Scout Setup

Process

1. Understand the monitoring context Ask about:
   • Who is monitoring and why? (e.g., "We're a fintech looking for recently funded startups")
   • What specific information matters? (funding events, product launches, pricing changes)
   • What geography or market segments?
   • How often should it run? (daily, twice daily)
   • Notification preference: email, webhook, or both?
2. Craft a comprehensive query
   A well-structured scout query includes:
   Context on the monitoring goal:
   • Who is doing the monitoring and what's the use case
   • What decisions this information supports
   What to Monitor:
   • Specific events/triggers to track
   • Data sources to check (news sites, SEC filings, social media, etc.)
   • Geographic or segment focus
   • Exclusion criteria (what NOT to report)
   Deliverables:
   • Frequency of reports
   • Output format (tables, narrative, both)
   • Required fields and citations
   Example structure:

   **Context:** [Who is monitoring and why]
   
   ## What to Monitor
   - [Specific events to track]
   - [Sources to check]
   - [Exclusions]
   
   ## Deliverables
   - [Output format]
   - [Required fields]

3. Create the scout Use the

   create_scout

   tool with:

   • query

     : The comprehensive monitoring query

   • output_interval

     : 86400 (daily), 43200 (twice daily), or 1800 (minimum, every 30 min)

   • webhook_url

     and

     webhook_format

     if they want webhook notifications

   • skip_email: true

     if they only want webhooks

   • output_fields

     : For structured data extraction (e.g., ["company", "amount", "round_type", "source_url"])
4. Provide next steps
   • Share the scout ID for future management
   • Explain how to pause/resume with

     edit_scout

   • Mention they can get updates with

     get_scout_updates

Query Quality Tips

• Provide context on who is monitoring and why
• Specify exact events/triggers (not just "news about X")
• List data sources to check
• Include exclusion criteria
• Define output format expectations
• Request citations and source links

• Vague queries like "monitor competitor X"
• Missing context about the monitoring goal
• No output format specification