# Lurker setup guide

Canonical guide: https://getlurker.com/setup/

Before you start

## Use Chrome on a computer.

- Have your Lurker email address and access to your email inbox ready.
- Use your own Facebook account in Chrome. Join any private group yourself and follow its rules.
- Keep the computer awake, Chrome running, and the Facebook tab used by your watcher open. Closing the laptop or suspending the tab can stop monitoring.

The iPhone app is a companion for reviewing opportunities and preparing replies. It does not monitor Facebook on its own. A cloud browser needs extension support and a persistent, active session; signing in to an agent alone does not provide those.

[Desktop monitoring: Add to Chrome](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ajai-lurker-assistant/gelhmgdfinfolfjfilngbgdhmcddeaga)

[Review on iPhone: Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/lurker-by-ajai/id6806455933)

Step 1

## Create your free account.

1. Open [Lurker signup](https://app.getlurker.com/signup?plan=free). Enter your name, company or workspace name, email, and password. Review the terms presented during signup, then select **Create free account**.
2. If Lurker asks you to confirm your email, open that message and complete confirmation. Check spam if it does not arrive.
3. Already signed up? [Log in](https://app.getlurker.com/login) using the same email instead of creating another workspace. Use [Forgot password](https://app.getlurker.com/forgot-password) if needed.
4. Open [Settings](https://app.getlurker.com/settings) and confirm the workspace and plan.

**Start small on Free:** one watched group, up to five positive keywords and five negative keywords, with keyword-only watching. No card is required. Your workspace’s Settings shows its current limits. You can finish this guide without upgrading.

Step 2

## Install the extension and sign in.

1. In desktop Chrome, open the [official Lurker listing](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ajai-lurker-assistant/gelhmgdfinfolfjfilngbgdhmcddeaga). Confirm the publisher is AJAI LLC, select **Add to Chrome**, and review Chrome’s permission prompt.
2. Open Chrome’s Extensions menu (the puzzle-piece icon), pin Lurker if useful, then open Lurker and select the **Settings** tab.
3. Enter the same Lurker email and password. The extension’s button is labeled **Sign in to AJAI**; AJAI is Lurker’s publisher. You do not need a separate AJAI Engage subscription.
4. If prompted to **Choose a company**, select your workspace. Under Account, confirm **Signed in** and the correct company before proceeding.

Sign in to Facebook yourself in a separate Chrome tab. Lurker does not ask for your Facebook password or log in for you.

Step 3

## Save a few useful keywords.

1. In the extension’s **Settings** tab, find **Watcher mode** and **Local keywords**. For Free, use the **Keyword-only watcher**.
2. Enter phrases customers might use, one per line or separated by commas. Use your own services, rather than a broad word such as “help.”
3. Add optional **Negative keywords** for content you want to exclude, then select **Save keywords**. Look for **Keywords saved.**
4. Close and reopen the extension to confirm the saved values remain.

### Example: a screen repair business

**Positive keywords:** screen repair, screen enclosure, rescreen
**Negative keywords:** hiring, job wanted

Use these only if they fit your business. Keyword-only watching looks for a positive term and excludes content matching a negative term. Capitalization does not matter; terms are text matches, so add useful wording variations. Avoid negative terms that also occur in requests you want.

An **Active** label beside Keyword-only watcher identifies the matching mode. You still need to start a watcher in Step 5.

See the keyword controls

![Example extension keyword controls: Local keywords, Negative keywords, and the Save keywords button.](https://getlurker.com/assets/setup/keywords.png)

Tabbed extension shown with illustrative workspace data. Enter your terms in Settings, then scroll to Save keywords; available AI features vary by account. [Open full-size screenshot](https://getlurker.com/assets/setup/keywords.png).

Step 4

## Save the group you want to watch.

1. Open one Facebook group you can already access. Use that group’s own page, not the general Groups feed, search results, or Facebook home.
2. With the group tab selected, open Lurker. Open **Groups → Add by URL**, then select **Add current group tab**.
3. Open the **Groups** tab and confirm the intended group is saved and enabled. On Free, keep just one enabled group.
4. If the group is not detected, return to its page, wait for it to load, reopen Lurker, and select **Refresh open tabs**.

