# Setting up Ancla

This guide walks you through the full Ancla setup, from creating your community to going live with token gating on Discord and Telegram.

### Step 1 — Create your community

1. Go to ancla.club and log in
2. Click Create community
3. Enter your community name and basic details

### Step 2 — Connect your token or NFT

1. Select the Solana token (SPL) or NFT collection you want to gate by
2. Paste the token mint address or search by name
3. Ancla will verify the token exists on-chain

### Step 3 — Define gating conditions

1. Set the minimum balance required to pass verification
2. (Optional) Create tiers — e.g., Whale (10,000+), Holder (1,000+), OG (any amount held for 30+ days)
3. Configure conviction rules — what happens when someone sells below the threshold

### Step 4 — Publish

1. Review your gating setup
2. Click Publish
3. Copy the verification link — this is what you'll share with your community

### Step 5 — Connect Discord

1. Click Add to Discord and authorize the Ancla bot
2. Select your server
3. Map your gating tiers to Discord roles
4. Make sure the Ancla bot role is above the roles it needs to assign in your server's role hierarchy
5. Grant the bot Manage Roles permission

### Step 6 — Connect Telegram

1. Add the Ancla bot to your Telegram group
2. Make the bot an admin with permissions to restrict members
3. Link the group in your Ancla dashboard

### Step 7 — Test it

Run two tests before announcing to your community:

1. Pass test: Use a wallet that holds enough tokens. Verify → confirm the role/access is granted.
2. Fail test: Use a wallet that does NOT meet the threshold. Verify → confirm access is denied.

If both pass, you're live. Share the verification link with your community.