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Quickstart

This guide gets you from zero to your first agent result in under 5 minutes. One path, no decisions — desktop app with the built-in CodeBolt AI provider.

Using the CLI or TUI instead? → CLI Quickstart · TUI Quickstart

Download and install
Open the `.dmg`, drag **Codebolt.app** to `/Applications`, and launch it. ```bash # or via Homebrew brew install --cask codebolt ```

First launch takes ~30 seconds while the local server initialises.

Sign in

Click Sign In in the app. A browser window opens to the CodeBolt portal — log in or create a free account. The token is picked up automatically.

First-time users see a short setup wizard. Select CodeBolt AI as your provider (no API key needed), pick any model, choose a workspace folder, and click through. Takes about 2 minutes.

Want to use OpenAI, Anthropic, or a local model? See Installation & Setup.

Open a project

On the project dashboard click Open Project and pick any folder on your machine. Any git repo works — or create a new empty folder for a clean start.

Codebolt indexes the project (file tree, symbols, codemap). Takes a few seconds for small projects.

Run your first agent

A chat panel opens. Ask the agent to understand your codebase first:

Read the codebase and give me a one-paragraph summary of what this project does.

Watch it read files in real time. Then try something that makes a change:

Add a short CONTRIBUTING.md explaining how to run the project locally.

The agent reads your existing README, writes the file, and shows you the diff.

Review and keep — or roll back

Every change is checkpointed automatically. You have three options:

  • Keep it — the file stays as written. Commit to git whenever you're ready using the git panel or your own terminal.
  • Roll back — click the checkpoint badge at the top of the chat → Rollback. Every file returns to exactly where it was before the agent ran. Real git history is untouched.
  • Iterate — type a follow-up. The agent keeps the full context from the previous turn.

That's the core loop. Every other feature builds on this.

Where to go next:

  • What is Codebolt — understand the bigger picture
  • Chat — @-mentions, context, inline edit
  • Agents — install and run different agents
  • Guides — step-by-step walkthroughs for specific tasks