For a plan that allows more groups, open the intended group tabs and use **Groups → Add from open tabs** to select them, then **Save selected groups**. Use **Save all open groups** only when every open group is one you intend to save.

**Saving a group does not start watching it.** Continue to the next step.

See where to save a group

![The Groups tab with illustrative saved groups, enable checkboxes, and Add from open tabs.](https://getlurker.com/assets/setup/saved-groups.png)

Illustrative groups in the new Groups tab. Use Add from open tabs, or scroll to Add by URL for Add current group tab. Confirm the enabled count afterward. [Open full-size screenshot](https://getlurker.com/assets/setup/saved-groups.png).

Step 5

## Choose one way to start watching.

For your first setup, start with the group tab so you can see the page being watched. Notification watching is an alternative for following new group notifications Facebook makes available to you.

### Option A: watch your open group

1. Keep the intended Facebook group tab selected and let its posts load.
2. Open Lurker and turn on **Live watch this open group** under **Watch → Group-tab controls and status**.
3. Check **Active group watchers** for the correct group and an **Active** state. Select **Refresh watcher list** if needed.
4. Keep that group tab open and the computer awake. When using more groups within your plan, **Start watching all group tabs** acts on all open supported group tabs.

### Option B: watch Facebook notifications

1. Complete Step 4 first. In Lurker’s **Groups** tab, turn on **Only investigate notifications from watched groups** to limit this watcher to your enabled saved groups.
2. Open [Facebook notifications](https://www.facebook.com/notifications/) yourself, select that tab, and wait for it to load.
3. Open Lurker’s **Watch** tab and select **Start watching**.
4. Expand **Notification watcher details**, then select **Refresh notification status** and confirm **Notification Watcher: Active**. Keep the notifications tab open. Group tabs are needed only if you also run group-tab watchers or use them yourself.

The watched-group filter with no enabled saved groups blocks investigations. Notification watching depends on notifications Facebook actually loads; it is not a scan of every post in every saved group. Existing items can be treated as a starting baseline, so do not expect an immediate import of old posts.

You can close the extension popup after starting; keep the required Facebook tabs and Chrome running. Leave advanced resource and testing controls at their defaults for initial setup.

Past posts · Chrome extension 0.1.20+

## Scan older posts with a limit you choose.

Use **Past posts** to review older posts that Facebook loads in one group you already have access to. Choose a UTC date range, keyword-only or eligible AI company-aware review, and a post, time, and analysis budget.

1. Update the Chrome extension to 0.1.20 or later. If that version is still awaiting Chrome Store approval, wait for the update; the new controls will appear after it installs. Reload your Facebook group tab after updating.
2. Open the specific group, return to the top, and choose **New posts** if Facebook offers it. Keep the group selected and visible.
3. Open Lurker’s **Past posts** tab. Choose the dates and scan mode. Keyword-only uses your saved local positive and negative keywords; AI company-aware requires an eligible plan and configured business context.
4. Set all three budgets and confirm that the group is at the top. Select **Start historical scan**. The scan scrolls the group and saves eligible matching opportunities to your normal inbox.
5. Use **Pause**, **Resume**, or **Cancel** while the page remains open. Hiding the group pauses collection, but the time limit keeps running. Reloading or closing the page loses the running scan.
6. Read the final stop reason, examined and analyzed counts, duplicate count, date/link gaps, and oldest dated post seen. Check saved opportunities in Lurker and open the original Facebook posts before responding.

### Limits and costs

- Date selection: up to **365 days back**, ending today or earlier, using UTC dates.
- Per scan: **1–5,000 posts examined**, **1–30 minutes**, and **1–1,000 nonduplicate analyses**. The first reached limit stops the scan. Your plan’s AI allowance can also restrict AI work.
- Duplicates are skipped without another analysis and do not consume the analysis budget. They can still appear in examined-post totals.
- Historical scans do not send individual opportunity email/push alerts or automatically create reply drafts. Review saved matches in your inbox; all Facebook replies remain manual.

