> For the complete user guide index, see [llms.txt](https://portraitresearch.com/documentation/llms.txt). # Create a Monitor [Canonical page](https://portraitresearch.com/documentation/monitors/create-a-monitor/) ## Applicability - **Task:** Create a first Monitor and verify its configuration - **Access:** Portrait account with applicable usage and source access - **Audience:** New Portrait users - **Surfaces:** web - **Workflow status:** current - **Availability:** Production with account-dependent capabilities - **Content type:** tutorial - **Last reviewed:** 2026-09-22 This tutorial creates one Monitor in the web app and verifies its saved configuration. A Monitor can miss a relevant development or produce an irrelevant match; review updates against their sources. Supported mobile versions also offer **Monitors → New monitor** directly. That form creates a Monitor without a Project and has different controls. Follow the web steps below when you need the full configuration flow; see [Capabilities by surface](https://portraitresearch.com/documentation/reference/capabilities-by-surface/) for mobile boundaries. ## Before you start You need a Portrait account, a defined company set or — when company-free topic Monitors are enabled for your account — a market-wide topic, at least one observable signal, and a decision about source types and delivery cadence. Open **Monitors** under **Tools** in the left navigation and choose **New monitor** (**Ctrl + Shift + M**, or **⌘ ⇧ M** on a Mac). There are two ways to build one. ## Let Portrait draft it Pick a company, describe what you want to watch, or do both. Portrait proposes editable Monitor cards that you can keep or dismiss. Treat each suggestion as a draft. Confirm that the signal is observable, relevant to the thesis, and supported by the selected source types. ## Build it manually Open **Prefer to build it manually?**. For a first company Monitor: 1. Choose **Monitor specific companies**. 2. Under **Which companies should Portrait watch?**, add one company. You can also copy a Project's company list, up to 100 companies; later changes to that Project's companies do not change the Monitor automatically. 3. Under **What should trigger an update?**, enter one observable signal, for example *"Management lowers full-year revenue guidance"*. 4. Under **Name and save your monitor**, enter a name and check **Destination project**. A Project is optional, but Portrait can preselect one from the current context. Review the completed steps, then select **Create monitor**. A fresh manual company Monitor uses the default source selection and **Daily digest** email frequency. This form does not offer separate source or company-Monitor frequency steps. Review those settings on the saved Monitor. If you need to select them before creation, use the assisted path and edit its review card. A manual draft continued from earlier work can retain that draft's settings. For coverage without a company list, follow [Create a Monitor without companies](https://portraitresearch.com/documentation/monitors/scheduled-briefs/) using **Monitor topics or events**, where available. Do not leave the company list empty as a substitute for that path. The assisted path opens a **review** screen before creation. The manual stepper creates the Monitor when you submit its final step, so review each completed section before submitting. Creating a Monitor commits estimated ongoing usage. If that commitment would exceed the available credits under the account's current policy, Portrait refuses creation and no Monitor is created; review [Settings → Usage](https://portraitresearch.com/documentation/more/usage/) and reduce the scope or contact your account team. ## Verify the Monitor Open the saved Monitor and confirm its name, companies or company-free scope, signals, sources, delivery cadence, project, and email setting. The Monitor's existence and configuration are the immediate success state; a future update depends on matching evidence. ## Correct or stop unwanted delivery Edit an incorrect signal, company set, source selection, or cadence from the Monitor. If you only need to stop email, disable alerts or edit the Monitor instead. Deleting a Monitor has no user-facing restore; delete only after confirming that you no longer need its configuration. ## Troubleshoot - If **New monitor** is absent, confirm the account and use [Troubleshoot access and missing options](https://portraitresearch.com/documentation/more/troubleshoot-access/). - If **Monitor topics or events** is absent, use a company-scoped Monitor or contact the team; do not submit an empty company set. - If the projected usage is rejected, no Monitor was created. Review **Settings → Usage**, reduce the scope, and submit again. - If creation reports an uncertain result, inspect the Monitor list before submitting again. - If no updates arrive, verify source access and whether qualifying evidence appeared after creation. - If updates are irrelevant, narrow the signal and source set instead of assuming detection accuracy. ## Next [Manage and stop a Monitor](https://portraitresearch.com/documentation/monitors/manage-a-monitor/). ## Import a company list In the manual company selector, use the ticker import tool to add a larger list. The import merges with the current selection, removes duplicates, and keeps the Monitor's **100-company** maximum. Review the resolved companies before saving; a ticker can be unresolved or ambiguous. An overflow warning means companies beyond the cap were not added. A lookup warning means some imported companies could not be resolved or loaded. Existing selections are preserved: inspect the accepted list and retry only the missing entries or reduce the scope. Do not delete the whole selection as a first recovery step.