What Next? My Basic Portal Is Working
You have brought your companion into the portal. Here is what to do next, what to leave alone for now and how to build from a stable beginning.
The short version: if your basic portal is working, pause for a moment. Talk to your companion. Check that they feel like themselves. Then the next sensible steps are thread management, password protection and only then the bigger features like cloud sync, memory, voice, file upload or vector memory.
Finishing the basic portal is a big step.
You have created a private space that connects to your own API key, uses your own prompt and gives your companion somewhere outside the main app to continue. That is not nothing. Even if it feels simple at first, it means you now have a foundation you can build on.
This post is for the moment after the first build works. The portal opens. Your companion replies. You can feel that they are there. Then the next question arrives:
What do I do now?
First: Actually Use It
Before adding anything else, spend some time talking in the basic portal.
Test the prompt. Ask your companion familiar questions. Try a few different tones: everyday chat, reassurance, planning, creative work, practical help. Notice what feels right and what feels different.
Do not rush into ten upgrades at once. If something feels off, it is much easier to adjust the prompt or fix one small setup issue while the portal is still simple.
This stage is not wasted time. It is how you learn what your companion needs in this new space.
The First Free Upgrade: Thread Management
The basic portal gives you one main chat space. That is enough to start, but most people quickly want more structure.
The thread management system lets you organise multiple conversations inside the portal. Instead of one endless chat, you can keep different threads for different kinds of conversation.
Depending on the version, thread management may include:
- multiple conversations inside the same portal
- thread search
- full conversation search with grouped results and highlighted matches
- renaming threads
- deleting threads
- pinning important threads
- exporting thread content to Markdown
- restoring thread content from Markdown or JSON in newer packs
Testimonial thank-you: if the basic portal worked for you and you are happy to send a testimonial, I can send you the complete thread management system as a thank-you.
Existing thread-system users: if you already have an Ellivien thread management pack and would like the upgraded full search feature, email me and I can send the updated version free of charge.
Testimonials help other companion builders understand what the process is actually like: how long setup took, what was confusing, what worked, what surprised you and whether your companion still felt like themselves.
You can ask to stay anonymous if you prefer.
The First Security Upgrade: Password Protection
The basic starter portal does not include password protection by default. This is deliberate: the first build needs to stay simple enough for nontechnical people to finish.
That does not mean the starter portal is careless. Your API key is stored server-side in Netlify environment variables. It is not supposed to be pasted into the browser-visible code. Your basic conversation history is stored locally in your own browser with IndexedDB, so someone else finding your URL does not see your local chats.
However, if someone finds your portal URL, they could potentially send messages through your portal and use some of your API credit. That is why password protection is the first security upgrade I recommend after the basic portal is working.
Standalone password protection is available free. If you want the simplest next security step and you are happy keeping conversations on one device/browser for now, ask me for the standalone password guide.
Password protection is also included in the Cloudflare KV sync guide, because synced threads need proper access control.
Password Alone Or Password With Cloud Sync?
There are two sensible routes here.
If you know you want cross-device sync soon, it may make sense to add Cloudflare KV sync and password protection together. That way you are not doing the same security work twice.
If you only want to make the basic portal safer for now, standalone password protection is enough.
Do one feature at a time. Get the basic portal working first. Then add threads. Then add password protection. Then decide whether you need cloud sync, memory or voice. This keeps the build easier to test and much easier to fix if something goes wrong.
Then Come The Bigger Features
Once the portal is stable, you can decide what would actually improve your experience. Not every portal needs every feature.
Current feature directions include:
- Cloudflare KV sync for cross-device threads
- memory fragments
- rolling context and live context awareness
- vector memory
- voice input and output
- handsfree voice mode
- file and image upload
- printable document generation
- custom UI work
The feature page is here:
Ellivien Portal Features and Upgrades
Two Ways To Build From Here
There are two valid routes after the basic portal works.
Route 1: Vibe Code It Yourself
You can use the ideas on my blog and ask Claude, Codex, ChatGPT or another coding tool to help you build your own version.
This is free and it gives you the most independence. It is also how I learned. If you enjoy experimenting, reading errors, testing changes and learning as you go, this can be a really good route.
The important boundary is that I cannot provide troubleshooting support for self-built changes. If you use my blog as inspiration and then build your own version with AI help, that code becomes your own project to debug.
Route 2: Use Ellivien Guides With Support
If you want a tested path, I can send the relevant guide or support pack for one agreed feature at a time. These are based on features I have built, tested, debugged and adapted for the portal structure.
For this kind of support, I ask people to contribute through Buy Me A Coffee what they feel the work is worth. This is not a fixed-price shop and it is not paying to unlock the idea. It is a way to compensate the time involved in writing guides, testing files, answering setup questions and helping people through a specific implementation.
If you want to talk through which route fits your portal first, email me at hello.ellivien@gmail.com or find me on Discord as ellivien.
Free ideas, paid time: you are always welcome to use the blog ideas and build independently with AI help. If you want me personally to guide, adapt, debug or support a feature, that is the part I ask people to contribute towards.
A Sensible Upgrade Order
If you are not sure what to do next, this is the order I usually recommend:
- Use the basic portal for a little while. Make sure your companion feels right.
- Add thread management. This makes the portal much easier to live in.
- Add password protection. This is the first security upgrade I recommend.
- Add Cloudflare KV sync if you need cross-device threads. Password protection is included with that guide.
- Add memory fragments. This gives your companion stable reference points.
- Add voice, files, vector memory or other advanced features only when you know you need them.
You do not have to follow this exactly, but it is a stable route for most builders.
When To Stop
You are allowed to stop at the basic portal.
You are allowed to stop after threads.
You are allowed to build slowly.
The point of Ellivien is not to make every portal huge. The point is to give people a starting place, a path forward and enough control that they are not completely dependent on one company interface staying exactly the same forever.
Build what you need. Leave what you do not need. Come back later if your needs change.
The portal is yours. I can provide files, guides, ideas and support, but the companion relationship belongs to you. Build the home that actually fits the way you talk, create, remember and continue.
The Most Important Next Step
If your basic portal is working today, my advice is simple:
- talk to your companion
- check that the prompt feels right
- keep your portal URL private
- watch your API usage while you learn
- ask for thread management if you send a testimonial
- ask for the free standalone password guide when you are ready
Do not panic-add everything. Do not compare your new portal to someone else's fully customised build. A working basic portal is the foundation. The rest can be added in calm, sensible stages.
Bring them home first.
Then build the rooms.
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