The first time you use the extension there's a little one-time setup for i-consult. This article explains what the **Sync i-consult** button is, what happens the first time you use it, and what to expect if your account isn't set up for i-consult yet.

```callout kind="info"
This is only about the **i-consult** side of the extension. If you only use i-scribe (pulling patients in, transcribing, generating notes and letters), you don't need i-consult set up to get going.
```

## What the "Sync i-consult" button is

On the right-hand side of the Akuru bar there's a **Sync i-consult** button with a small number-of-days input next to it. Its job is to take your upcoming appointments out of your EMR and bring them into i-consult, so the pre-consult workflow can begin for those patients.

When you run a sync, the extension:

```steps
1. Reads the number of **days ahead** you've set (anywhere from 1 to 14; the default is 7).
2. Sweeps your EMR's day view across that window and picks up each upcoming appointment: patient name, date of birth, mobile, date and appointment type.
3. Skips appointments that are in the past, and any with a mobile number that isn't a valid Australian mobile.
4. Opens the **i-consult import page** in a tab and hands the appointments over.
5. i-consult reconciles them, sorting out what's new, what changed, what was cancelled and what's unchanged. A success message then tells you the counts (including how many were left out as past or invalid-mobile).
```

```callout kind="info"
For the full appointment-sync workflow, including reviewing the import and what reconciliation protects, see [Sync your appointments to i-consult](/browser-extension/sync-appointments-to-i-consult). This article is just about getting connected the first time.
```

## The one-time i-consult login

The first time you sync, the extension opens the i-consult import page. If you're not already signed in to i-consult in that browser, you'll be asked to log in. This is a normal one-time login. Once you're signed in, future syncs open straight to the import page without asking again (until your session expires, as with any login).

```steps
1. Click **Sync i-consult** for the first time.
2. The i-consult import page opens in a new tab.
3. If prompted, **log in to i-consult** with your i-consult credentials.
4. Once you're signed in, the import page loads and your appointments come through.
```

```callout kind="success"
After this first login, the extension remembers you're signed in to i-consult for that browser session. You won't have to log in every time you sync.
```

## If you're not set up for i-consult yet

Here's the honest part. The **Sync i-consult** button is shown to everyone who has the extension, including people whose account isn't set up for i-consult yet. So it's possible to click it before your i-consult access exists.

```callout kind="warning"
If your account isn't provisioned for i-consult and you click **Sync i-consult**, you'll be taken to the i-consult page but may not be able to log in or complete a sync. This is a known rough edge we're smoothing out. The button doesn't yet check whether you have i-consult access before sending you there.
```

What's *meant* to happen, and what's coming:

- **If you already use i-consult:** sync just works. Log in once and your appointments come through.
- **If you don't use i-consult yet:** the intended experience is a simple self-signup (you won't need to enter any EMR details to get started). That smooth signup flow is still being built, so for now the cleaner path is to ask Akuru to set up i-consult for your account first.

```callout kind="info"
Not sure whether your account has i-consult? Contact Akuru support before your first sync and they'll confirm, or get you set up, so the **Sync i-consult** button works the first time you press it.
```

## A note on patients

When appointments sync successfully and create new i-consult episodes, the patients on those appointments may receive a message with a link to a pre-consult step. The exact detail of what patients receive is covered separately in [What patients receive after a sync](/browser-extension/what-patients-receive-after-a-sync). There are some caveats there worth reading (for example, the mobile number is taken from the EMR and isn't always the patient's own).

```callout kind="care"
The mobile number used for any patient message is read from your EMR. Because some records hold a next-of-kin number rather than the patient's own mobile, a message could reach the wrong person. Check the patient's mobile in the EMR is correct. See [What patients receive after a sync](/browser-extension/what-patients-receive-after-a-sync) for detail.
```

## Where your data goes during all this

```callout kind="success"
The sync moves appointment details from your EMR tab to the i-consult import page inside your browser. The extension itself doesn't send patient data to Akuru's servers or keep a copy. It reads the appointments, hands them to i-consult, and forgets them. See [Is my patient data safe? (security & privacy)](/browser-extension/extension-is-my-patient-data-safe) for the full picture.
```

```faq
### Why can I see "Sync i-consult" if I don't use i-consult?
The button currently shows for everyone with the extension. If your account isn't set up for i-consult, clicking it may take you to a page you can't log into. Ask Akuru support to set up i-consult for your account, or simply leave the button alone if you only use i-scribe.

### Do I have to log in to i-consult every time I sync?
No. You log in once per browser session. After that, syncs open the import page directly until your login expires.

### I clicked Sync i-consult and ended up on a page I couldn't use.
You're likely not provisioned for i-consult yet. This is a known gap: the button doesn't check your access before sending you there. Contact Akuru support to get i-consult enabled on your account.

### Is this the same login as i-scribe?
i-consult has its own sign-in. The first-run step here is signing in to i-consult specifically, so the extension can hand your appointments to it.
```

```callout kind="info"
**Next:** get oriented with the bar and its buttons in [A tour of the extension](/browser-extension/a-tour-of-the-extension).
```