First project

The intended first hour is ordinary engineering, not a rewrite. Open a real project folder and learn the surfaces before you grant broad permissions.

Open and orient

• Open a folder as the workspace root
• Skim the explorer tree and locate tests, configs, and entry points
• Check SCM status so you know the starting dirty state
• Run the tests or checks you already trust

Pick a small task

Good first requests are bounded: tighten a redirect, rename a symbol across two files, add a missing test, or fix a clear lint. Avoid “rewrite the application” until you trust reviews and permissions.

Choose a mode

• Ask — explore architecture and ask questions without writing files
• Agent — implement the small change with tools
• Plan — outline steps and trade-offs before edits when the task is ambiguous

Permissions

Set permissions deliberately before shell or git tools run:

• Ask — prompt you for sensitive actions
• Allow safe — allow lower-risk operations without stopping every time
• Allow all — broadest automation; use only when you are watching closely

Review and apply

Stay for the review. Inspect diffs in SCM and the agent transcript. Auto-apply of agent edits defaults to on; turn it off if you want an explicit apply step for every patch.

Extra folders

Attach additional roots with @extra/name style references when the agent needs code outside the primary workspace folder. Keep secrets and huge generated trees out of those attachments when possible.