In this guide:
This page covers what you need to get started before you have a Pensero account.
Once you register, you’ll have access to more detailed guidance on how to prepare your onboarding, connect your tools, and get the most out of Pensero from day one.
The Pensero Solution
Pensero is designed to be easy to roll out and simple to use. It fits into your existing workflows and brings clarity without adding process overhead.
You can create a Pensero account through self-onboarding and get started immediately. If you need help at any point, our team is available to support you during setup and beyond.
How it works
Step 1: Connect Your Tools
Pensero plugs into the tools you already use. No new processes. No extra work for your team. In a few minutes, Pensero starts capturing a complete picture of what is actually happening.
Step 2: Get the Full Picture
Pensero brings everything together across code, tickets, documents, and collaboration. Instead of fragmented data, you get a single, clear view of where effort goes and what is really being delivered.
Step 3: Decide with Clarity
When everyone looks at the same data, conversations change. Teams align faster, trade-offs become visible, and decisions are based on facts, not perception.
Preparing your onboarding
This guide tells you exactly what to prepare. Follow these steps and you will be up and running in under 15 minutes.
First, assign your admin
Someone on your team needs to be the Pensero admin. This is the person who sets up the accounts for everyone else. Send their email to your Pensero account manager to get started.
You have two options:
One thing to know: Pensero uses Single Sign-On. No passwords. You log in with Microsoft O365, Google, or GitHub. Make sure your admin has one of those ready before the call.
Second, get the right permissions
Each integration requires someone with admin-level access. That is not always the same person.
Here is what you need:
Tool | Permission required |
Repositories (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket) | Organization owner |
Ticketing (Jira, Linear, GitHub Issues, YouTrack) | Workspace admin |
Documents (Notion, Confluence, Google Drive) | Workspace admin |
AI tools (Cursor, Copilot, Claude Code, Gemini, Codex, Cline) | Workspace admin |
Conversations (Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Chat) | Workspace access |
Absence calendar (Google, Microsoft Teams) | HR absence calendar must be synced with Calendar before connecting |
Third, connect your tools
After the onboarding you can manage your Integrations and connect each tool your team uses.
Code repositories
Pensero can keep track of your team's pull requests and related interactions. We ask for information about PR discussions, reviews, and feedback.
Type | How to connect | Permissions |
GitHub (SaaS) | OAuth | Scopes: repo, read:project, read:user, read:org. Role: Organization Owner |
GitHub (Self-hosted) | OAuth (via a GitLab OAuth app you create) or a personal access token | Instance must be publicly reachable, or have Pensero's IPs allowlisted |
GitLab (SaaS) | OAuth | Scopes: read_user, read_api, read_repository. Role: Group Owner to install, Owner or Maintainer on each connected repo. |
GitLab (Self-hosted) | OAuth (via a GitLab OAuth app you create) or a personal access token | Instance must be publicly reachable, or have Pensero's IPs allowlisted |
Bitbucket (SaaS) | OAuth | Read access to repository metadata, and read/write access to Pull Requests, needed to read comments and reviews. Role: Workspace Admin to authorize, Owner or Admin on each connected repo |
Bitbucket (Self-hosted) | OAuth (via a BB OAuth app you create) or a personal access token | Instance must be publicly reachable, or have Pensero's IPs allowlisted |
Ticketing and project management
Pull requests are just one part of the picture. Connect your tickets and unlock a greater understanding of the work being done in your teams.
Provider | Type | How to connect | Permissions |
Jira / Linear / Github Projects / YouTrack | Cloud | OAuth | Scopes: read: user, read: work, offline_access. Role: Workspace Owner |
Jira / Linear / Github Projects / YouTrack | Self-hosted | Email + API token | Role: Workspace Owner. Instance must be publicly reachable, or Pensero's IPs allowlisted |
Documents
Connect Pensero to the places where work happens. Share key documents such as design reviews, PRDs, and technical specifications.
Type | How to connect | Permissions |
Notion | OAuth | Connected and managed by your company's designated Notion admin. Access is scoped to the workspace, pages, and databases you explicitly select, not the entire workspace |
Google Drive | Service account | Scope: Drive (read-only). Role: user with access to the shared folders, sharing them with the Pensero service account as Viewer |
Confluence (SaaS) | OAuth | Read-only content, page, blog, space, and search scopes. Role: user with access to the target spaces |
AI coding tools
Connect every AI tool your team uses. Pensero will show you adoption per engineer, the real impact on delivery, and whether speed is coming at the cost of quality.
Type | How to connect | Permissions |
GitHub Copilot | OAuth (separate from the repository OAuth) | Scopes: manage_billing:copilot, read:org. Role: Billing Admin |
Devin | API token | Role: Admin |
Cursor | Admin API key | Role: Admin |
Claude Code | API token for usage-based billing, or OpenTelemetry for Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise subscriptions | Role: Organization Admin to generate the API token or Pensero org token.
Subscription plans must set up OpenTelemetry (managed settings, settings.json, or shell), and usage is not backfilled from before it's configured |
Codex (OpenAI) | OpenAI Admin API key (not a regular API key) | Role: Organization Admin |
Gemini Code Assist | OAuth, or a service account for enterprise setups | OAuth needs a Google Workspace admin and a GCP project with Gemini Code Assist and Cloud Monitoring enabled. Service account needs GCP IAM roles monitoring.viewer and logging.viewer via a JSON key. Role: Pensero Admin |
AWS Bedrock (Claude Code backend) | OpenTelemetry, configured through Claude Code | Requires an AWS Bedrock bearer token and region, plus your Pensero organization token. Each developer's company email must be set so usage maps to the right person. Role: Pensero Admin to generate the org token |
Collaborative conversations
Connect your organization's Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Google Chat with Pensero and get insights about the collaborative work happening within selected team channels. We suggest connecting Pensero to channels like engineering, team, or project-specific channels.
Type | How to connect | Permissions |
Slack / Microsoft Teams / Google Chat | OAuth | Workspace admin. Scoped to the channels you connect, such as engineering, team, or project channels |
Absence Calendar
Connect your calendar and keep track of team absences. This allows you to better understand any deviations in delivery.
Important: sync your HR absence calendar with your Calendar first. Then connect in Pensero.
Type | How to connect | Permissions |
Calendar sync | OAuth (calendar) | Sync your HR absence calendar with your calendar first, then connect that calendar in Pensero |
Fourth, add your team
You have four options:
Single user: Go to Organization Settings, then Users, and click Add user. Enter the user's first name, last name, and email address. The user will receive a welcome email with sign-in instructions.
CSV import: Go to Organization Settings → Users and click Import CSV. Download the template, complete it, and upload it. The required fields are email, first name, last name, manager, and team.
Directory sync: If your organization uses Google Workspace or Microsoft, go to Organization Settings and click Fetch directory.
If this feature is not enabled by default. Please contact us through the product chat, and our team will help you enable and configure directory sync for your organization.
Review unlinked contributors: After connecting your integrations, Pensero may detect contributors from Git, ticketing, AI tools, or document platforms that are not yet linked to a user in your workspace. Go to Organization Settings → Users → Unlinked to review these identities.
The Suggested matches section highlights high-confidence matches between detected contributors and users you've already added. Link these matches to ensure all delivery is correctly attributed and your reporting is accurate.
You can find more details on how to add users in this article.
What happens next
Pensero will start processing your data, connecting your integrations and importing your team.
In the upcoming hours, you will have the full picture of your team for the last year.
Still have Questions?
If you’re not yet a Pensero customer and would like to learn more, you can book a call with our team. We’ll walk you through how Pensero works and how it can help bring clarity to your organization.