This checklist walks agency administrators through setting up GovWorx Records Requests for first use. Complete each step in order.
Step 1: Create a Records Role and Add Users
Before anyone on your team can access Records Requests, they need a role with the right permissions.
Create the role
Go to Settings > Roles.
Click Add Role.
Name the role (e.g. "Records Clerk").
Under permissions, enable:
Access Records Solution — grants access to the Records Requests module
View Media — allows viewing media in the media index
Click Save.
Add users to the role
Go to Settings > Users.
Find the staff member you want to grant access to.
Assign them the "Records Clerk" role.
Repeat for each team member who will handle records requests.
You can bulk-import users via spreadsheet. Go to Settings > Users > Import, upload your file, and map fields to the correct columns. Set the default role to "Records Clerk" during import.
Step 2: Configure Your Records Requests Inbox
Your agency gets a dedicated email address for receiving records requests. Any email sent to this address is automatically created as a new request.
Go to Settings > Services.
Find your Records Requests service and click to edit.
Locate the Records Requests Inbox Address field and copy it.
Set up forwarding in your email system
Forward directly — Give the inbox address to staff so they can forward request emails manually.
Auto-forward (recommended) — Set up a mail flow rule in Outlook/Exchange or Gmail to automatically forward emails from your records mailbox to the Records Requests inbox address.
For Outlook/Exchange: Open the Exchange Admin Center, go to Mail Flow > Rules, and create a rule that redirects messages from your records mailbox to the Records Requests inbox address. Test it by sending a message and confirming it appears in Records Requests.
If your agency already publishes a records request email address (e.g. [email protected]), set up auto-forwarding from that address. Requesters keep using the same address they always have.
Step 3: Set Up Your Tenant URL Path
Go to Settings > Services.
Find your Records Requests service and click to edit.
Set the URL Path field to your agency's preferred slug (e.g. "heartland-pd").
Click Save.
Your public portal URL will be: https://[govworx-domain]/[your-url-path]/records
Step 4: Set Up Your Public Portal
Confirm your tenant URL path is set (Step 3).
Open the portal URL in a browser to verify it loads.
Test the submission form by filling it out as a requester would.
The portal includes a form for submitting new requests, a way for requesters to check status, and a secure download page for released records (accessed via magic link).
The requester must use the same email address they submitted with. The magic link is sent only to that email and is one-time use.
Step 5: Submit a Test Request
From the public portal
Open your public portal URL.
Fill out the request form with test information, using your own email so you can see notifications.
Submit the request.
Open Records Requests and confirm the request appears in your queue with a To-Do status.
From email
Send an email to your Records Requests inbox address with a test request.
Open Records Requests and confirm the request was created automatically.
Review what the AI agent found.
Fulfill and release
Follow the steps in Fulfill and Release a Public Records Request to complete the test. Confirm you receive the magic link email at the requester address you used.
Step 6: Configure Notifications
Go to Settings > Services.
Find your Records Requests service and click to edit.
Under Notifications, add the email addresses of staff who should receive alerts for incoming requests.
Click Save.
Start with a small group (e.g. your records supervisor) and expand as your team gets comfortable with the system.
You're Live
Once all steps are complete and your test request went through cleanly, your agency is ready to start receiving real records requests.
Next steps for your team:
Share Fulfill and Release a Public Records Request with records clerks
Review Searching for Records so clerks know how to use AI search and manual search
If your agency requires redaction, see Redacting Records Before Release