docs: update start-free-with-cloud guide to align with new onboarding flow

docs/2-getting-started/start-free-with-cloud.md

@@ -4,179 +4,120 @@ title: Start free with Cloud
 
 # Start Free with Recce Cloud
 
-**Launch Recce in under 2 minutes**. Each following feature provides additional value. The progressive features help you get more value from Recce over time.
+**Get started in 3 simple steps**. After signing up, you'll be guided through connecting your GitHub repository and automating your PR validation workflow.
 
-👉 **[Start Free →](https://cloud.reccehq.com){target="_blank"}**
+👉 **[Start Free →](https://cloud.reccehq.com){target="\_blank"}**
 
-## Model Changes and Impact Analysis
+## Step 1: Connect Your GitHub Repository {#github-integration}
 
-Recce shows what changed between **base** and **current** environments and helps assess potential impact. The most common case is comparing your development branch against your production or main branch to see what your changes will impact. 
+After signing up, you'll enter your default project. The first step is connecting your GitHub organization and repository to enable PR tracking and validation.
 
-You can: 
+### What You'll Get
 
-- Explore with the pre-loaded Jaffle Shop data
-- Upload your metadata (see below)
-- **Skip manual upload go directly to [CI/CD automation](#cicd-automation)** 
+Once connected, you can:
 
-<!-- insert a video -->
+- View all open and draft PRs
+- See PR summaries
+
+### Setup Requirements
+
+- GitHub repository with dbt project
+- Permissions for GitHub App installations
+- (Optional) Active PRs with model changes
+
+### Connection Steps
 
-### Upload Metadata
-- Web interface: Click "Update" on the session you want to update in Recce Cloud.
-    1. Click "Update" in base session to upload baseline metadata
-    2. Click "Update" in current session to upload comparison metadata
-    3. Click "Launch" to compare current against base
-- CLI command:
-```
-recce upload-session --session-id <your_session_id>
-```
-Find your session ID in Recce Cloud web interface when clicking "Update" on any session.
+Follow the guidance to connect your GitHub organization and link your repository:
 
-### Required Files
+![Connect GitHub](../assets/images/2-getting-started/connect_github.png){ width="49%" }
+![Link Repository](../assets/images/2-getting-started/link_repository.png){ width="49%" }
 
-Recce needs `manifest.json` and `catalog.json` from both **base** and **current** environments for comparison.
+Once connected, your PRs will appear in the dashboard with basic change summaries:
 
-#### Base Metadata
+![Connected Projects](../assets/images/2-getting-started/connected_projects.png)
 
-Production environment is commonly used as the baseline, but any environment can serve as the base.
+## Step 2: Automate Metadata with CI/CD {#cicd-automation}
 
-Choose one method:
+To enable easy validation with Recce and enrich PR summaries, configure CI/CD automation to automatically prepare metadata for every PR.
 
-**Method 1: Generate locally**
+### What You'll Get
 
-```
-dbt docs generate --target-path target-base --target <your_prod_target>
-```
+With CI/CD configured, you get:
 
+- Automatic metadata upload on every PR
+- **One-click "Launch Recce"** to validate changes interactively
+- **Enriched PR summaries** with comprehensive model impact analysis
 
-**Method 2: dbt Cloud**<br>
-Deploy → Jobs → Production job → Recent run → Download artifacts
+### Setup Requirements
 
-**Method 3: dbt Docs server**<br>
-Download the artifacts directly from dbt docs server:
+- GitHub integration completed (Step 1)
+- CI/CD jobs that generate dbt docs
 
-- `<dbt_docs_url>/manifest.json`
-- `<dbt_docs_url>/catalog.json`
+### How It Works
 
-#### Current Metadata
+The CI/CD integration automates the metadata upload process:
 
-Use development environment or PR branch as current to compare against the base.
+1. **Automatic upload**: Metadata is uploaded to Recce Cloud for both base and current environments
+2. **Ready to validate**: PR appears in your dashboard "Launch Recce" button
+3. **Enriched summaries**: Enriched PR summaries with detailed model impact analysis
 
-Choose one method:
+### Setup Guides
 
-**Method 1: Generate locally**
+Follow the detailed setup guides for your CI/CD platform:
 
-```
-dbt docs generate --target <your_dev_target>
-```
+- [Setup CD](/7-cicd/setup-cd/) - Configure continuous deployment for base environment metadata
+- [Setup CI](/7-cicd/setup-ci/) - Configure continuous integration for PR environment metadata
 
-**Method 2: dbt Cloud**<br>
-Deploy → Jobs → CI job → Recent run → Download artifacts
+<!-- insert a video -->
 
+## Advanced Features
 
-## Data Warehouse Diffing {#data-diffing}
+### Data Warehouse Diffing {#data-diffing}
 
 Go beyond metadata to see how changes affect your actual data. Configure your data warehouse connection to compare query results and catch issues before they impact production.
 
