# Get started

CountWatch watches the counts your business runs on (orders, sign-ups, payments, jobs) and tells you, and your agent, when one spikes, drops or stops. Setting it up takes three steps.

## 1. Make an account

Sign up at [https://staging.countwatch.com/login](https://staging.countwatch.com/login). Free covers 10 watches, with no credit card.

## 2. Connect your first number

Pick the way that fits where the number comes from. The first count starts the watch.

| Where the number comes from | What to do |
|---|---|
| You use Claude Code, Cursor or Claude Desktop | Connect CountWatch: `claude mcp add --transport http countwatch https://staging.countwatch.com/mcp`, or add `https://staging.countwatch.com/mcp` as a custom connector, and sign in with your e-mail. No key needed. Then ask your agent: "Watch our orders and tell me when they stop." |
| Stripe, GitHub, n8n or another tool that can call a link | Make a webhook URL in the dashboard (Sources) and paste it into the tool. Each call counts one. See [Connect your data](/docs/recipes). |
| Your own code | Count where it happens. See [Your app's code](/docs/recipes/app-counter). |
| A database or a nightly job | Send its count on a schedule. See [Any other source](/docs/methods). |

## 3. Turn on alerts

Open **Destinations** in the dashboard. Turn on e-mail alerts, or add Slack, a webhook or PagerDuty (Pro). Then press **Send a test alert** (on the Overview while you set up, or next to any destination) and see it arrive.

## Skip the learning time

A new watch learns its usual pattern for about 3 weeks; simple starter rules alert meanwhile. Bring in 2 weeks or more of past counts and alerts start the same day. See [Bring in past data](/docs/import-history).

Next: [What CountWatch does](/docs/how-it-works).