Part 1 · Onboarding & Activation
Activate Your Workspace (/start) or Start a 7-Day Free Trial (/trial)
What you see on screen: Immediately after purchasing any plan on Whop (Solo, Studio, Sovereign, Done-For-You $49/mo, or Executive CV Setup $19) — or signing up at /trial — you receive your private welcome link (/start?t=<check_token>). Opening it displays your Customer Photo Guides (Interactive HTML + PDF) and arms your 24-hour private setup link (/complete/<enroll_token>).
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Open the private welcome link supplied after checkout (
https://stpi-mint.stpi-cloud.workers.dev/start?t=<your_token>) and enter the exact email address you used at checkout. - Starting a 7-Day Free Trial instead? Visit
https://stpi-mint.stpi-cloud.workers.dev/trial, enter your practice name, your name, email, and primary country, and click Start my 7-day trial. - Download or open your Interactive HTML Photo Guide and PDF Photo Guide from the blue banner at the top of the welcome screen.
- Click private setup page (
/complete/<token>) to proceed to Step 2 and Step 3.
Real Example · Agency Buyer vs. Trial User
placements@northstartalent.co.za. She opens her /start?t=... link, enters placements@northstartalent.co.za, and clicks her armed /complete/... link.• Trial User: Rudo signs up at
/trial with rudo@acaciacareers.co.zw. Later, when she buys Solo on Whop with that same email, STPi automatically upgrades her trial workspace in place — keeping every candidate and draft.Create Your 16-Character Gmail App Password & Free AI Key (Gemini or Groq)
What you see on screen: STPi sends applications from your own mailbox (so replies go straight to you and your candidate) and uses your own free-tier AI key (Google AI Studio Gemini or Groq) so you never pay per-draft markups.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Create your Gmail App Password (2 minutes): Open
https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords(ensure 2-Step Verification is switched ON first). TypeSTPias the app name, click Create, and copy the 16-character password (wxyz abcd efgh ijkl). Never paste your regular Google account password. - Create your Free AI Key (1 minute): Open
https://aistudio.google.com/app/apikey(Google Gemini — recommended) orhttps://console.groq.com/keys(Groq). Click Create API key — no credit card required — and copy the key (AIza...orgsk_...). - Paid Plan Non-Gmail Mailboxes: On Solo, Studio, Sovereign, Done-For-You, and CV Setup, you can also use Outlook / Microsoft 365, Yahoo, Zoho, iCloud, or your own custom SMTP/IMAP server.
Real Example · What Valid Keys Look Like
placements@northstartalent.co.za (or simalidudu@gmail.com)• Gmail App Password:
wxyz abcd efgh ijkl (16 letters; spaces are stripped automatically)• Gemini API Key:
AIzaSyD9_example_free_gemini_flash_key_84920 (or Groq: gsk_8f92aB3c...)Complete Your Private Setup Form (/complete/<token>) & Seal Your Keys
What you see on screen: The /complete/<token> page collects your brand name, primary country, contact details, sending mailbox credentials, AI key, and optional custom sender domain. All credentials are encrypted end-to-end (RSA-OAEP + AES-256-GCM) before leaving your browser.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Section 1 · Your business: Enter your Brand name (printed on candidate CVs on Studio/Sovereign), select your Country across our 16 SADC + 5 East/Island markets (
ZA, ZW, ZM, NA, TZ, MW, BW, LS, SZ, XB, AO, KE, CD, RW, BI, UG), and enter your name and WhatsApp number. - Section 2 · Sending keys: Select your mailbox provider (
Gmail,Outlook,Yahoo,Zoho,iCloud, orMy own SMTP/IMAP server), enter the mailbox address, paste your 16-character App Password, and paste your Gemini or Groq API key. - Section 3 · Your own domain (Optional, Paid Plans): Expand Section 3 if you want every candidate to send from
candidate.name@yourdomain.co.zavia free Brevo (300/day), SMTP2GO (1,000/mo), or your own SMTP server. - Tick the consent confirmation checkbox and click Save and connect.