-### Setup Requirements
+#### Why Use Data Diffing?
+
+While metadata comparison shows structural changes, data diffing reveals:
+
+- Unexpected changes in row counts or data distributions
+- Breaking changes in downstream transformations
+- Data quality issues before production deployment
+
+#### Setup Requirements
 
 - Data warehouse credentials with read access
 - Network connectivity to your warehouse
-- Base and current environments configured in previous step
+- CI/CD automation configured (Step 2 recommended)
 
-### Supported Warehouses
+#### Supported Warehouses
 
 - Snowflake
 - Databricks
 - Others coming in future releases
 
-### Warehouse Connection
-
-Configure connection to your data warehouse to enable query result comparisons. For detailed connection settings, see [Connect to Warehouse](../5-data-diffing/connect-to-warehouse.md).
+#### Configure Warehouse Connection
 
 **Connection setup:**
 
-1. Navigate to [settings](https://cloud.reccehq.com/settings#organization){target="_blank"}
-2. Add Connection
-3. Navigate to your [project home](https://cloud.datarecce.io/) and open the project settings by clicking the gear icon
+1. Navigate to [organization settings](https://cloud.reccehq.com/settings#organization){target="\_blank"}
+2. Click "Add Connection" and enter your warehouse credentials
+3. Go to your [project home](https://cloud.reccehq.com/) and click the gear icon
 4. Link the newly added connection to your project
 
-Your connection credentials are secure. See our [security practices](https://reccehq.com/security/){target="_blank"} for details.
-
-<!-- insert a video -->
-
-### How to Use Data Diffing
-
-Recce supports several data diffing methods. See Data Diffing sections for details:
-
-- [Row Count Diff](/5-data-diffing/row-count-diff)
-- [Profile Diff](/5-data-diffing/profile-diff/)
-- [Value Diff](/5-data-diffing/value-diff/)
-- [Top-K Diff](/5-data-diffing/topK-diff/)
-- [Histogram Diff](/5-data-diffing/histogram-diff/)
-- [Query](/5-data-diffing/query/)
-
-## GitHub Integration {#github-integration}
-
-Connect your GitHub repo to see all PRs in one place and validate changes before they hit production.
-
-### Setup Requirements
-
-- GitHub repository with dbt project
-- Repository admin access for initial setup
-- Active PRs with model changes
-
-!!!Note
-    You'll need administrative access to the GitHub organization you want to connect. Please ensure you have the necessary permissions for **GitHub App installations**.
-
-### GitHub Connection
-
-Connect your repository to track pull requests and validate changes.
-
-**Connection setup:**
+Your connection credentials are secure. See our [security practices](https://reccehq.com/security/){target="\_blank"} for details.
 
-1. Navigate to settings
-2. Connect GitHub repository
-3. Authorize Recce access
-4. Select repository
+For detailed connection settings, see [Connect to Warehouse](../5-data-diffing/connect-to-warehouse.md).
 
 <!-- insert a video -->
 
-### How to Use PR Tracking
-
-Once connected, Recce displays all open and draft PRs in your dashboard.
-
-### PR Validation Workflow
-
-- View open/draft PRs in dashboard
-- Select PR to validate
-- Upload PR metadata (until CI/CD is configured)
-- Launch Recce to analyze changes
-
-
-## CI/CD Automation {#cicd-automation}
-
-Set up CI/CD to automatically upload metadata and run validation checks on every PR. 
-
-!!!Note
-    Available with Team plan (free trial included).
-
-### Setup Requirements
-See the CI/CD sections for complete setup guides:
-
-- [Setup CD](/7-cicd/setup-cd/)
-- [Setup CI](/7-cicd/setup-ci/)
-
-- GitHub integration configured
-- Team plan subscription or free trial
-
-### Automation Benefits
-
-- Automatic metadata upload on every PR
-- Consistent validation across all PRs
-- Reduced manual setup steps
-- Integrated PR status checks
-- Validation results directly in PR
-
-
+#### Available Diffing Methods
 
+Recce supports multiple data diffing approaches:
 
+- [Row Count Diff](/5-data-diffing/row-count-diff) - Compare total row counts
+- [Profile Diff](/5-data-diffing/profile-diff/) - Statistical profiling of columns
+- [Value Diff](/5-data-diffing/value-diff/) - Detailed value-level comparison
+- [Top-K Diff](/5-data-diffing/topK-diff/) - Compare top values and frequencies
+- [Histogram Diff](/5-data-diffing/histogram-diff/) - Distribution analysis
+- [Query](/5-data-diffing/query/) - Custom SQL queries for validation