Set up your dev environment

Everything you need before building your first project

1. Open your terminal

Press Cmd + Space, type "Terminal", and hit Enter. Or download Ghostty for a better experience.

Once open, navigate to where you want your projects:

mkdir -p ~/Projects && cd ~/Projects

Git tracks your code changes and lets you collaborate. Install it first:

xcode-select --install

Then set your identity:

git config --global user.name "Your Name" git config --global user.email "you@example.com"

Visual git interface — see your changes, stage files, and commit without the command line. Recommended for beginners.

To authenticate with GitHub from the terminal:

brew install gh

gh auth login

Node.js runs JavaScript outside the browser. Most frameworks and AI tools need it.

brew install node

If you don't have Homebrew, install it first: https://brew.sh

Verify it works:

node --version

Install at least one. These are the tools that read your startwell config files and help you build.

Anthropic's AI coding assistant in your terminal

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

OpenAI's CLI coding agent

npm install -g @openai/codex

Google's CLI for Gemini

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/gemini-cli

AI-native code editor — download and install

You're all set!