Real Example · Own-Domain Sending for an Agency
Northstar Talent · Country: ZA (South Africa)• Section 2 Reply Inbox:
placements@northstartalent.co.za (receives all employer replies via catch-all)• Section 3 Custom Domain:
northstartalent.co.za via Brevo relay → Maya's applications send from maya.ndlovu@northstartalent.co.za.Automatic Provisioning, Live SMTP Test & Redirect to Your /t/ Command Center
What you see on screen: As soon as you click Save and connect, your single-use /complete/<token> link is consumed, STPi dispatches the provisioning runner (provision.yml), tests your SMTP & IMAP login live, and redirects your browser straight to /t/<client_id>?t=<check_token>.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Wait ~60–120 seconds while provisioning seals your tenant configuration and runs a live SMTP/IMAP login check against your mailbox.
- Check your status anytime at
/check/<client_id>?t=<check_token>or on the top status strip of your/t/<client_id>Command Center. - If your mailbox test shows a warning, open Settings → Mailbox in your dashboard to re-verify your 16-character App Password with one click.
Real Example · Provisioning Status Output
Provision: ok · tenant northstar provisioned · SMTP login OK · IMAP reply-check OK
Part 2 · Candidate Profiles, CVs & Certificates (#settings)
Add Your First Candidate Profile (+ Add profile in Settings)
What you see on screen: Inside your /t/<id> workspace, click Settings in the left navigation rail and click + Add profile. The inline candidate creation form opens with multi-country/city chips, target job titles, avoid-words, and CV file upload (.pdf, .docx, .txt, .md, .rtf up to 8 MB).
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Click Settings in the left sidebar (or top mobile bar), then click + Add profile.
- Enter the candidate's Full name and Email address (they receive a Bcc copy and Reply-To on every approved application).
- Click one or more Countries they will hunt in (
South Africa,Zimbabwe,Zambia,Namibia,Botswana,Kenya, etc.), then click individual Cities or All of <Country>. - Type comma-separated Job titles they want (e.g.,
Programme Officer, M&E Officer, Project Coordinator) and Titles to avoid (e.g.,Director, Intern, Unpaid, Sales Rep). - Attach their base CV file (
.pdf,.docx, or.txt) or paste their full CV text, then click Add profile.
Real Example · Adding Candidate Maya Ndlovu
Maya Ndlovu · Email: maya.ndlovu@example.com• Countries:
Zimbabwe (ZW) + South Africa (ZA) · Cities: Harare, Bulawayo, Johannesburg• Job titles they want:
Programme Officer, M&E Officer, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist• Titles to avoid:
Director, Chief, Intern, Volunteer · CV File: Maya_Ndlovu_Base_CV.pdfFine-Tune Search Keywords, Per-Country Job Boards (35 Boards) & Relevance Slider
What you see on screen: Clicking Edit on any candidate card opens the comprehensive single-screen Candidate Editor (#pf-name). Here you control identity details (including optional ZA ID number / driver's licence), multi-country locations, minimum relevance score (50%–90%), per-country job boards, and structured CV experience/education.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- On any candidate card in Settings → Profiles, click Edit.
- Add or remove Wanted job titles and Words to avoid using the interactive chip inputs (
#addkw,#addav). One well-chosen avoid word (likeSeniororIntern) filters out dozens of noisy ads. - Adjust the Minimum match score slider (
#rg-min, default72%). Lowering to62%–68%widens the funnel in smaller markets; raising to78%+keeps only tightly matched vacancies. - Select specific Job boards (or leave all ticked for full country coverage across all 35 board families:
PNet,CareerJunction,Careers24,JobMail,MyJobMag,VacancyMail,NGOJobBoard,ReliefWeb,Classifieds ZW,JobsZM,GoZambiaJobs, regional newspapers, and remote boards). - Review or edit the structured Summary, Skills, Experience, and Education fields, then click Save changes.
