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This page is the shortest useful path. You can tune providers, permissions, Linear, mobile, and worker settings later.
The ADE desktop app
1

Install ADE

One command installs the ADE brain, registers it as a background service, and offers to sign you in and add the desktop app.
Prefer to click? Download the desktop app for Apple Silicon, Intel, or Windows x64. On Windows, a few features differ — what differs. On Linux, ADE runs headless as the brain and you drive it from elsewhere — see Connect a machine. Full detail: Install ADE. The optional iOS companion is on TestFlight.
2

Connect one AI provider

Open Settings -> AI Providers and verify at least one provider. Claude Code, Codex, Muse Code, Cursor, Factory Droid, OpenCode, and seven more are the agent paths — see Agents and models.
3

Open a Git repository

Use Open Repository on the welcome screen or press Cmd+O (Ctrl+O on Windows). Choose the repository root, not a subfolder.
4

Create a lane

In Lanes, create a new lane from your default branch. A lane is ADE’s name for a git worktree — it gets its own branch and working copy under .ade/worktrees/, isolated from your main checkout.
5

Ask for one small change

Open the lane in Work or Chat and send a narrow task. Start with something easy to inspect.
6

Review and commit

Use Files to inspect the diff, run tests from Run or the terminal, then commit and create a PR when it looks right.

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A good first prompt

Pick a version of that prompt that fits your project. The goal is to exercise the loop: lane, chat, edit, test, review, commit.

Key concepts

Understand the product vocabulary without reading a reference manual.

Your first task

More detail on choosing a provider, watching tool calls, and reviewing output.

Lanes

How ADE keeps parallel work isolated.

Pull requests

How finished lane work moves into GitHub review.