Step-by-step guides to help you and your team get the most out of Cannelle — from initial setup to day-to-day project and revenue management.
When you first sign up, Cannelle creates your company and admin account in one step and seeds the workspace with sample data so you can start exploring right away.
// try before you commit
Not ready to set up your own instance? The live demo at demo.cannelle.io lets you explore the full app with pre-loaded sample data — no sign-up, no email address required. Log in with demo@cannelle.io. Data resets daily.
Sign up
Enter your email on the sign-up page. A magic link is sent to your inbox — no password required.
Verify your email
Click the link in the email. Your company and admin account are created automatically.
Explore sample data
A sample client, quote, project, and invoice are pre-loaded so the workspace is ready to explore.
Configure company details
Go to Settings → Company to add your logo, address, and billing information.
Invite your team
Go to Settings → Users to invite colleagues. Assign permissions per module.
| Company | Name, logo, address, currency, and locale |
| Users | Invite team members and manage permissions |
| Task Definitions | Enable and configure task types for projects |
| Templates | Manage PDF and email templates |
| Integrations | Configure webhook endpoints |
Your profile controls how you appear to colleagues across the platform — in assignments, workspace messages, and activity feeds.
Display name
The name shown in comments, messages, and assignments
Avatar
Upload a profile photo (JPEG or PNG, max 2 MB)
Job title
Shown alongside your name in the workspace
Language
Interface language preference
Availability
Set your working hours and days off in the availability calendar
Only administrators can invite new team members. Users are invited by email and automatically receive a magic link to log in for the first time.
Open Settings → Users
Navigate to the Users section in your company settings.
Click Invite User
Enter the new user's email address and display name.
Assign permissions
Set module-level access for each domain: None, Read, Write, or Admin.
Send invitation
The user receives an email with a one-time login link (valid for 24 hours).
User activates account
Clicking the link creates their session and lands them on the dashboard.
| level | what the user can do |
|---|---|
| None | No access — the module is hidden entirely |
| Read | View records but cannot create or edit anything |
| Write | Create, view, and edit records within the module |
| Admin | Full access including deletion and module configuration |
// passwordless only
Cannelle uses magic link authentication exclusively — there are no passwords to remember or reset. Read more →
Go to the login page
Navigate to your Cannelle instance URL.
Enter your email
Type the email address associated with your account.
Check your inbox
A magic link email arrives within a few seconds. Check your spam folder if it doesn't appear.
Click the link
The link is valid for 15 minutes. Clicking it logs you in and creates a 30-day session.
Session duration
30 days — auto-extended when you're active
Auto-renewal
Sessions renew automatically past their halfway point
Multiple devices
You can be logged in on multiple devices simultaneously
Logout
Use the menu in the top-right corner to log out on any device
The dashboard is the first screen you see after logging in. It's a configurable two-column widget board — show the information that matters to you and hide the rest. Each person on your team can save their own layout.
Open Projects
Revenue Chart
Workspaces
Following Feed
Whiteboard
Uninvoiced Projects
Draft Invoices
| role | recommended widgets |
|---|---|
| Sales | Revenue Chart, Following Feed, Draft Invoices, Uninvoiced Projects |
| Project Manager | Open Projects, Workspaces, Following Feed, Whiteboard |
| Finance | Draft Invoices, Uninvoiced Projects, Revenue Chart, Following Feed |
| Company overview | Revenue Chart, Open Projects, Uninvoiced Projects, Whiteboard |
The command palette lets you navigate anywhere in the app, search for records, and trigger common actions without lifting your hands from the keyboard.
Following a record means you'll see updates whenever it changes — state transitions, new tasks, invoices issued, and more. Your personal activity feed aggregates all updates across everything you follow, both on the dashboard and on the Activity → Followings page.
Dashboard widget
Shows the 5 most recent activity entries with entity type badges (Client, Sales, Project, Invoice, Resource) and direct links to the record
Activity → Followings page
Full paginated table — date, user, entity type, record name, action description, and an info tooltip with structured change details
The Clients module manages your entire sales pipeline from first contact to long-term client. Records progress through three states as the relationship develops. See the full client guide →
Create a lead
Click New Client and fill in the contact details. New records start as Leads.