### How far back can it actually reach?

The 365-day range is a selection limit, not a promise of retrieval. Facebook decides what loads, and ranked feeds can mix dates. A scan may stop much sooner because of its time or post budget, unavailable older posts, missing dates or links, or a page change. The oldest post seen does not prove every post since that date was checked.

In one Orange Beach group, two 30-minute tests examined 209 posts in AI mode and 325 in keyword-only mode and reached roughly five days back. Both ended with zero unresolved dates and zero missing links. This is one test group, not a typical-depth guarantee or a controlled comparison of the two modes.

[Full feature guide and FAQs →](https://getlurker.com/historical-scans/) · [Copyable feature brief →](https://getlurker.com/historical-scans/feature-brief.md)

Step 6

## Check the setup, then the first result.

Open the app’s [Watchers page](https://app.getlurker.com/watchers) using the same account and company. Compare it with the extension.

1. **Configuration saved:** your keywords are still present, the intended group is enabled, and the app’s enabled/synced group counts agree with what you saved.
2. **Watcher running:** the watcher you chose is Active and its **Heartbeat** or **Last heartbeat** is recent. Refresh the status after about a minute and confirm the time advances. Check **Last scan** where shown. A green mode badge alone is not enough.
3. **Warnings resolved:** review **Setup warnings**. Fix an expired session, missing groups, or a sync warning before assuming monitoring is ready. You do not need both watcher types to be active.
4. **First result confirmed:** when a new eligible match is observed, check the last decision and open the [opportunity inbox](https://app.getlurker.com/). Review the summary and match reason, then open the source in Facebook to verify context.

An empty inbox does not by itself mean failure: there may be no new matching posts, an item may be part of the initial baseline, or filters may exclude it. You do not need to publish a test post. Keep the watcher active for normal group activity, then confirm a real eligible result. Until then, record “watcher running; first result not yet verified.” Coverage is not guaranteed.

Review and edit any available reply before copying it. You decide whether to post in Facebook.

Step 7 · Optional companion

## Review opportunities on iPhone.

1. Install [Lurker by AJAI from the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/lurker-by-ajai/id6806455933) and sign in with the same Lurker account. Check that you have selected the same company.
2. Open an opportunity and review its AI summary. Use **Open Facebook post** to inspect the source in Facebook. The iPhone app does not display the original Facebook post or comment text.
3. Where reply assistance is available, generate or edit your reply and use **Copy reply & open Facebook**. Paste and review it in Facebook before deciding to post.
4. For an approved image, follow the [Prepare reply & open Facebook instructions](https://getlurker.com/support#iphone-reply). The image is saved to Photos and you attach it yourself to the same comment draft.

If Facebook does not open correctly, use **Copy post link** and paste it into Safari. If the app reports that an exact post link is unavailable, check the original group; do not assume a fallback destination is the exact post.

Keep the desktop watcher running. Installing the iPhone app does not replace Chrome monitoring.

If something is stuck

## Recover without starting over.

I cannot sign in, or the company is wrong.

Confirm the email is the one used at signup and complete any requested email confirmation. Use Forgot password on the web login page if needed. In the extension, open Settings → Account and select your assigned company. For an expired session, open Settings → Account and try Refresh session, then sign in again if prompted. If your company is missing, contact support instead of creating duplicate workspaces.

No groups appear, or the watched-group filter blocks everything.

Open the actual group page in Chrome, wait for posts to load, then open Groups and select Refresh open tabs, then Add by URL → Add current group tab. Check the Groups tab for an enabled group within your plan limit. The general Groups feed is not a specific group. If the app still says groups have not synced, check your connection and selected company, reopen Lurker, and recheck Watchers.

The watcher is Stale or stopped after sleep.

