are one click to connect. If an app you use is not listed, open Connect an API and add it there.
- 05
Make the prebuilt preferences your own
The Preferences tab comes prefilled with defaults that work for a lot of people out of the box. Delete what does not fit and add what is missing, so the assistant understands who you are and how you work.
- 06
Teach it your shorthand and meeting rules
Add the shorthand you use: say "our blog" and the assistant knows which GitHub repository you mean. Spell out how you like times proposed, your ideal meeting duration, and the codes you use when you want a really short meeting. Go as detailed as you like.
- 07
Use your assistant inside ChatGPT or Claude
If you already use ChatGPT or Claude, add the Carly plugin to ChatGPT or the Carly connector to Claude (it works in Grok and Gemini too). Usage through the connector is free, so you get more out of the subscription you already pay for. Keep emailing Carly directly when it needs to be cc'd on a thread to propose times or find files. The account page in Carly explains the difference.
- 08
Start from a prebuilt workflow template
Workflows are repeat units of work: filing emails, automatic follow-ups, updating your task manager, custom briefings. Open the Workflows tab and set one up, such as filing email from a sender, a daily to-do digest by email, or catching promises you make by email and sending them to Todoist.
Ready to automate your busywork?
Carly schedules, researches, and briefs you—so you can focus on what matters.
See what people say
"Before Carly, I relied on a Calendly link, but the whole process felt impersonal and not very professional. Carly changed that by handling all the back-and-forth, so I'm no longer stuck in endless email threads trying to line up schedules.
Now Carly reaches out to candidates, shares my real-time availability, lets them pick a slot, then sends a Zoom link and drops it straight into my calendar. She sends reminders to both of us before each call, which has significantly reduced no-shows and last-minute confusion.
On top of scheduling, Carly acts like a full executive assistant, sending me my schedule the night before so I can prepare for each call. It reminds me of the old x.ai assistant, but Carly is noticeably smarter, faster, and better suited to my healthcare recruitment business."