Alpha Feature Guide (v0.8.6)

Version: 0.8.6 Last Updated: March 4, 2026

A guide to what Piper Morgan can do in the current alpha release.

---

Quick Start

Task	How
Start Piper	python main.py → opens http://localhost:8001
Check system health	python main.py status
Run setup wizard	python main.py setup or visit /setup in browser
Set preferences	python main.py preferences

---

Getting Set Up

GUI Setup Wizard

The easiest way to get started. Visit http://localhost:8001/setup after starting Piper.

What it does:

• Checks system health (Docker, Python, ports, database)
• Configures API keys (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Notion)
• Creates your user account
• Connects integrations via OAuth (Slack, Google Calendar)

CLI Alternative

For terminal lovers: python main.py setup walks through the same process.

System Health Check

Run python main.py status anytime to verify:

• Database connection
• API key validity
• Integration health
• Performance metrics

---

Core Features

Chat with Piper

The main interface. Type naturally and Piper responds.

What Piper understands well:

Category	Examples
Identity	“What’s your name?” “What can you do?” “Are you working?”
Time	“What day is it?” “What did we do yesterday?” “What’s on my agenda?”
Projects	“What projects am I working on?” “Status of [project]?” “Which should I focus on?”
Actions	“Create a GitHub issue about X” “Give me a status report”

For full chat capabilities, see the Canonical Query Test Matrix — 19 of 25 query types work (76%).

Interactive Standup

Create standup reports through conversation.

How to use:

1. Say “let’s write a standup” or type /standup
2. Piper asks what you accomplished, what’s next, any blockers
3. Review and refine iteratively until satisfied
4. Piper learns your preferences over time

Portfolio Onboarding

For new users, Piper guides you through setting up your projects.

How it works:

1. Say “Hello!” as a new user
2. Piper offers to help set up your portfolio
3. Describe your projects conversationally
4. Projects are saved for future context

---

Managing Your Work

Lists, Todos, Projects

All three work similarly with full CRUD and sharing:

Action	How
View	Click “Your Stuff” → Lists/Todos/Projects
Create	Click “+ Create” button
Edit	Click item → Edit
Delete	Click item → Delete (if you’re owner/admin)
Share	Click item → Share → Enter email + role

Sharing roles:

• Viewer: Can see but not modify
• Editor: Can modify but not delete or share
• Admin: Full access except transfer ownership

Files

Upload and manage documents.

Action	How
Upload	Files page → Upload (PDF, DOCX, TXT, MD, JSON up to 10MB)
Download	Click file → Download
Delete	Click file → Delete

Files are user-isolated — you only see your own.

Lifecycle Indicators

Projects and todos show lifecycle status badges:

• Active: Currently being worked on
• Paused: On hold
• Completed: Done
• Archived: No longer relevant

---

Integrations

Integration Health Dashboard

Where: Settings → Integrations

Check the health of all your connected services:

• Green = Healthy
• Yellow = Degraded
• Red = Failed
• Gray = Not configured

Click “Test All” for a comprehensive check, or test individual integrations.

Slack

Setup: Settings → Integrations → Slack → Connect (OAuth)

What works:

• Send messages to channels
• Read channel history
• Receive notifications

Google Calendar

Setup: Settings → Integrations → Calendar → Connect (OAuth)

What works:

• View your schedule (“What’s on my calendar?”)
• Create events
• Check availability

GitHub

Setup: Settings → Integrations → GitHub → Enter PAT token

What works:

• Create issues (“Create a GitHub issue about X”)
• Search issues
• View repository status
• Update issues

Notion

Setup: Added during setup wizard (API key)

What works:

• Create pages
• Search content
• Document analysis (“Analyze this document”)

---

Personalization

Preferences

Run python main.py preferences to set your preferences across 5 dimensions:

Dimension	What it affects
Communication	How Piper phrases responses
Work style	Task recommendations
Decision making	How much guidance vs. options
Learning	Explanation depth
Feedback	How Piper gives suggestions

Learning System

Piper learns from your interactions over time:

• Communication patterns
• Preferred workflows
• Common requests

This is experimental — feedback welcome on whether personalization feels accurate.

---

Accessibility

Piper is designed to be accessible:

• Keyboard navigation: Tab through all UI elements
• Screen readers: ARIA landmarks throughout
• High contrast: Respects system preference
• Reduced motion: Respects system preference
• Color contrast: WCAG 2.1 AA compliant (4.5:1 minimum)

---

Security

What’s Protected

Data	Protection
API keys	Encrypted in system keychain
Passwords	Bcrypt hashed (12 rounds)
Sessions	JWT tokens with expiration
Resources	Owner-based access control

What’s Not Yet Protected

• Data at rest (database contents) — use test data only
• Full encryption at rest planned for beta

Audit Logging

All sensitive operations are logged:

• Authentication events
• API key operations
• User actions

---

Commands Reference

CLI Commands

Command	Purpose
python main.py	Start server
python main.py --verbose	Start with detailed logging
python main.py --no-browser	Start without opening browser
python main.py setup	Run setup wizard
python main.py status	Check system health
python main.py preferences	Set user preferences
python main.py migrate-user	Migrate user data

Chat Commands

Command	Purpose
/standup	Start interactive standup
/help	Get help

---

Technical Details

For alpha testers who want to know what’s under the hood:

• Database: PostgreSQL (via Docker on port 5433)
• Test coverage: 7,358 tests passing
• API: FastAPI on port 8001
• Auth: JWT tokens with bcrypt passwords

---

See Also

• ALPHA_KNOWN_ISSUES.md — What’s broken or incomplete
• ALPHA_TESTING_GUIDE.md — Setup instructions
• ALPHA_QUICKSTART.md — 2-5 minute setup
• Canonical Query Test Matrix — Full chat capabilities

---

Last Updated: March 4, 2026