How do I set up scouting for an event?
Last verified October 18, 2026
There's nothing to create. Once FIRST lists your team as registered for an event (or the competition is on your team's schedule), it shows up under Scouting and you can open it and start.
Before you start
Scouting belongs to a team, so you need to be signed in and on a team that has its FTC team number set. If you open Scouting without one, you'll see You need a team first with a Set up your team button.
Robolyst finds your events on its own. An event appears when either of these is true:
- FIRST's registration list includes your team number.
- The competition is on your team's Schedule.
If an event you're going to is missing, FIRST probably hasn't published the registration yet.
Open your event
- In Team HQ, open Scouting in the sidebar (it's under Compete).
- On the Events tab, find your event under Your events and click Scout it →.
While an event is actually running, going to Scouting takes you straight to that event. To get back to the full list, use the Events tab.
What you'll find inside
Each event has its own set of tabs:
| Tab | What it's for |
|---|---|
| This event | The one job to do right now, your next matches, pit-sheet coverage, rankings and starred teams |
| Teams | Every team at the event with your private stars, tags and notes |
| Matches | Score robots from the stands |
| Strategy | A field whiteboard for planning one match |
| Picklist | Your ranked list for alliance selection |
Questions and Our robot sit at the right end. They apply to the whole season, not one event.
The card at the top of This event changes as the weekend goes on. Before the event it suggests printing pit flyers. During quals it points you to Observe matches. Once quals finish it switches to Rank and lock your picklist.
Get your team in
Anyone on your team can scout. The default member role includes the Build picklists & scouting notes permission, which lets people edit the picklist, the scouting questions and your robot sheet. Stars, tags, notes and match observations only need team membership.
To add people quickly at the venue, use Invite on the picklist. It shows a QR code that adds the person to your team. See the picklist article.
If Scouting won't open
Scouting can be switched off for the whole team. If you see Scouting is turned off, nothing was deleted. Someone who can manage team settings will see a Turn Scouting back on button on that page, or can flip it under Features in Team Settings.