Getting Started with Archie

Archie has four core components. Each works independently, but they compound quickly when wired together. This guide explains what each one does and the order to set them up.

The four components

Topics

A Topic is a conversation thread with Archie. Ask it a question, give it a task, or start a document review — Topics are where you interact with Archie day-to-day. Archie automatically pulls from your connected Knowledge Base and live integrations (Xero, email, calendar) to answer in context, so you rarely need to copy-paste data in.

Topics are persistent. You can return to one later, share it with a colleague, or promote it into a WorkStream if the work repeats.

WorkStreams

A WorkStream is a reusable workflow. If a task in a Topic is worth repeating — monthly bank reconciliation, weekly payroll journal entry, quarterly VAT return — you save it as a WorkStream so Archie can run it automatically each period.

WorkStreams run as Cycles. Each Cycle is one execution: Archie works through the steps, pauses at any approval gates, and produces a result you can review and approve before it takes effect.

Integrations

Integrations connect Archie to your data sources — currently Xero (more coming). Once connected, Archie can read invoices, bills, bank transactions, chart-of-accounts, and contacts directly. It does not need you to export or paste anything.

Each integration connection is scoped to your workspace. If you have multiple Xero organisations, connect each one and Archie will ask you which to use when it matters.

Inbox

Inbox connects Archie to your email and calendar. Archie can draft replies, summarise threads, pull meeting context into Topics, and surface follow-ups. Inbox connections are per-user (your Google or Microsoft account) rather than shared at org level.

How they fit together

The typical flow for a new user:

1. Connect your integrations — go to Settings → Integrations and connect Xero. This gives Archie live access to your accounting data.
2. Ask Archie a question in a Topic — open a new Topic and ask something like “Show me all unpaid invoices over 60 days”. Archie will call your Xero integration directly and return a live answer. No export needed.
3. Connect your Inbox — go to Settings → Inbox and connect your email. Archie can now read client email context when you're discussing a matter in a Topic.
4. Turn a repeating task into a WorkStream — if you find yourself doing the same multi-step task in Topics each month, mention it to Archie and ask it to save a WorkStream. Next month Archie starts the Cycle automatically and walks you through approvals.

What the Knowledge Base is

The Knowledge Base is Archie's regulatory and firm-specific document store. It contains tax legislation, accounting standards, and your own firm documents. Archie consults it automatically when you ask questions that need cited authority — you do not need to tell it to look there.

You do not need to upload documents to get started. The built-in corpus covers UK and Canadian tax and accounting standards out of the box.

Quick-reference

Next steps

• API Quickstart — connect Archie to Claude or your own app via the Connect API.
• WorkStreams reference — full taxonomy, execution modes, and lifecycle.
• Claude Connector — use Archie tools directly inside Claude.