Get started
Open a folder, connect a model and get your first answer in under a minute.
Works on: the desktop app. Web: not available yet. Phone: see On your phone.
Choose a folder
The first time you open Codewhale, the whale rests in the middle of the window and says "Pick a folder and I'll get to work."
- Press Choose folder, or use File › Open folder… (⌘O, Ctrl+O on Windows and Linux).
- Pick the project you want to work in.
Codewhale opens the same folder next time. The line under the heading shows the folder and its branch, for example "codewhale · main".
Trust the folder
The first time you open a folder, Codewhale asks "Can I work with the files in this folder?"
- Trust folder lets the folder's own commands and tools run.
- Not now keeps them off for now. Codewhale asks again the next time you open the folder.
Trust only folders you know. Files in a folder can try to tell the whale what to do.
Connect a model
If no model is connected yet, the whale says "Connect a model to start." Press Connect a model, choose a provider and do the one step it asks for. The heading changes to "What should we work on?"
Connect a model has every step and what to do if a key doesn't work.
Send your first message
Type in the composer and press Enter. Or press a starter to fill the composer first:
- Fix a failing test
- Explain this codebase
- Review my changes
- Write release notes
The reply streams in as the whale writes it. See The conversation for what you can do while it works.
What's next
A short list under the composer ticks itself off as you go:
| Item | Ticks when |
|---|---|
| Connect a model | a model is connected |
| Send a first message | you have a conversation |
| Review a change | you open a change in Review |
| Try a / command | never; pressing it puts / in the composer and opens the command list |
Once the first three are ticked, the list goes away.
Anonymous usage counts
The first time, a card says what Codewhale counts: "Codewhale counts which version you run, how long sessions last, and which features and tools get used. Never your conversations, code, prompts or files." Counting is on.
The card's Share usage counts switch, and the Anonymous usage counts row in Settings › Trust, say "Not available yet": you can't turn counting off in the app yet. If you also use Codewhale in a terminal, this turns it off:
codewhale config set telemetry false
Press × to close the card. It doesn't come back.
If something goes wrong
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| "Codewhale can't open this folder." | Codewhale couldn't start working in this folder. The reason shows under the heading. Press Choose another folder, or see Troubleshooting. |
| "That key didn't work. Check it and paste it again." | Copy the key again and paste it. See Connect a model. |
| "Reconnecting" under the composer | Codewhale is starting again by itself. See Troubleshooting. |
On the web
Not available yet.
On your phone
The phone app starts from your conversation list, not from a folder: sign in and pick a conversation, or start a new one. See Codewhale on your phone and Sign in.
Related
Next: Sign in