# Setup Mode and Starting Processing

> Source: https://docs.trailspark.ai/getting-started/starting-processing

## What Setup Mode Is

Every new Trailspark organization starts in **setup mode**. Trailspark collects signals from the moment you connect a data source, but it doesn't map those signals, score your accounts, or sync anything to your CRM until a workspace Owner or Admin clicks **Start processing**. This gives you control over exactly when scoring begins, so it starts only after your data and your ICPs are actually in place — not partway through setup on incomplete configuration.

While you're in setup mode, a blue bar runs across the top of every page. It always starts with **Setup mode** and names the one next thing to do.

## What the Blue Bar Tells You

The bar changes as you complete each step, in this order:

| Situation | What it says | Button |
| - | - | - |
| No data source connected, no signals received | No data is coming in yet | **Connect a data source** (opens Settings > Integrations) |
| A data source or API key exists, but no signal has arrived | Your data source is connected but no signals have arrived yet | **Check connections** |
| Signals have arrived, but no signal mapping rule is active | Shows how many signals are collected and asks you to map them | **Map signals** (opens Signal Mapping) |
| Signals are mapped, but no ICP is active | Asks you to create and activate an ICP | **Set up an ICP** |
| Ready: at least one signal received, one active mapping rule, and one active ICP | Shows how many signals are collected and waiting | **Start processing** |

> [!NOTE]
> Only workspace Owners and Admins see these buttons. Other members see the same status text, plus a line asking them to ask a workspace admin.

## What You Need Before You Can Start

Three things have to be true at the same time:

1. At least one signal has been received.
2. At least one signal mapping rule is active.
3. At least one ICP is active.

Until all three are true, **Start processing** doesn't appear — the bar keeps pointing you at whichever of these is still missing.

See [Creating Signal Mapping Rules](https://docs.trailspark.ai/signal-management/creating-signal-mapping), [ICP Overview](https://docs.trailspark.ai/icp-creation/icp-overview), and [CRM Integration Overview](https://docs.trailspark.ai/crm-integration/crm-integration-overview) for how to get each piece in place.

## Starting Processing

Once you're ready, click **Start processing**. A confirmation titled **Start processing?** shows a one-line summary — how many signals are waiting, how many mapping rules are active, and how many ICPs are active — and explains that Trailspark will map the waiting signals and score your accounts against your active ICPs, with first results appearing shortly. You can pause anytime afterward from Settings > General.

If your organization has no excluded domains configured yet, the confirmation recommends adding your own company's email domain, and those of any consultants or agencies you work with, under **Excluded domains** first — see [Configuring Site Settings](https://docs.trailspark.ai/team-management/site-settings#excluded-domains) — so your own employees and contractors aren't scored as buyers. This is only a recommendation; you can start without doing it.

> [!NOTE]
> If something changes between opening the confirmation and confirming — for example an ICP gets deactivated — Trailspark doesn't start. It tells you what's still needed instead.

## What Happens After You Start

The blue bar disappears. Trailspark maps the signals that arrived during setup mode and begins scoring your accounts — nothing collected while you were setting up is lost. Check the [Dashboard](https://docs.trailspark.ai/accounts-dashboard/dashboard) to see results as they come in.

## Pausing and Resuming

The same control lives on **Settings > General**, in the **Processing** card, which shows a **Status:** of `Collecting signals only (setup)`, `Active`, `Paused by your team`, or `Paused — contact support to resume`. While you're in setup mode, the card shows the same next step as the blue bar; once you're ready, it shows **Start processing** there too.

**Pausing your own team:** An Owner or Admin can click **Pause processing** on the Processing card at any time. This stops scoring and CRM syncing — signal collection and imports keep running, so nothing is lost. An amber **Processing is paused** bar then appears for everyone, and an Owner or Admin can click **Resume processing** either there or on the Processing card. Queued work catches up once you resume.

**Paused automatically:** A red **Processing is paused** bar means something different — Trailspark paused new scoring on its own after detecting unusually high activity, to protect your account. Your team can't resume this one directly; contact support.

## How This Differs From the Setup Guide

The **Setup Guide** checklist in the bottom-right corner tracks eight configuration steps and disappears once all eight are complete. It's a separate tracker — checking off every item there does **not** start processing. The blue bar (or the Processing card in Settings > General) is what actually turns scoring on.

## Next Steps

- [Creating Signal Mapping Rules](https://docs.trailspark.ai/signal-management/creating-signal-mapping)
- [ICP Overview](https://docs.trailspark.ai/icp-creation/icp-overview)
- [Configuring Site Settings](https://docs.trailspark.ai/team-management/site-settings)
- [Dashboard](https://docs.trailspark.ai/accounts-dashboard/dashboard)