Quickstart

Go from nothing to a finished change in about five minutes. You need a terminal, a Syntic account on a paid plan, and a project folder (a git repository works best).

Get `syntic`

Install instructions are coming with the first public release. Until then there is no public download. See Install and update for the systems Syntic Code runs on.

Once syntic is on your machine, check that your shell finds it:

syntic --version

Open your project and start a session

cd ~/code/my-app
syntic

The first launch walks you through four short screens: pick a color theme, sign in, read a short safety note, and set up your terminal’s new-line key.

Choose to sign in and your browser opens on syntic.ai. Log in, approve the request, and come back to the terminal. Your credentials are saved for next time.

No browser on this machine (for example over SSH)? See Sign in for the paste flow.

Trust the folder

Before the session opens, Syntic Code shows the folder’s full path and asks whether you trust it. No, exit is selected to begin with; choose Yes, I trust this folder for your own projects. Until a folder is trusted, its project settings, hooks, MCP servers, agents and skills stay switched off. See Folder trust.

Ask a question

Start with something read-only to see how it explores:

Give me a two-minute tour of this repo: what it does, where the entry point is, and how I run the tests.

Watch the working line under the prompt. Each tool call (a file read, a search, a command) shows up in the transcript as it happens.

Make a change

Now ask for real work:

The signup form accepts an empty display name. Reject it with a clear error and add a test for it.

New installs start in auto mode: routine edits and commands inside your project run without asking, while risky actions (deleting outside the project, pushing to a remote, touching credentials and similar) still stop for your OK. When a prompt appears, pick Yes, Yes, and don't ask again for …, or No and type what to do instead.

Prefer to approve every edit yourself? Press Shift+Tab to cycle to default mode, or start with syntic --permission-mode default.

Review and save the work

/diff opens a viewer of everything this session changed.
Esc Esc on an empty prompt opens rewind, where you can undo the conversation, the files, or both.
/commit asks Syntic Code to write a commit for the current changes.

Leave, and come back later

Type /exit or press Ctrl+D twice. Syntic Code prints the command that resumes this conversation. Later:

syntic --continue      # the latest session in this folder
syntic --resume        # choose from a list

Handy first commands

Type this	To
`/init`	Have Syntic Code study the project and write a `SYNTIC.md` guide for future sessions
`/help`	See every command and key
`/model`	Switch model
`/context`	See how full the conversation’s context is
`!git status`	Run a shell command yourself, without the agent (shell mode)
`@src/app.ts`	Attach a file to your message

One-shot runs

You do not have to open the interactive screen. -p runs one task and prints the answer:

syntic -p "list the TODO comments in src/ and group them by file"
git diff | syntic -p "write a one-paragraph summary of this diff"

Where to go next

The terminal interface for a tour of the screen.
Permissions & modes to tune what runs without asking.
Memory to give Syntic Code lasting project knowledge.

Overview Install and update