Setup & Configuration

Setup & configuration is the one place where every setup job for a client lives. Open it from the client's hub: Settings → Clients, select the client, then open the Setup & readiness card.

It is not a first-run-only wizard. Come back whenever something needs to change — connect a new bank, re-apply a chart of accounts, add an entity, swap a close template — and re-run a single job without disturbing the others.

This page was called Guided Setup

Setup & configuration is the same flow under a clearer name. Older links and bookmarks still work and forward here.

When posting is held

Setup & configuration is the job list. If the client page says posting is held because setup changed, open the setup check. That page is headed Guided Accounting Setup. Use it to see what is blocking the client. It does not replace the job list on this page.

Who owns setup

Before the setup jobs, decide who does the work: your firm, or Kraal. Choose here, and change it later if the arrangement changes. The setup jobs below are the same either way — the choice determines who is expected to complete them.

The setup jobs

Each job is labeled Required before go-live, Recommended soon, or Optional later, so you always know what must be finished before the client launches and what can safely wait.

Connect the accounting system (required)

Connect the accounting system Kraal will use as the source of record for this client. Every later job builds on it.

Chart of accounts (required)

Establish the client's chart of accounts so reporting, posting, and review all use the right structure. Apply one of your firm's templates, upload an existing chart, build one with AI, or sync from the connected system. See Chart of Accounts.

Banking (required)

Connect banking so transaction intake and reconciliation can run cleanly. Statement upload works for every client; Plaid bank feeds are an optional add-on for clients who want automatic intake — see Connect Bank Intake.

Close template (recommended)

Assign the close template that defines this client's monthly close workflow, and set the first month you intend to close. See Client Setup & Close Workflow.

Entities (optional)

Add related entities only if this client needs them now, and record how they roll up: each entity's relationship (subsidiary, branch/division, or affiliate/investment), ownership % (asked for subsidiaries and affiliates/investments; a branch/division is part of the same legal entity, so ownership is fixed at 100% and no percentage is requested), and effective date. Single-entity clients can skip this entirely. See Working with Multiple Entities.

Starting balances and first reports (recommended)

Bring in the starting data needed for continuity, then produce the client's first reports. Take time here — accurate starting data makes reconciliation, reporting, and close much smoother downstream.

Client delivery (recommended)

Verify that invoices and client-facing outputs can actually be delivered. Portal recipients, the reply-to address, and delivery health are managed on the client's Client portal & delivery page.

What Kraal may do on its own (recommended)

Choose Max or Assisted for this client. On Max, Kraal does the routine work within the rules your firm sets. On Assisted, a person approves before Kraal posts or contacts anyone. Pause stops all new automatic work. See How Kraal earns autonomy and Autonomy & Safety.

Readiness

The job-list checks live on this page, inside Setup & configuration. They verify:

• accounting system provisioning and chart of accounts readiness
• QuickBooks connection, token health, and first sync when QuickBooks is used
• banking intake through either Plaid or statement upload
• invoice delivery and client communication paths
• first reports or first operating outputs
• setup drift that Kraal can repair automatically

When Kraal can fix an item safely, it does so in the background. When a business action is required, you see one plain-language next step.

If the client page says posting is held because setup changed, that is not one of these job-list checks. Open the page headed Guided Accounting Setup, as described above, to see what is holding posting.

After setup

Once the required jobs are done:

• The client appears in your client list and is ready to use.
• The Workspace populates with next actions based on the imported data and connected sources.
• You can begin processing transactions, reconciling accounts, and running reports immediately.

Return to Setup & configuration at any time from the client's hub. Each job can be re-run independently without affecting the others.