Troubleshooting

This guide covers the everyday questions that come up when you're using assistants someone has shared with you — signing in, starting chats, tidying up your recent chats, and getting the mobile app.

If you also build assistants for other people, there's a separate troubleshooting guide for builders covering credits, editing assistants, and answering escalations.

Signing In

Deputise uses email-based sign-in. There's no password to remember — instead, we email you a secure link each time you sign in.

How to Sign In

Go to the sign-in page and enter your email address
Click Send Secure Login Link
Check your email for a message from Deputise
Click the link in the email — it'll bring you straight back to Deputise and sign you in

If Google sign-in is available for your account, you can also use the Sign in with Google button instead of the email link.

Creating an Account

If you've never used Deputise before:

On the sign-in page, click New to Deputise? Create an account
Enter your full name and email address
Complete the verification challenge if you see one
Click Create Account — we'll email you a sign-in link to confirm your address

If someone has invited you to use one of their assistants, you don't need to create an account separately — clicking the invitation link will guide you through the right steps automatically.

Accepting an Invitation

When someone shares an assistant with you, you'll get an email invitation:

Click the link in the invitation email
If you already have a Deputise account on that email, you'll be signed in automatically and the assistant will be added to your dashboard
If you're new to Deputise, you'll be asked to enter your name to set up your account — your email is filled in for you from the invitation
Once you're in, you'll land on your dashboard with the assistant ready to chat with

If you ever see a message saying the invitation was sent to a different email address, sign in with that address instead — invitations are tied to the specific email they were sent to.

When Sign-In Doesn't Work

The email hasn't arrived

Check your spam or junk folder — sign-in emails sometimes end up there
Make sure you typed your email correctly — Deputise won't tell you if an address isn't recognised, for security reasons
Wait a minute or two — email delivery can be slightly delayed
If it still hasn't come through, request a new link

The link says it's expired or already used

Sign-in links can only be used once, and they expire after a short period. If you click a link and see an error:

Go back to the sign-in page
Enter your email and request a new link
Use the most recent email you've received — older links won't work

You see "private beta" message

Deputise is currently invite-only for new sign-ups. If you've been invited to use someone's assistant, use the invitation link from your email rather than signing up directly. If you're trying to register on your own, contact us for access.

You signed in with Google before but it's not working now

If your email is linked to Google sign-in, stick with that method. Switching between email links and Google for the same address can cause issues — use whichever one you started with.

For anything related to your name, email address, subscription, or credits once you're signed in, see Managing Your Account.

Starting Chats

Once you're signed in, your dashboard is the home base for everything.

Your Dashboard

When you land on the dashboard, you'll see:

Your assistants — the ones that have been shared with you, ready to chat
Recent Chats — the five most recent conversations you've had
Quick Actions — buttons to start a new chat or carry on with your last one

Starting a New Chat

From the dashboard, click Start New Chat
If you only have one assistant, the chat opens straight away
If you have several, you'll be asked which one to talk to
Type your question and send — the assistant will reply

If the Start New Chat button is greyed out, it means no one has shared an assistant with you yet. Ask the person who set the assistant up to send you an invitation.

Continuing a Recent Chat

Each chat in Recent Chats has its full history saved. To carry on:

Click the chat in the list, or use Continue Last Chat for the most recent one
Read back through the previous messages if you need a reminder
Type your next message — the assistant remembers what you've discussed

When the Assistant Can't Help

Sometimes the assistant won't have an answer. You can ask to speak to a person — the assistant will pass your question on to the person who built the assistant, and they'll get back to you by email. Just say something like "can you get the owner to help?" or "I'd like to talk to a person."

Managing Recent Chats

The Recent Chats list on your dashboard shows your five most recent conversations, sorted by when they were last updated.

Resuming a Chat

Click anywhere on a chat in the list to open it, or click the menu (three dots) and choose Resume chat.

Deleting a Chat

If you don't want to keep a chat any more, you can remove it:

Click the menu (three dots) on the right-hand side of the chat
Choose Delete chat
Confirm in the dialogue that appears

Deleting is permanent — the conversation and all its messages are removed and can't be brought back. As soon as a chat is deleted, the next most recent one takes its place in the list.

If all you want is to tidy up the dashboard view without losing the chat, deleting isn't the only option — older chats fall out of the Recent Chats list automatically as you start new ones, since only the five most recent are shown.

Getting the Mobile App

We're working on native apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android so you can chat with your assistants on the go, with notifications and voice input.

The apps aren't live on the stores yet, but you can keep an eye on the mobile page — the install buttons will activate as soon as we go live. In the meantime, Deputise works in any modern mobile browser, so you can sign in and chat from your phone today.

Still Stuck?

If something's not working the way you'd expect, send us an email and we'll take a look. Include what you were trying to do and what happened so we can help you faster.