Wake the computer, reopen the required Facebook tab, and confirm you are still logged in to Facebook. For a group-tab watcher, refresh that group page, use Reconnect watched tabs, and check the watcher again; turn on Live watch this open group if it is stopped. For notification watching, select the notifications tab and use Restart notification watcher when shown, or Start notification watcher if stopped. Recheck that the heartbeat advances. Keep the computer awake while you want monitoring.

I updated the extension and the tab will not reconnect.

Reload the Facebook tabs after the extension update. Open Lurker, confirm your account, select Reconnect watched tabs, and check status. Restart the notification watcher from its notifications tab if needed. Avoid clearing all browser data or reinstalling as your first step.

The watcher is active, but I have no opportunities.

Confirm the heartbeat advances and review the last scan and last decision. Check that a positive keyword fits the actual post wording and a negative term is not excluding it. Existing items may have been baselined or already seen. For notification watching, confirm Facebook is loading new notifications from your enabled saved group. Check account limits in Settings. If a new relevant item is still missed, send support the step, extension version, and non-sensitive error or status text.

I see irrelevant results or an AI feature is unavailable.

Narrow broad keywords, add carefully chosen negative terms, and confirm the group selection. Free setup uses keyword-only watching. Reply assistance and company-aware features depend on your workspace’s plan and availability. Check Settings before changing plans; a paid plan is not required for this Free-plan walkthrough.

The iPhone inbox is empty or a reply image will not work.

Confirm the same account and company on both devices, then check the desktop watcher first. No desktop observations means there may be nothing new for iPhone to show. For Photos permissions, missing images, or Facebook photo-comment support, use the [iPhone troubleshooting guide](https://getlurker.com/support#iphone-reply-troubleshooting).

Bring your own assistant

## Give your agent a clear finish line.

Share this page or its [Markdown guide](https://getlurker.com/setup/guide.md). An agent can help choose keywords and walk through the steps. Its ability to operate the extension depends on its browser tools.

1. Ask the person what they want to find, which group they already have access to, which workspace to use, and whether they want the Free-plan path. Explain proposed keyword changes before saving.
2. Use this guide’s current visible labels. If the interface differs or a control is inaccessible, ask the person to complete that step and report what they see. Do not assume a click succeeded.
3. Let the person complete account login, verification codes, Facebook challenges, permission prompts, and agreement acceptance. Never request Facebook passwords, cookies, access tokens, or private session files in chat. Do not upgrade, post, message, or join groups without the person’s explicit instruction.
4. Verify saved settings, the selected company, enabled/synced groups, and an advancing heartbeat. Report configuration saved, watcher running, and first result verified as separate checkpoints; mark anything not observed as unverified.
5. Explain which tab and computer must remain running. An agent finishing its task is not evidence of ongoing monitoring. Do not promise that a cloud browser can install the extension or stay active indefinitely.

### A prompt you can copy

“Help me set up Lurker using https://getlurker.com/setup/. Start with the Free plan, one group, and keywords relevant to my business. Walk me through steps you cannot perform. Verify the correct workspace, saved keywords and group, and an advancing watcher heartbeat. Tell me whether a first result has actually been observed and what I need to leave running.”

Help is available

## Set it up with Andrew, free.

Configuration can take a little work. Book a free one-on-one meeting with Andrew to choose your keywords, connect a group, and check your watcher together.

[Book your free setup meeting](https://calendar.app.google/bopKak8ULTCRe2XR8)

### Watch the walkthroughs

- [Finding Facebook group opportunities with Lurker](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1GqLLkwQVI)
- [Using Lurker’s image library for replies](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ79KRwVjuo)
- [All tutorials and written iPhone instructions](https://getlurker.com/tutorials/)

The videos introduce the workflow; use this written guide for the current desktop setup controls.

For support, email [support@getlurker.com](mailto:support@getlurker.com) with the step, app or extension version, and non-sensitive error text. Do not send Facebook passwords, cookies, access tokens, private messages, customer data, or unredacted screenshots. See [support](https://getlurker.com/support) for more help.