Getting Started

This guide walks you through everything from creating your account to having a real, populated BEP live in your workspace, with Claude as your authoring partner.

1. Create your account

Go to app.dotbep.com and sign up. You can register with a Google account or with your email address.

Once you’re in, you’ll land on your BEPs dashboard. It’s empty for now. That changes in a few minutes.

2. Install the prerequisites

dotBEP works together with a variety of AI clients. You also need Node.js, a small background component that makes the connection between your AI client and dotBEP possible. You don’t need to know anything about it, just have it installed.

Node.js

Download the LTS version from nodejs.org and run the installer. Follow the default options. No configuration needed.

AI Client

This documentation uses Claude Desktop as the reference AI client, and some steps will be specific to it. Download it from claude.ai/download and install it. Sign in with your Anthropic account, or create one for free during setup.

Each AI client has its own way of configuring MCP connectors like dotBEP. If you are using a different client, check its documentation to find out how to add an MCP server before continuing.

3. Get your access token

The connection between Claude and your dotBEP account is secured with a personal token. Think of it as a key that only you control.

In the platform, click your avatar or name in the top-right corner
Go to Settings → API Keys
Click New API Key, give it a name (e.g. “Claude Desktop”), and confirm
Copy the token (it starts with dbk_)

Keep this token private. Anyone who has it can access your dotBEP account.

4. Connect Claude to dotBEP

Claude Desktop lets you connect it to external tools through a configuration file. You need to add dotBEP to that file so Claude can read and edit your BEPs.

Find the configuration file

Open File Explorer, click the address bar at the top, paste the following path, and press Enter:

%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Add the dotBEP connector

Open the file and paste the following. If the file already has other connectors configured, add the dotbep block inside the existing mcpServers object.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dotbep": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@dotbep/mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "DOTBEP_TOKEN": "dbk_your_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace dbk_your_token_here with the token you copied in the previous step.

Restart Claude Desktop

Fully quit Claude Desktop and reopen it. The dotBEP connector will load automatically in the background. No further setup needed.

5. Create your first BEP

Now the interesting part. Open a new conversation in Claude Desktop and paste the following prompt, replacing the placeholders with your actual project information:

I want to create a BEP for a new project in dotBEP. The project is called [name] and [brief description of the project]. Please create it in my account and guide me through the setup.

Claude will create the project in your account and guide the conversation from there, asking for whatever it needs to complete the BEP.

6. View your BEP

Once Claude finishes, go back to app.dotbep.com. Your new BEP will appear on the dashboard. Click it to open it.

You’ll see your project fully populated: participants, responsibility matrix, BIM uses linked to the workflow you defined, and the full deliverables schedule with your milestones.

Live preview while editing

If you keep the BEP open in your browser while Claude has it loaded, the platform detects the active session automatically. A Local toggle appears in the top bar. Switch to it to see Claude’s changes reflected in real time as you continue the conversation.

This is the main authoring loop: ask Claude to adjust something, watch the change appear live, keep iterating.

What’s next

AI Assistance: understand the AI authoring model, how the connector works, and which AI clients are compatible with dotBEP.
Authoring Guide: practical prompts and examples for creating and editing every part of your BEP with your AI client.