Welcome to the Threadline Platform & Setup Guide
This guide is for the person installing and running Threadline itself — the Owner. It covers uploading the script, the browser installer, cron, your AI provider key, and (if you choose to) selling Threadline to other businesses as your own SaaS.
Looking for how to connect a channel, build a knowledge base, work the Inbox, or run a broadcast? That's covered in the companion Using Threadline guide — the one you'll want open once the platform itself is up and running, whether that's you running your own business in it or one of your subscribers' Admins/Agents running theirs.
What you'll set up here, in order
1. Install
Upload the zip, run the browser installer, point it at your database.
2. Cron
One line in your host's cron table keeps messages and background jobs moving.
3. AI provider
Paste in your OpenAI, Anthropic, or Gemini API key — BYOK, no subscription to us. Shared across the whole install.
4. Continue in Using Threadline
Connect your first channel, build a knowledge base, and test it — all in the companion guide.
After installing: run your platform
Once Threadline is installed, the Owner area is your control room. Start with the Owner Dashboard: its checklist tells you what is still missing. The full map is in the Owner Area Overview.
Sell it
Billing Overview: currencies, gateways, plans, tax and coupons.
Look after clients
Clients, Support Tickets and AI Usage.
Run your team
Roles, Staff & Audit Log: give each person only what they need.
Keep it healthy
Two ways to run Threadline
| Mode | Best for | What's different |
|---|---|---|
| Shared hosting (default) | cPanel-style hosting, no shell access | No extra services to install — MySQL only. This is what most buyers use. |
| VPS / Docker | A dedicated server you control | Adds a real vector database (Qdrant) and Redis for higher-volume traffic. See Docker or Dokploy installation. |
Both modes are the same product and the same purchase — which one runs is just an environment setting, not a different tier.
Optional: sell Threadline as your own SaaS
Beyond running Threadline for your own business, every install can also host other businesses as their own, fully separated Accounts — you define the plans, connect Stripe and/or PayPal, and they register and subscribe. See Payment Gateways and Subscription Plans if that's something you want to offer, the companion guide's Plans & Billing page for what your customers see when they subscribe, and Site Settings to brand the public website and emails as your own. Skip it entirely if you don't — nothing about the setup above changes either way.
Need help?
Check the Troubleshooting & FAQ page first — it covers the issues buyers actually run into (a webhook that won't verify, an "invalid API key" banner, a stalled cron job). If you're still stuck, use the support channel listed on your purchase page.