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Development Setup & Contributing

Running from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/hotovo/aider-desk.git
cd aider-desk

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run in development mode
npm run dev

# Build executables
npm run build:win # Windows
npm run build:mac # macOS
npm run build:linux # Linux

Common Commands

CommandPurpose
npm run devDevelopment mode with hot reload
npm run typecheckType check main + renderer processes
npm run testRun all tests (main + renderer)
npm run test:watchTests in watch mode
eslint --fix <file>Lint and format a file

The project is an Electron app with a multi-process architecture — see AGENTS.md for a detailed map of the codebase before diving in.

Contributing

We welcome contributions:

  1. Fork the repository on GitHub
  2. Create a branch: git checkout -b my-feature-branch
  3. Commit with clear, descriptive messages
  4. Push and open a Pull Request against the main branch

Guidelines:

  • Keep PRs focused on a single feature or bugfix
  • Update documentation when adding new features
  • Follow the existing code style and conventions
  • For major changes, open an issue first to discuss the approach