Real Example · Configuring Candidate 3 (Lerato) for Accounting Roles
Senior Accounts Clerk, Bookkeeper, Assistant Accountant• Avoid words:
Audit Partner, Trainee, Internship · Min Relevance: 70%• Boards:
careerjunction, pnet, careers24, myjobmag · CV Design: Apex Executive (#C9A227 gold accent)Pick from All 12 ATS CV Designs, Custom Accents & Attach Certificates (Up to 3 per Batch)
What you see on screen: Every candidate card features one-click swatches for all 12 ATS-parseable CV designs (Classic, Indigo, Emerald, Sunset, Modern, Aurora, Mono, Apex Executive, Slate, Onyx, Coral, Vine), plus buttons for CV, Certificates, Photo, and Mailbox.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Pick a CV Design: Click any of the 12 design swatches on the candidate card (or inside Edit Profile) to switch their CV look immediately. Modern (
Modern,Aurora,Mono) and Executive (Apex,Slate,Onyx,Coral,Vine) designs also unlock Custom Accent Colours (#RRGGBB) and Dark / Light Header Themes. - Attach Qualification Certificates (Mandatory before sending): Click Certificates on the candidate card, select up to 3 files at a time (
.pdf,.jpg,.png, up to 8 MB each), and click Attach. Need more than 3 certificates? Simply click Certificates again — new files merge automatically by filename! - Optional Headshot Photo: Click Photo to attach a
.jpg/.png/.webpportrait for the photo-slot CV designs (Modern,Aurora,Mono,Apex,Slate,Onyx,Coral,Vine).
Real Example · Merging 5 Certificates in Two Batches
BSc_Hons_Degree.pdf, Project_Management_Cert.pdf, and Drivers_Licence.pdf → Click Attach.• Batch 2: Click Certificates again (leave 'Replace current set' unticked) → Select
SHEQ_Diploma.pdf and First_Aid.pdf → Click Attach. All 5 certificates now ride with every application!Inspect the Live Multi-Page A4 Preview (Cover Letter + Tailored CV + Certificates)
What you see on screen: Clicking Preview CV & pack opens the interactive full-screen Document Preview Modal (#pvwrap). It renders Page 1 (the business-plain Cover Letter), Page 2 (the styled A4 CV in your chosen theme, accent, and Dark/Light header mode), and Page 3+ (each attached qualification certificate on its own page).
Step-by-Step Instructions
- On any candidate card in Settings, click Preview CV & pack.
- Click through all 12 CV design pills across the top of the preview bar (
ClassicthroughVine), test Accent colour dots, and toggle Dark / Light header to compare styles live. - Click Use this design for <Candidate> to lock in your favourite look for all future applications.
- Press
Escapeor click Close to return to your workspace without losing your scroll position.
Real Example · Choosing Between Emerald, Modern & Apex Executive
Maya Ndlovu): Emerald or Vine with Light header.• Corporate Finance / Executive Roles (
Lerato Mokoena): Apex Executive with #C9A227 gold accent & Dark band.• Engineering / Tech Roles (
Noah Moyo): Modern or Slate with #2E9BFF cobalt accent.Verify & Test Your Workspace Mailbox (or Connect Per-Candidate Mailboxes)
What you see on screen: In Settings, the Sending mailbox panel displays your connected workspace address, verification timestamp, last preflight status, Test connection button, and Replace mailbox form. Each candidate card also has its own Mailbox button if you want a candidate to send from their personal Gmail/Outlook.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Scroll to Sending mailbox in Settings and click Test connection whenever you rotate an App Password or want to verify SMTP health before approving a round.
- Wait ~60 seconds and click Refresh (or tick Watch 10 min in the top bar) to see the live
SMTP login OKverification timestamp. - Optional Per-Candidate Mailbox: Want Noah's applications to send directly from
noah.moyo@gmail.cominstead of the shared agency mailbox? Click Mailbox on Noah's profile card, enter his address and 16-char App Password, and click Verify & connect.