Convert to client
Leads and Prospects automatically become Clients when the first project is created.
Add contacts
Attach multiple contacts to a single client company.
Attach documents
Upload contracts, briefs, or any files directly to the client record.
Add notes
Log call notes, meeting summaries, or any internal comments on the activity timeline.
Create a quote
Start a quote directly from the client record to link it automatically.
Workspaces
Invite clients to Atelier to exchange messages and documents in a shared workspace.
Export
Export your client list to CSV for reporting or migration.
Resources are freelancers and external contractors you assign to project tasks. Cannelle tracks their services, availability, certifications, and work history.
Service matching
Availability calendar
Assignment history
Certifications
Rates
Banking details
Workspaces
Quotes are the starting point for client engagements. Build a detailed quote with tasks and pricing, generate a PDF, and convert it to a project once accepted.
Create the quote
Open the client record and click New Quote.
Add tasks
Add one or more tasks. Each task has a type, description, quantity, and unit price.
Review totals
The quote summary shows subtotal, taxes, discounts, and the grand total.
Generate PDF
Use the PDF button to produce a client-ready quote document.
Send to client
Email the PDF directly from Cannelle or download and send manually.
Convert to project
Once the client accepts, use Convert to Project to kick off delivery.
Projects are active client engagements. They contain tasks, resource assignments, files, and a full activity log. Projects can be created from a quote or from scratch.
Tasks
Add tasks to a project. Each task has a type, deadline, word count or unit, and status.
Assignments
Assign tasks to resources. Each assignment is a purchase order with a rate and deadline.
Files
Attach source files, references, and deliverables directly to the project or individual tasks.
Timeline
See all activity and status changes on the project timeline.
Clone
Clone any project or template to reuse its structure for a new engagement.
Templates
Mark a project as a template to make it available when cloning future projects.
Cannelle handles the full invoice lifecycle from draft to payment.
Create the invoice
Open a client record and click New Invoice for a client invoice, or open a project and click New Invoice for a project invoice.
Add line items
For client invoices, add services or deliverables manually. For project invoices, all tasks are added automatically as line items — you can then add, update, or remove them as needed.
Generate PDF
Preview and download the invoice as a PDF using your company's template.
Send to client
Use the Send action to email the invoice directly from Cannelle.
Track payment
Mark the invoice as Paid once payment is received. Cannelle logs the payment date.
For retainer clients, you can create a recurring invoice schedule. Cannelle will automatically generate draft invoices on the configured cadence (weekly, monthly, quarterly) so you only need to review and send.
Every invoice can be exported as a UBL 2.1 XML file — the structured e-invoicing format required or recommended across the EU. The XML is generated from the same invoice data as the PDF and is automatically saved as a document attachment on the invoice record.
This is useful for clients who require structured invoices for their accounts payable systems, and for compliance with national e-invoicing mandates being rolled out across Europe. Read more about e-invoicing →
The Resource Invoices module handles the inbound side of your finances — invoices you receive from freelancers and contractors. Every completed assignment is tracked until an invoice is registered against it, so nothing gets missed between delivery and payment. See the full workflow guide →
| Uninvoiced | All completed assignments with no invoice yet. Register an invoice directly from this list. |
| Received | Invoices that have been registered or submitted by the resource. Review and approve here. |
| Pay list | Approved invoices ready for payment. Export to Excel or generate a SEPA XML batch for your bank. |
| Paid | Permanent record of all paid invoices with payment dates. |
Open Resource Invoices → Uninvoiced
Every completed assignment without an invoice appears here.
Click Register Invoice
A modal opens pre-filled with the assignment value and the applicable tax rate.
Verify and adjust
Change the tax rate if needed, enter the invoice number from the document the resource sent, and add an optional description.
Create
The assignment moves to Received. You can combine multiple assignments from the same resource into one invoice — useful for monthly payment runs.
Bulk approval
On the Received tab, select one or more invoices with the checkboxes and click Approve. Approved invoices move to the Pay list.
SEPA XML export
On the Pay list, click SEPA XML to generate a payment batch file accepted by European banks. Upload it to your online banking platform to pay all selected invoices at once.
Excel export
Export the Pay list as a spreadsheet for your own records or to share with your accountant.
