1. Install ADE
Download the DMG, drag ADE into
/Applications, and launch it.2. Connect a provider
Add an Anthropic or OpenAI-compatible key so ADE can run agents.
3. Open your repo
Point ADE at a Git repository and let onboarding create the local ADE state.
4. Create a lane
Fork a task into its own isolated worktree.
5. Run your first agent
Use Agent Chat for a fast task or launch a Worker run for structured execution.
6. Learn the model
Read the concepts page once so the rest of the docs make sense.
1
Install the app
ADE currently ships a macOS beta installer. Download the DMG from GitHub Releases and drag ADE.app into
/Applications.2
Add one AI provider
Open Settings and save at least one provider credential. Anthropic is the fastest path to a working setup.
3
Open a Git repository
Use Open Repository on the welcome screen or press
Cmd+O.4
Create a lane
Create a new lane from your base branch so the first task does not run in the primary checkout.
5
Run a small task
Start with one contained change, like adding a health endpoint or updating a small component. That gives you a clean first pass through the chat, file diff, and commit flow.
Recommended first task
Next Steps
Key Concepts
Understand every core concept in ADE: Lanes, Packs, Workers, the CTO, Automations, and more.
Lanes
Deep dive into lane types, templates, environment isolation, port allocation, and proxy routing.
Workers
Learn how to configure phase profiles, set budget limits, handle interventions, and export audit bundles.
CTO Agent
Set up the always-on CTO agent with Linear sync and worker agent delegation.
Automations
Create trigger-driven automation rules that fire agents in response to git events, Linear updates, and schedules.
Configuration
Configure AI providers, ADE CLI, permissions, and the full
ade.yaml schema.