Darkian Studio logo Darkian Studio

Getting started

After install, Darkian Studio walks the same path as any IDE — open a project, use the terminal, edit with LSP, run a debugger, commit with git, and chat with the AI agent — all against one runtime.

This tour assumes you’ve finished install and that Verify setup reports the runtime is ready. Everything below runs against that one runtime, so the terminal, language servers, and debugger all share the same PATH, filesystem, and installed SDKs.

Screenshots and GIFs are placeholders for now and will be added as the beta matures.

1. Open a project

DS works against a workspace root — a folder in your runtime. Open an existing folder in Termux (or your runtime host), or clone one with git first (see step 5). You can also skip the clone entirely and open a repository on GitHub — sign in, pick a branch, and work on it without downloading anything. Once a workspace is open, the file tree, editor, and terminal all point at that same directory.

2. Use the terminal

The integrated terminal is a full shell through your runtime — Termux on Android. Anything you install here (a language toolchain, a formatter, a language server) is immediately visible to the editor, LSP, and debugger, because they all share the runtime. That’s the point of the one-runtime model.

3. Make your first LSP-powered edit

Open a source file in a language whose server is available in the runtime. DS’s built-in LSP client provides completion, hover, signature help, go-to-definition/references, rename, formatting, code actions, and diagnostics. If a language server isn’t installed yet, install it in the terminal (step 2), then reopen the file.

4. Start your first debug session

DS debugs through the Debug Adapter Protocol (DAP): it bridges to a debug adapter running in your runtime and renders breakpoints, variable inspection, watch expressions, the call stack, and a debug console. Set a breakpoint in the gutter, start a session, and step through your code.

5. Make your first git action

DS provides git as a dedicated panel: clone, stage, commit, push, pull, stash, branch, resolve conflicts, and view blame — all operating against the runtime’s git. Clone a repo to create a workspace, make a change, then stage and commit it. Git also works in GitHub workspaces, where commits are written straight to the repository’s branch.

6. Chat with the AI agent

Open the AI chat and ask the agent to work with your project — it can read and write files, search the workspace, and run commands in your runtime, all against the same trust rules and environment as the terminal. For full privacy, install a GGUF model from the Hugging Face marketplace and chat with it fully offline; see AI features for providers and setup.

Where to go next

  • AI features — the chat agent, local models, and inline completions.
  • GitHub workspaces — open and commit to a repository on GitHub without a local clone.
  • Architecture — why any machine with a terminal can act as DS’s backend.
  • Troubleshooting — if a step above didn’t work.
  • FAQ — quick answers to common questions.