A little guidance.
One step at a time.

Account & vault · Mac and iPhone

Why can I sign in but my vault is still locked?

Your Octo account identifies you. Your encrypted vault needs a separate way to unlock its contents. An email code or a Google or Apple sign in does not replace your vault passphrase.

1. Open Octo and sign in to the same Octo account you used before. Use an email code, or Continue with Google or Continue with Apple where offered.
2. When Octo asks to unlock the vault, use your vault passphrase or your saved Recovery Kit.
3. If you already have a valid remembered device or a vault passkey set up, use that option where your installed version offers it. These must have been set up before you lost access.

What you should see
You are signed in, and the vault shows Unlocked once a valid unlock method succeeds.

If it does not work
Still locked? Use the recovery guide below. Do not assume that changing your account sign in will unlock your vault.

Account & vault · Mac and iPhone

How do I unlock my vault with a passphrase or Recovery Kit?

A Recovery Kit is a secret backup for your vault. Keep it private, just like your passphrase.

1. On Mac, open Settings → Sync & Vault and choose Unlock. On iPhone, sign in to your Octo account and follow the vault unlock screen when it appears.
2. For your passphrase, enter it exactly. On Mac choose Unlock. On iPhone choose Unlock with passphrase.
3. For your saved kit, choose Use Recovery Kit and enter the complete kit into Recovery Kit. On Mac choose Unlock; on iPhone choose Unlock with Recovery Kit.
4. Wait for the unlock and sync result before opening your accounts.

What you should see
Octo reports Vault unlocked on Mac or Vault unlocked and synced on iPhone.

If it does not work
Check you are using the correct Octo account and the complete, unedited kit. Never send the kit or passphrase to support.

Account & vault · Mac

I forgot my passphrase, but my Mac is unlocked. What should I do?

Keep the unlocked Mac available. You can change the vault passphrase from an already unlocked vault.

1. Open Settings → Sync & Vault on the Mac where the vault is already unlocked.
2. Choose Change passphrase. Enter your new passphrase in New passphrase, then repeat it in Confirm new passphrase.
3. Choose Change passphrase and wait for Passphrase changed. Save the new passphrase somewhere secure before you lock or sign out.

What you should see
Octo confirms Passphrase changed. Use the new passphrase for future passphrase unlocks.

If it does not work
If the action fails, keep the vault unlocked, check your connection and try again. Keep any Recovery Kit you already saved in a secure place.

Account & vault · Mac and iPhone

What if I have lost every way to unlock the vault?

Octo cannot reconstruct the key for your encrypted vault. Signing back into the account alone cannot recover its encrypted contents.

1. Look for your saved passphrase and Recovery Kit in places you chose for secure storage.
2. Check whether another trusted device can still unlock the same vault. If you previously set up a vault passkey, check whether your installed app offers it.
3. If a Mac still has an unlocked vault, keep it unlocked and follow the change passphrase guide.
4. If none of these options works, contact support through Contact. Describe the issue without sharing any secrets.

What you should see
You know which recovery option is still available, or that the vault cannot currently be recovered.

If it does not work
There is no documented self service reset that restores an inaccessible vault. Support cannot decrypt it for you. Do not delete local data while investigating.

Mail accounts · Mac and iPhone

How do I connect a mail account?

Signing in to Octo and connecting a mailbox are separate tasks. Your email provider may ask you to sign in again for each device.

1. On Mac, open Accounts from the account avatar. On iPhone, open More → Mail and find Accounts.
2. Choose Add account, then choose the provider option available in your app. Complete its sign in and permission screens.
3. If you choose IMAP, enter the incoming and outgoing server settings supplied by your mail provider. Use an app password if your provider requires one.
4. On iPhone, choose Save IMAP account for manual setup. Wait for connection feedback, then open the mailbox.

What you should see
The account appears in Accounts. A successful connection lets Octo fetch mail.

If it does not work
Check the provider settings and permissions. If the vault lists Gmail with Connect on this device, choose it and complete Google sign in on this device. Never send passwords or tokens to support.

Mail accounts · Mac and iPhone

What should I do when new mail stops arriving?

A message such as Couldn’t check for new mail means the last check failed. It does not prove that your mailbox is up to date.

1. Check that the device has an internet connection. Open your provider’s own mailbox and confirm whether the new message is there.
2. Return to Octo and open Accounts. Find the affected account and read its connection or error message.
3. Use Retry when the app offers it. If the provider requests sign in, finish that sign in and return to Octo.
4. Check whether a new message arrives and whether the last check time advances. If it fails again, note your app version, device and approximate time and contact support.

What you should see
The account reconnects and the last check advances, or you have a clear error to report.

If it does not work
If the problem happens after the app is in the background, say that in your report. Do not remove the account, clear app data or disable notifications just to retry. Omit message contents and account secrets from screenshots.

Taskavel · iPhone

What is Taskavel, and how do I connect it to Octo?

Taskavel is a separate service for organizing work into projects, boards and tasks. Octo connects to it so Taskavel tasks can sit alongside your mail and calendar, new tasks can go to a chosen project, and selected boards can provide task updates.