Real Example · Shared Agency Mailbox vs. Per-Candidate Mailbox
placements@northstartalent.co.za (signed 'Maya Ndlovu via Northstar Talent', Reply-To both Maya and the agency).• Override (Per-Candidate): Noah connects
noah.moyo@gmail.com → his sends originate directly from his own Gmail.Part 3 · Daily Operation: Reviewing, Approving & Tracking
Your Daily Command Overview (#dash) — Status Strip, Quotas, Priority Queue & 14-Day Funnel
What you see on screen: The Overview view (#v-dash) is your daily home screen. At a glance it shows your 4-pill status strip (Account, Hunts, Mailbox, Queue), monthly send & active profile capacity meters, the Needs Approval priority queue, and your 14-Day Send & Reply Analytics chart.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Open your
/t/<id>workspace each morning (after the 06:00 and 10:00 SAST hunt rounds) or afternoon (after the 14:00 and 18:00 SAST rounds). - Check the top Status Strip and Capacity Meters (
Monthly sends used,Active profiles,Win / Reply rate). - Review the Needs Approval cards right at the top of Overview: you can click any match card to inspect the full draft, or click Approve & send / Pass directly.
- Need live updates while an action runs? Tick Watch 10 min in the top-right header (performs at most 10 bounded 60-second checks while the tab is visible; zero idle background polling).
Real Example · Reading Your 14-Day Conversion Funnel
29 matches → Approved: 27 → Sent: 27 (93% send success) → Employer Replies: 3 (12% reply rate).• If
Send failures shows 1, click the failed card to see why (e.g. mailbox password rotated) and click Approve & retry.Rounds View (#rounds) — Batch-Review Daily Hunt Matches
What you see on screen: Clicking Rounds in the sidebar groups all researched job matches by hunt batch (R-1018-AM · Morning matches, R-1018-PM · Afternoon matches). Each card displays the candidate name, job title, employer, relevance score (89%), application route (✉️ emailed application vs 📦 portal apply pack), and closing date countdown.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Click Rounds in the navigation bar to see every open and recent hunt batch.
- Notice the two application routes:
1. ✉️ Emailed application: The job advert includes a recruitment email address. Tapping Approve & send emails the tailored cover letter, CV PDF, and attached certificates directly from your mailbox.
2. 📦 Portal apply pack: The employer requires an online web form (e.g. Workday/SuccessFactors). STPi prepares the tailored PDF pack and cover letter so you can upload it in 30 seconds and click Mark applied. - Want to approve or skip an entire batch at once? Use Approve all & send (n) or Pass all on the round header.
Real Example · Morning Hunt Round R-1018-AM
Maya Ndlovu → Monitoring & Evaluation Officer @ Example Foundation · 89% match · ✉️ emailed application · Closes in 6 days.• Match 2:
Noah Moyo → Environmental Compliance Officer @ Example Services · 84% match · 📦 portal apply pack.Inspect the Application Drawer, Download Apply Packs & Tap Approve & Send
What you see on screen: Clicking any match card in Overview or Rounds slides open the detailed Application Inspection Drawer (#slide). It shows the full tailored cover letter, recipient address, downloadable PDF apply pack, original job posting link, candidate profile summary, and the primary action buttons.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Click any match card to open the right-hand Application Drawer.
- Read the tailored cover letter and verify the role details (
Open the job ad ↗opens the live vacancy source). - Choose your action:
• Approve & send: Immediately queues the email send (dispatchesdecide.ymland delivers via your SMTP mailbox within ~60 seconds).
• Pass: Permanently skips this vacancy and deletes its temporary draft PDFs.
• Copy letter / Download PDFs + Mark applied (Portal route): For portal vacancies, download the tailored CV PDF, click Copy letter, submit on the employer's portal, and click Mark applied.
