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Frequently asked questions

Short answers to the things people ask most. Each links to the fuller explanation.

Getting in

I didn't get my verification or password-reset email.

Wait a few minutes and check your spam folder. If it still hasn't arrived, the server may not have email set up — ask your administrator. Reset links also expire after a while, so request a fresh one if yours is old. See Signing in.

I don't see a "Create guild" button.

Some servers turn off guild creation on purpose, so people join through invites instead. Ask an administrator to invite you, or to create a guild for you. See Your first guild.

Invite links can be set to expire or to allow a limited number of uses. Ask whoever sent it for a fresh one.

Finding things

I can't find a project or document I know exists.

Two likely reasons: you're in a different guild (check the guild rail down the far-left edge), or it hasn't been shared with you. The fastest way to look is search — press Cmd+K / Ctrl+K and type its name. See Search & shortcuts.

If you're not a member of the initiative it lives in, Initiative hides it completely — so a direct link shows "not found" rather than "access denied." Ask to be added to the initiative. See Sharing & access.

Tasks and projects

Can a task have more than one person on it?

Yes — tasks can have several assignees. See Projects & tasks.

I moved a task to another project and its status changed.

That's expected. Projects can have their own statuses, so a moved task restarts at Backlog in its new home. Just set the new status.

How do I clean up finished tasks without deleting them?

Archive them. There's a one-click "Archive done tasks," and you can filter to show archived tasks again later. Nothing is lost.

I deleted something by accident.

Check the Trash (in Guild settings, or your personal Trash for your own items). Deleted things wait there for a while before being removed for good. See Working with guilds.

Account and notifications

Why are my due dates or reminders off by a few hours?

Your timezone is probably wrong. Fix it in User settings → Profile. See Profile & preferences.

I'm getting too many (or too few) emails.

Tune them per category in User settings → Notifications — each has its own email and mobile toggle. The in-app bell always works regardless. See Notifications.

How do I leave a group?

On the guild rail, open the guild's menu and choose Leave guild. If you're the last admin, promote someone else first. See Working with guilds.

What's the difference between deactivating and deleting my account?

Deactivating is reversible — you're switched off but your data is kept. Deleting is permanent, and you choose whether your past contributions are anonymized or fully removed. See Profile & preferences.

Privacy and data

Can other groups on the same server see our stuff?

No. Each guild's data is isolated at the database level — other groups can't reach it. See How your data is kept separate.

Can an administrator read our private initiative?

A guild admin can see everything in their own guild — that's part of running it. Platform staff on a hosted service can only get in through temporary, recorded access, never a standing back door. See Platform roles.

Where is my data stored?

Wherever your server runs — Initiative is self-hosted, so your group controls the location. See Data & compliance.

Can I get my data out?

Yes. Export projects to a portable file, spreadsheets to CSV/Excel, and calendars to .ics. See Data & compliance.

For administrators

How do I update to a new version?

Back up, then docker compose pull and docker compose up -d. Migrations run automatically. See Backups & updates.

What do I need to back up?

The database and the uploads — together and regularly — plus keep your SECRET_KEY safe so a restore can decrypt. See Backups & updates.

Can I connect our company login?

Yes — Initiative supports single sign-on (OIDC), including mapping your provider's groups to guilds and roles. See Single sign-on.