Mark as paid
Once payments go out, mark invoices as paid. They move to the Paid tab as a permanent record.
// iban and bic required for sepa
For SEPA XML exports to include payment details, each resource must have their IBAN and BIC registered under Resources → Billing. Cannelle will flag any missing details before you export.
// resources can invoice themselves
Resources with access to Atelier can submit their own invoices against completed assignments. These land directly in the Received tab — no manual registration needed on your side. You just review and approve.
Workspaces are shared messaging and file-sharing spaces between your internal team and external contacts — clients or resources. External users access workspaces through the Atelier portal. Learn more about Atelier →
To create a new workspace, go to the Workspaces tab on a Client, Resource, Quote, or Project record and click the New Workspace button. Please note that external users can also create workspaces within their Client and Resource records.
Open a client or resource record
Navigate to the Contacts tab and find the contact you want to invite.
Click Invite
Send an invitation to the contact. They will receive an email with a link to access the Atelier portal.
Add to a workspace
Once invited, the contact appears as an available participant when adding members to any workspace.
The Reports module gives you financial and operational visibility across your business. All reports support custom date-range filtering. Read about the margin reports →
| Sales per month | Monthly sales volume from quotes and deals |
| Load | Workload distribution across projects and assignments |
| Current assignments | Resources currently assigned to active projects |
| Assignments per resource | Total assignment count broken down by resource |
| Invoiced per month | Total invoiced amounts broken down by month |
| Invoiced per client | Revenue breakdown by client |
| Invoiced per group | Revenue breakdown by client group |
| Invoiced per lead type | Revenue breakdown by lead source type |
| Invoiced per country | Revenue breakdown by country |
| Invoiced per tag | Revenue breakdown by tag |
| Invoiced project margins | Cost vs. invoiced amount per project — shows margin value and percentage for every completed engagement |
| Invoiced margins per client | Portfolio-level margin rollup by client — compare profitability across your entire client base |
| Average payment times | How long clients typically take to pay invoices |
| Availability calendar | Resource availability overview across your team |
| Activity log | Full audit trail of actions taken across the platform |
// premium & bi tools
Premium Edition: The Premium Edition supports fully custom reports tailored to your business.
BI tools: You can connect your own BI tool — such as Amazon QuickSight or Microsoft Power BI — directly to the Cannelle database for more fine-grained analytics and visualisations.
// permissions
Access to Reports requires at least Read-level permission on the Reports module. Administrators can restrict access in Settings → Users.
Templates control how your PDF documents and emails look and what they contain.
Invoice template
Applied when generating invoice PDFs for clients
Quote template
Applied when generating quote/proposal PDFs
Assignment template
Used for resource purchase order PDFs
Create reusable email templates for common communications — quote follow-ups, onboarding messages, or payment reminders.
Mark any project as a template to make it reusable. When starting a new project, clone a template to copy its task structure, service types, and default pricing. Templates are managed in Projects → Templates.
Cannelle supports outbound webhooks that fire when key events happen in your workspace. Use these to connect Cannelle to external tools like Zapier, Make, Slack, or your own internal systems.
Go to Settings → Integrations
Open the Integrations section in your company settings.
Add a webhook endpoint
Enter the URL that should receive the event payload.
Choose events
Select which events should trigger the webhook — e.g., invoice sent, project completed.
Save and test
Cannelle sends a test payload so you can verify the connection.
| event | triggered when |
|---|---|
| quote.created | A new quote is created |
| quote.updated | A quote is updated |
| quote.sent | A quote is sent to a client |
| quote.converted | A quote is converted to a project |
| quote.cancelled | A quote is cancelled |
| project.created | A new project is created |
| project.updated | A project is updated |
| project.completed | A project is marked as completed |
| project.cancelled | A project is cancelled |
| invoice.created | A new invoice is created |
| invoice.updated | An invoice is updated |
| invoice.sent | An invoice is sent to a client |
| invoice.reminder1 | A first payment reminder is sent |
| invoice.reminder2 | A second payment reminder is sent |
| invoice.collection | An invoice moves to collections |
| invoice.paid | An invoice is marked as paid |
Check the technical documentation for API references, deployment guides, and developer resources.
view documentation →