> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://notara-1.gitbook.io/notara-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://notara-1.gitbook.io/notara-docs/faq.md). # Frequently Asked Questions ## Setup & Account ### Do I need my own model API key? Only for the paid Slack bot, Notara chat and scheduled workflows. MCP clients such as Claude Code and Cursor bring their own model, on Free or paid. Notara is a platform, not a model, and deliberately doesn't bundle one. This gives you: * **Cost transparency**: your provider bills you directly. There's no opaque "AI usage" line item in your Notara invoice. * **Provider choice**: you pick the model that works best for your team and compliance requirements. * **Your rate limits**: you're not sharing capacity with other Notara customers. * **No markup**: we don't take a cut of your token spend. Anthropic Claude is the recommended provider for best performance, but Notara works with OpenAI, Gemini, Kimi, GLM, and DeepSeek as well. ### Can I use Notara without Slack? The web dashboard and MCP endpoint work without Slack. You can manage libraries, skills, connectors, and automations entirely from the dashboard. The MCP endpoint lets external agents (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.) access your workspace. The Slack bot is how most teams get day-to-day value from Notara — it's the primary conversation interface — but it's not required to use other features. ### I signed up with the wrong Slack workspace. How do I fix it? Go to **Settings → Workspace → Slack Integration**, click **Disconnect**, then **Connect Slack Workspace** and authorize the correct workspace. Your data (libraries, skills, automations) is tied to your Notara workspace, not to the Slack workspace, so nothing is lost. ### Can I connect multiple Slack workspaces to one Notara workspace? Not currently. Each Notara workspace connects to one Slack workspace. If you manage multiple Slack workspaces, you'll need separate Notara workspaces for each. You can belong to multiple Notara workspaces with a single login. *** ## Plans & Billing ### Is there a free plan? Yes. Free is $0 with no card and no time limit: one workspace for up to 2 people, up to 5 skills, 3 libraries, 25 documents, 10 MB of text and 1,000 MCP context requests per month. You use it from Claude Code, Cursor or any MCP client, which supplies its own model. See [Free plan](/notara-docs/billing/free-plan.md). ### Can two people share skills on Free? Yes. Skills are shared with everyone in the workspace, and each person's AI can use them over MCP. Both people share the 5-skill limit and the 1,000 monthly context requests. ### Do built-in library skills count toward the 5? Only when you copy one into your workspace. On Free, library skills reach your AI only after you copy them, and each copy counts as one of your 5 skills. ### Why can't I invite a second teammate on Free? Free holds 2 people, and a pending invite takes the second place until it is accepted, revoked or expires after 7 days. Revoke the invite, remove a member, or upgrade. ### Can I use workflows, Slack or connected tools on Free? No. Groups, connected tools, the Slack bot, hosted chat, scheduled workflows, approvals and the audit log are on the paid platform. Workflows and Slack also need your own model API key. ### What counts as an MCP context request? One call from your AI client to Notara, such as reading a skill prompt, searching your libraries or reading a document. One answer can make several calls. The count resets on the first of each month (UTC). Over the limit, requests are refused until the reset or an upgrade. ### What does the paid platform cost? $149/month including one person, plus $29/month for each additional person. A team of ten pays $410/month. Model usage, Apify usage on your own account and optional expert help are billed separately. See [Billing](/notara-docs/billing.md). ### Do you charge credits or mark up model usage? No. External MCP clients use their own model. Paid Slack, chat and workflows use your own model API key, and your provider bills those calls directly. Notara does not meter tokens against a credit allowance. ### What happens to my data if I upgrade? Everything carries over: skills, libraries, documents and MCP connections. Paid features unlock once payment is confirmed. ### Is my LLM usage private from Notara? Yes. Your model key calls your provider directly from Notara's servers. Notara records **token counts** for usage reporting, never the content of prompts or responses. Your conversation content is not accessible to Notara staff. *** ## Tools & Permissions ### Does Notara include Apify for workflows? Apify-powered workflows require your own Apify account and API key in a paid workspace. Connect it under **Tools → Browse catalog → Apify**. Apify bills usage separately; Notara does not supply the key or include Apify usage. See [Apify setup](/notara-docs/connectors/apify.md). Firecrawl and Perplexity can use Notara-provided keys on paid workspaces, subject to fair use. Free does not include connected tool execution. Public website research runners and result imports remain paused. ### How does the approval flow work in practice? When a team member asks the agent to do something with a `write` tool (like creating a Linear issue), the agent pauses and sends a Block Kit message to the first admin's Slack DM. The admin sees the proposed action and clicks Approve or Deny. Approving executes the tool; denying cancels it with the reason posted to the original thread. The flow expires after 30 minutes if the admin doesn't respond. ### Can I turn off the approval flow for a specific tool? Yes. Go to **Settings → Permissions**, find the tool, and change its permission level from `requires_approval` to `open`. This makes the tool execute immediately without approval. Use this for tools where your team has high trust and the action is easily reversible. You can also make this change only for specific channels using per-channel permission overrides, while keeping the workspace default at `requires_approval`. ### What's the difference between `write` and `destructive` tools? `write` tools create or modify data (create a Linear issue, send a message, update a record). `destructive` tools delete or irreversibly change data (void an invoice, delete a file, mass-update records). Destructive tools require admin-only access AND an in-channel confirmation prompt for every execution — even for admins. This extra layer prevents prompt injection attacks where someone tricks the agent into a destructive action. *** ## Skills & Libraries ### What's the difference between a skill and an automation? A **skill** is a prompt configuration — it tells the agent *how* to do something when invoked. An **automation** is a *trigger* — it schedules when something runs or connects an external event to a run. You often use both together: an automation triggers daily, and it invokes a skill that defines how to do the weekly digest. ### Can team members with the editor role manage skills without an admin? Yes. Editors can create, edit, and fork skills. The only limit is that editors cannot grant a skill elevated tool permissions — if a workspace has `linear_create_issue` at `requires_approval`, an editor can't change the skill to bypass that. Granting elevated access requires admin. ### How many skill versions are kept? Unlimited. Every save creates a version. You can browse and restore any previous version from the skill's version history panel. ### What's the `never` load policy for? Can the agent still find those documents? No — `never` means the agent cannot see the document at all. It's not in the manifest, not indexed for semantic search, and not accessible via MCP. It's purely for human reference: internal notes, sensitive drafts, historical records you don't want the agent to retrieve or reference. ### Is there a limit on how many documents a library can hold? No hard limit. Large libraries (hundreds of documents) work best with `on_demand` load policies — spine documents scale poorly because they're injected on every turn. With `on_demand`, the agent retrieves only what's relevant, so library size doesn't meaningfully affect performance. *** ## MCP & External Agents ### What can an external agent do via MCP that it can't do without it? Via MCP, an external agent (Claude Code, Cursor, a custom agent) gets access to your workspace's full tool set (connector tools), context library (as MCP resources), and skills (as MCP prompts). Without Notara MCP, the agent only has its own training data and whatever tools the IDE provides natively. ### Are MCP callers as trusted as Slack users? MCP callers are never treated as system actors or admins. They're subject to the same permission system as regular team members. Write tools require approval, destructive tools require admin confirmation. The permission level of an MCP caller is determined by the group configuration for the endpoint — it cannot self-elevate. *** ## Support ### How do I get help? Email with a description of your issue and your workspace name. Response time is typically within 1 business day. For urgent issues affecting production, include "URGENT" in the subject line. ### Is there a status page? Yes — check [status.notara.ai](https://status.notara.ai) for real-time service status and incident history.