Setup guides
Installation is the easy part. These guides cover the account boundary, first repository, safe first task, privacy questions, and the failure modes worth checking before a harness touches important code.
Anthropic
Install Claude Code beside the editor you already use, authenticate once, and start with a read-only repository explanation before asking for a patch. Written for first-time terminal users as well as experienced developers.
Cursor
Install Cursor as an AI-native editor, turn Privacy Mode on before sensitive work, open a safe folder, and start in Ask mode so the first session explains code without writing files. Written for people who have never installed a developer editor.
GitHub
Add Copilot to the editor your team already uses, then validate inline suggestions, IDE agent mode, and the cloud agent on small tested changes before broader rollout. Neovim is completions-only; Chat and Agent mode require another supported surface.
OpenAI
Install Codex CLI, authenticate with the account or API path your team uses, and start inside a sandboxed repository task with approval boundaries visible.
Cognition
Set up Devin Desktop’s current editor surface, formerly Windsurf, import only the settings you need, and test the agent on a small repository before switching a team.
Replit
Create or import a project in Replit’s browser editor, keep the first Starter build on Lite, validate Preview, and publish only after a separate smoke test. Plan mode is a Core+ tip — not the free default.
Meta
Install the Muse Code beta on macOS or Linux, authenticate with Meta, initialise a disposable repository, and inspect its event log before granting longer-running work.
SpaceXAI
Install Grok Build (powered by Grok 4.6), authenticate in the browser or with a deliberately scoped API key, and begin with a plan-and-diff task before trying parallel subagents.
Lovable
Build a small full-stack web slice from a browser prompt, review the preview and generated code, then connect GitHub before any serious team or production work.
StackBlitz
Prompt, run, edit, and publish a small web app in the browser on StackBlitz WebContainers. Review the preview and generated files before connecting GitHub, adding secrets, or treating a publish URL as production.
Cline
Install Cline in VS Code (or Cursor), connect a model provider, open a safe folder, and start with a read-only explanation before allowing file edits. Includes Mac and Windows click-paths for people who have never installed an extension.
Aider
Install Aider with the official installer, put an API key in your environment, open a git repository in Terminal, and start with a small documented change that Aider can commit as a reviewable diff.
OpenCode
Install the open-source OpenCode terminal agent, connect a model provider with /connect, initialise a project with /init, and start in Plan mode before allowing Build-mode edits.
Kilo
Install Kilo Code in the VS Code or JetBrains Marketplace (the flagship path), or add the optional CLI for terminal workflows. Connect a provider and start with a read-only task. Useful if you are migrating from discontinued Roo Code tooling.
Continue
Continue was acquired by Cursor (Jun 2026). Final OSS 2.0 still installs in VS Code for local BYOK/Ollama use, but Hub/cloud are wound down and the repo is read-only — treat this as a migration/archive path, not a new team standard.
Cognition
Sign up for Devin Cloud in the browser, connect a repository with least privilege, and assign a small ticket-style task before any production repo access. This is not Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf).
Amp
Install Amp beside the editor you already use, sign in at ampcode.com, then practice only on a disposable clone — by default Amp runs tools with no approval prompt. This guide covers the local CLI, web sign-in, optional SDK tokens, Attach Anything context, and the billing boundary between subscriptions, credits, and remote Orbs.
Block
Install the open-source Goose CLI from the AAIF goose docs (repo moved from block/goose), configure one hosted or local model provider, and start in a disposable repository with a read-only explanation. Goose can execute tools and edit files through its terminal or desktop surface, so the first session should establish provider billing, secret storage, telemetry, and permission expectations first.
Warp
Install Warp’s standalone Agent CLI in the terminal you already use, verify it, sign in with the browser device flow, and begin with a small approval-first task. The same account can connect the CLI to Warp’s models and Warp Drive context, while managed credits, BYOK, and cloud agents have different privacy and billing boundaries.
DeepSeek
Install Node.js, launch DeepSeek Harness with the official npx command, open the local web UI, add a workspace, paste a provider API key in Settings → Models, and start with a read-only repository summary before approving edits.
A safe default
A first run should prove that the harness understands your workflow, respects the data boundary, and produces a reviewable result. Production credentials and broad autonomy come later, if the evidence earns them.
Read the rollout guide