Dashboard Overview
Understand what each main dashboard area is for so you can choose the right workflow instead of clicking through the product blindly.
the RetainDB dashboard is easier to use once you stop treating it like one giant admin panel.
Think of it as four layers:
- project setup
- source and integration management
- developer tooling
- inspection and analytics
Start here if you are new
If this is your first time in the dashboard, the shortest path is:
- create or open a project
- add a source or connect an integration
- wait for the source to reach a ready state
- inspect usage, memories, or conversations only after data is flowing
The main areas
Overview
The dashboard home is the snapshot page. It gives you the high-level state of your projects, usage, and developer surfaces.
Use it when you want orientation, not detailed control.
Projects
Use /dashboard/projects to create a project, search existing ones, and open a project-specific dashboard.
This is the right place to start if you are setting up a new environment or isolating a new app.
Integrations
Use /dashboard/settings/integrations when you want to connect OAuth-backed services such as GitHub or Slack, then pass that connection into a source workflow.
Data Sources
Use /dashboard/sources to add a source, monitor sync status, and fix ingestion problems.
This is usually where “the connector exists” becomes “the data is actually searchable.”
Memories and Conversations
Use the dev pages when you want to inspect stored memory or conversation history directly:
/dashboard/dev/memories/dashboard/dev/conversations
These are debugging and validation surfaces, not the first place to onboard.
Usage
Use /dashboard/dev/usage to answer operational questions about request volume, latency, and cost trends.
API Keys, SDK, and MCP
The dev area also includes:
/dashboard/dev/keys/dashboard/dev/sdk/dashboard/dev/mcp
Go there when you already know you want to integrate programmatically.
A practical mental model
When you are unsure where to go, use this rule:
- setting up data: Projects, Integrations, Sources
- checking what got stored: Memories, Conversations
- integrating with code: API Keys, SDK, MCP
- checking health and spend: Usage
Common first-time mistakes
Starting in the dev tools
Many teams jump straight to API keys or MCP setup before they have a project and real data. That makes the rest of the product feel emptier than it is.
Treating integrations and sources as the same thing
An OAuth integration can be connected without any source actually syncing into a project yet.
Looking for retrieval bugs in the dashboard first
If the data never landed in the right project or source, the dashboard is only showing you the symptom.
Next step
If you need to set up the project boundary first, continue to projects workflow. If you already have a project and want to connect data, go to sources: add, sync, and troubleshoot.
Was this page helpful?
Your feedback helps us prioritize docs improvements weekly.