Why does Octo integrate with Taskavel?

Taskavel supplies the project and board organization and the connection interface used by this integration. You can keep work in Taskavel while using Octo as another place to work with it. Taskavel is not required to read your email. This guide explains the integration’s practical purpose; it does not claim an exclusive partnership or a comparison with other task services.

Before you begin: you need a Taskavel account, access to your intended project, an internet connection and Octo on your iPhone. An API token is a secret code that lets Octo connect as you without using your Taskavel password. Complete the Taskavel steps in your browser, then return to Octo.

1. Get a Taskavel account. Open Taskavel signup. Enter your full name, email and a new password, or use a sign in option shown there. Review the terms before choosing Create Account and follow any verification prompts. If you already have an account, sign in instead. An Octo login does not create a Taskavel account.
2. Choose a project. Open the Taskavel project you want to use, or ask its owner to invite you. Note its exact name. Projects organize work and boards group their tasks. Your account must have access before Octo can use them.
3. Open the token settings. In Taskavel, open Account Settings → AI Integration (MCP), or open AI Integration settings after signing in. Find Personal Access Tokens. This is separate from project webhooks and OAuth connected apps.
4. Create a token for Octo. Choose Create Token. In Token Name, enter a recognizable name such as Octo iPhone, then choose Create Token. The form automatically grants the mcp:full scope; you do not need to find scope checkboxes. The token acts as your account, within your project memberships and roles.
5. Copy the token once. When Your new token is ready appears, use its copy button. Copy it before leaving: Taskavel will not show the value again. Keep a backup only in secure storage such as a password manager. Never include it in screenshots, support messages or shared documents.
6. Connect Octo. On iPhone, open More → Integrations → Taskavel. Paste the value into Taskavel token. In Taskavel project, enter the exact project name for new tasks. Choose Save Taskavel settings. The token field needs the token, not your Taskavel password.
7. Verify and select updates. Wait for Taskavel settings saved. Check that the Task updates controls can load your authorized projects and boards. Then follow the board selection guide to save your choices. Connecting Taskavel alone does not choose notification boards.

What you should see
Octo confirms settings were saved and loads your authorized projects and boards. Saved board selections remain a separate step.

If it does not work
If settings are missing, sign in to Taskavel and use the account settings link above. If you left before copying the token, create another named token; the old value cannot be displayed again. If Octo rejects it, check for extra spaces, a revoked or expired token, the exact project name and project membership. Use Retry projects if discovery fails, rather than saving an empty selection. If a token is exposed, revoke its matching Personal Access Tokens entry, create a replacement and update Octo. Revocation stops clients using that token; do not disconnect unrelated OAuth apps.

Taskavel · iPhone, build 32 or later with these controls

How do I choose Taskavel boards for task updates?

Select only the projects and boards you want. Future projects and boards are not automatically included in your current selections.

1. Open More → Integrations → Taskavel. Wait for saved task update consent and the project and board names to load.
2. Review the current project and board selections. Use the board checkboxes to choose the updates you want.
3. Choose Save task update selections. Wait for the result, then choose Reload saved selections to verify what was saved.
4. If you are refreshing an existing subscription, keep the same boards selected and save once. Do not choose Disable task updates as an upgrade step.

What you should see
Saved selections match your choices. An active, pending or failed saved binding describes consent status, not live provider health.

If it does not work
Use Retry task update consent if consent did not load, or Retry projects / Retry boards when offered. Do not save an empty selection while discovery is failing.

Taskavel · iPhone, task update controls

Why are names missing, or why do I see duplicate Taskavel updates?

Project and board names help you choose the right scope. A saved selection is separate from whether the provider is delivering updates successfully.

1. Open More → Integrations → Taskavel and wait for discovery. Use Reload projects or Retry projects if names did not load.
2. For boards with identical names, compare the extra board slug shown in parentheses and select the intended board.
3. For duplicate updates, check Reload saved selections and compare which projects and boards are selected. Save the intended selections once.
4. If duplicates continue, contact support with the app version, approximate times and whether the same update appeared twice. Redact task titles, project names and people from screenshots.

What you should see
You can identify the intended board and confirm your saved selections.

If it does not work
Do not repeatedly disconnect Taskavel or choose Disable task updates as a repair step. Missing discovery names and provider delivery failures need separate investigation.

Using Octo · Mac and iPhone

Why do my Mac and iPhone screens look different?

The apps have different layouts and may receive features in different releases. Use the guide for your platform and the controls you actually see.

1. Check whether you are following the Mac or iPhone instructions shown at the top of the guide.
2. For vault setup and Change passphrase, use the Mac workflow described here. iPhone supports the passphrase and Recovery Kit unlock controls described above.
3. For task update selections, use an iPhone release that shows Save task update selections. These instructions were checked against build 32 controls.
4. If a named control is missing, include your platform and app version when you contact support. Do not substitute a destructive action with a similar name.

What you should see
You are following the matching platform instructions and can identify a version difference.

If it does not work
Face ID needs a key already available on that device. A previously configured vault passkey is not the same as account sign in. This page does not announce Android, Windows or Linux availability.