Your first trip
Connect your assistant, create a private trip, and get your first proposal checked.
Start with the guided setup on alcove.fi. It includes connection steps for ChatGPT, Claude, and Codex, the Alcove connection address, and a first message you can copy into your assistant.
What you need
- An assistant that can connect to Alcove.
- A GitHub account and a private repository for your trip. A repository is where your plan and its proposed changes are saved.
- GitHub tools in your assistant that can edit files, create branches, and open pull requests. A read-only connection cannot save proposals.
Alcove and GitHub are separate connections. Alcove reviews proposals and remembers travelers; your assistant's GitHub tools save your trip changes. If your client lacks those tools, use a client with write access or make the changes on GitHub yourself.
Start with a clean trip
Open the Alcove trip starter. Choose Use this template → Create a new repository, name the trip, and choose Private. A fork of the public starter is not a private copy.
The starter already has the files and checks a trip needs. There are no Japan bookings to delete, no starter flag to switch, and no inherited personal limits. Keep its configuration, schemas, engine, and GitHub workflow. Your assistant can help fill in dates, budget, and preferences as you decide them.
Already have a trip repository? Give its link to your assistant and ask it to check the setup before making changes.
Connect Alcove review
Ask your assistant to connect the trip to Alcove and enable review. Open the GitHub authorization link it returns, grant access to the selected repository, then return to the conversation. Have the assistant confirm the repository is connected and review is enabled.
You can also sign in to the Alcove dashboard, connect GitHub under Providers, and enable review for the repository. Review availability remains subject to your Alcove plan and usage limits.
Ask the assistant to check privacy, required files, and whether GitHub can require checks before acceptance. Private-repository protections depend on your GitHub plan. If unavailable, keep the trip private and review the checks yourself; an enabled Alcove review is not proof that GitHub will prevent a merge.
Learn three ideas
| Idea | What it means |
|---|---|
| Discuss | Explore an option. Chat alone does not change the saved plan. |
| Propose | Save a small change for review. GitHub calls this a pull request. |
| Accept | Decide to add a specific proposal to the main plan. GitHub calls this a merge. |
Ask your assistant to read the trip's AGENTS.md, guide the planning one question at a time, and save one small proposal. It should give you a link and explain the latest checks and review concerns before you decide.
Passing checks is not proof that every travel detail is verified. Ask for evidence for material concerns using the evidence workflow. Accept the specific proposal only when you are ready. You or your authorized assistant can then merge it into the main plan and confirm the result.
Remember the people on the trip
Save traveler profiles through your assistant or the dashboard. Preferences and approved lessons stay in Alcove; trip records reference traveler IDs. After the trip, reflect on what worked and approve the lessons you want to keep.
If something is missing
- No custom connection option: check your assistant's account or workspace policy using the links in the setup guide.
- Alcove tools are missing: enable the connection for the conversation and complete sign-in. Refresh the connection if your client still shows an old tool list.
- The trip does not appear: confirm the Alcove GitHub App has access to that repository, then check the connection again.
- The assistant can read but cannot save: connect GitHub tools with write access or switch to a client that supports them.
- The proposal has not been checked: wait for the checks on its latest revision; do not treat missing results as a pass.
Next: GitHub App review · Traveler memory · Technical MCP reference