Get started

Your first task

Open a project in Duscode, choose its architecture, ask Dus for a change, approve its edits, and see the change verified with its cost.

This walkthrough takes about five minutes. It assumes you've installed Duscode and added a key.

1. Open your project

bash

cd ~/code/my-app
duscode

The workspace opens in your browser. There's the chat, with your sessions on the left. Files, diffs and your running app open in a pane beside the chat when you need them.

Starting from scratch? Click the project name under New session in the sidebar and use Start a new project. See Projects.

2. Confirm the architecture

The first time you open a project, a bar above the chat asks about its architecture:

If Duscode recognises the stack, click Use to confirm it, for example Next.js (App Router).
Otherwise click Choose architecture and pick one, or click Not now.

The architecture tells every agent how this project is built: its structure, conventions, tests and commands. Cheap and strong models then build it the same way. See Architecture blueprints.

3. Ask for a change

Type a task in the composer and press Enter. A small, checkable task works best for a first try:

Add a formatPrice(cents) helper to src/utils.ts that returns "£12.50" for 1250, with a test. Then run the tests.

Here's what you'll see as Dus works:

The route. A line names the model Dus chose, its tier, and why. For example: claude-haiku fast tier · cheapest first; a failed check moves up a tier.
Exploring. File reads and searches collapse into one line, such as Explored: read 4 files, 2 searches.
A plan. For a multi-step task, a checklist appears and updates as Dus works through it.
Approval requests. Before Dus edits a file or runs a command, a Needs you card shows the diff or command and the reason. Choose Approve, Reject, or Always allow to save a rule for this project. How much asks depends on the permission mode. If you don't like the result, Undo last change on the task's change card puts the files back.

You can send messages while Dus works, with the same Send button. Dus reads your message at its next step: a correction changes the current work, and a new request is queued for after this task. See Sending while Dus works. Stop ends the task.

4. Review the result

When the task ends, you see:

A summary such as 2 files changed in this task. Click Review on a file to see its diff, or Open in editor.
Verified: checks pass if your project's typecheck, lint and tests passed after the change. You see Not verified: checks fail if they still fail after Dus tried to fix them, or Couldn’t verify in time if a check was still running when its time limit ended (that is not a failure; run it yourself). See Verification gate.
Task cost, for example $0.0123. While a task runs, its cost so far shows next to the session's status at the top: Working · $0.01. Project details (click the project's name in the top bar) shows the session's total cost and the estimated savings against the top-tier model.

5. Keep or ship it

In a git project, each new session works in its own worktree on its own branch, duscode/<session-name>. Your main checkout isn't touched until you merge. Open Git (the branch button in the top bar, or Ctrl/⌘+Shift+G) to:

Commit the changes. Dus suggests a message, which you can edit.
Push the branch, or Open pull request on GitHub.
Merge into main. Duscode runs your checks first.
Or, in one step, Finish…: Duscode brings main in, runs your checks on the merged result, merges (or opens a pull request) and removes the worktree. See Finishing a session.

See Git, commits and pull requests.

Tips for good results

Say what "done" looks like. Name the files, the behaviour and how to check it ("…and add a test").
Attach a screenshot when the task is visual. Paste it into the composer or drop it on the chat. See Attachments.
Add project instructions. Put a DUSCODE.md file (or AGENTS.md / CLAUDE.md) in the project root with your conventions and commands. Dus reads it at the start of every session. Rules you already have for Cursor or GitHub Copilot work too: see Project instructions.
Answer Dus's questions. At real decision points Dus offers two to four options and marks one as recommended. Pick one, or type your own answer.