Real Example · The Golden Rule of STPi
Activity Ledger & Employer Replies (#activity) — Instant Local Search & Filters
What you see on screen: Clicking Activity opens your chronological audit trail and employer reply tracker. Filter chips (All · Sent · Replied · Bounced · Passed) and the search bar (#q) slice your history instantly in the browser with zero network requests.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Click Activity in the left navigation rail.
- Click Replied to filter strictly to applications where an employer responded (STPi checks your reply inbox via read-only IMAP during every hunt cycle and classifies interview invites, questions, rejections, and bounces).
- Type a candidate name (e.g.
Maya), company, or job title into the search box to filter the ledger on the spot. - Click any replied item to open the drawer and read the employer's reply summary alongside the original application.
Real Example · Spotting an Interview Invitation
Replied · Candidate: Maya Ndlovu · Role: Research Assistant at Example Institute• Inline Employer Reply:
"Thank you. Please share your interview availability." — team@example.invalidManage Your Plan, Notifications, Reference Search & 3-Rail Support Desk (#help)
What you see on screen: In Settings → Plan and Help, you can inspect your active subscription tier, renewal date, and one-tap Whop upgrade cards (in Rand or USD, monthly or annual), toggle notification switches, open your Customer Photo Guides, or send a support ticket via Email, WhatsApp, or Discord.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Upgrading Your Plan: In Settings → Your plan, click Get Solo / Studio / Sovereign (in Rands or USD). Always use the same checkout email so your workspace upgrades in place automatically.
- Notification Switches: Toggle Email me new rounds, Also notify me in Discord, or Weekly digest — each switch saves instantly.
- Instant Workspace Reference (
#help): Click Help in the sidebar and type any keyword (mailbox,certificates,CV,quota) into Find a control, workflow or answer for instant offline answers. - Submit a Support Ticket: Fill out Subject, Urgency, and What happened? at the bottom of Help, then click Send via Email ↗, Send via WhatsApp ↗ (
+263 78 460 0904), or Send via Discord.
Real Example · Safe Support Handoff
Northstar Talent (northstar-4f8a)) while automatically stripping your private check_token so your link stays secret.Part 4 · Self-Hosted Editions (Free Forever Demo & Sovereign Docker)
Sovereign Self-Hosted Edition ($920/mo) — Docker Compose, Signed Licence & Unlimited Seats
What you see on screen: Sovereign buyers receive an Ed25519-signed STP1.* licence key upon checkout (and automatically on every renewal). Running docker compose -f docker-compose.sovereign.yml up -d boots the full multi-tenant STPi appliance on your own Linux server or VPS with unlimited candidates and unlimited sends.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Download Image & Compose File: On any Linux VPS or machine with Docker installed, run
docker pull ghcr.io/stpi-cloud/stpi:latestand downloadhttps://getstpi.pages.dev/downloads/docker-compose.sovereign.yml. - Generate Keys &
.env: Rundocker run --rm ghcr.io/stpi-cloud/stpi:latest stpi keygenandstpi admin-token. Create.envwithSTPI_LICENCE_KEY=<your STP1.* blob>,STPI_MASTER_KEY=<keygen>, andSTPI_ADMIN_TOKEN=<admin-token>. - Start & Verify Licence: Run
docker compose -f docker-compose.sovereign.yml up -danddocker compose -f docker-compose.sovereign.yml exec stpi stpi licence-status— verify it printsVALIDandseats: unlimited. - Add Tenants & Open Console: Run
docker compose -f docker-compose.sovereign.yml exec stpi stpi tenant add my-firm --name "My Firm", runstpi doctor, and openhttp://your-server:8080to manage all candidates, rounds, and approvals.
Real Example · Sovereign `.env` & Renewal
STPI_MASTER_KEY=8f4b2e1c9d0a7f6e5b4c3d2e1f0a9b8c7d6e5f4a3b2c1d0e
STPI_ADMIN_TOKEN=adm_9c8d7e6f5a4b3c2d1e0f
# On renewal, replace STPI_LICENCE_KEY and run: docker compose -f docker-compose.sovereign.yml up -d