Signing up
About one minute. A Google account and a browser is all you need.
What you'll learn
- Where to sign up and what you need.
- Exactly which Google scopes we request, and why.
- What happens server-side when you click Allow.
- What to do if something goes wrong.
Step 1 — Open the app
Visit app.web4guru.com. You land on the sign-in screen. The screen shows a single button: Continue with Google. There is no email/password form, no credit card prompt, no captcha.
You can bookmark this URL. It will always take you to Black Box.
Step 2 — Click Continue with Google
Black Box redirects you to Google's OAuth consent screen. If you're already signed in to Google in this browser, you'll see your account name. If not, Google asks you to sign in first.
We use the industry-standard server-side OAuth flow. The redirect is a full-page navigation, not a popup — so popup blockers don't affect it.
Step 3 — Review the scopes
Google shows a consent screen that lists exactly what Black Box is asking for. At sign-in, we request three scopes:
- openid — proves you are who you say you are.
- email — so we can send you the receipt and account emails.
- profile — your name and photo, to personalize the app.
That's it. No Gmail. No Calendar. No Drive. No Spreadsheets. If you later install a Skill that needs Gmail access (say, Inbox Management), Google will ask you again — per Skill, not up front.
This matters for two reasons. First, security: giving out broad scopes is how people get burned. Second, review speed: limited scopes keep Black Box out of Google's sensitive-scope review queue so we can ship features fast.
Step 4 — Click Allow
Google redirects you back to Black Box with a one-time code. Behind the scenes:
- The Black Box API exchanges the code for access and ID tokens.
- We read your email, name, and photo from the ID token.
- We create (or look up) your account in our database.
- We set a session cookie, scoped to app.web4guru.com, with SameSite=Lax.
- We redirect you into the app.
Total time: under a second on a typical connection.
Step 5 — Meet your CEO
You land in the Boardroom view. A single welcome card appears, signed by your CEO:
Hi, I'm your CEO.
Before I assemble your team, I need to know five things about your business. This takes about three minutes. Ready?
[ Let's go → ]
That's the onboarding interview. It's covered in detail in the next guide.
What we don't do
- We don't read your email. Period. That scope is not requested.
- We don't scan your Drive. Not at sign-in. Not ever, without a per-Skill permission prompt.
- We don't share your data with advertisers. Black Box has no ad business.
- We don't train public models on your data. Your company memory is yours.
If something goes wrong
The three most common issues and their fixes:
- Google shows "This app isn't verified" — during closed beta, Black Box is in testing mode for new Google accounts. Click Advanced and then Go to Black Box (unsafe). This is standard for beta apps and resolves at general availability.
- After sign-in, you see a blank page — refresh. If it persists, clear cookies for app.web4guru.com and try again.
- You get signed in but the Boardroom is empty — the onboarding interview may have been skipped. Click Reset onboarding in Settings, or email us and we'll re-run it.
Signing out
Top-right avatar menu → Sign out. This clears the session cookie on this browser. It does not revoke Google's grant — to revoke Black Box's access to your Google account entirely, visit myaccount.google.com/permissions.
Frequently asked
- Do I need a credit card?
- Not to sign up. Payment is collected only when you pick a paid tier; during closed beta it is deferred for approved users.
- Why Google instead of email/password?
- Fewer passwords, fewer breaches, standard identity. Other providers and email/password are on the roadmap for general availability.
- What scopes do you request?
- Only openid, email, and profile at sign-in. Gmail, Calendar, Drive are requested later — per Skill, only if you install one that needs them.
- Can I sign up without Google?
- Not during closed beta. Soon.
- What if OAuth fails?
- Refresh. Clear cookies for app.web4guru.com. Check that popups and third-party cookies are allowed. Still stuck: email hello@web4guru.com with your browser and OS.
Key takeaways
- Sign-up is Google OAuth, one click, no credit card.
- We ask for openid, email, and profile — nothing more at sign-in.
- Broader scopes (Gmail, Calendar, Drive) are requested per Skill, later.
- Total time from click to CEO is under a minute.
What to do next
- The onboarding interview — the five questions and why each one matters.
- Your 30-day plan — what happens after the interview.
- Server-side OAuth — the identity flow in depth.
- Privacy policy — what we store and what we don't.