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This guide walks you through creating a project in Coddo and getting it ready for AI-powered development.

Step 1: Open Coddo

Launch Coddo from your Applications folder. If this is your first time, complete the onboarding flow first.

Step 2: Create or open a project

From the Start Page, you have two options:

Create a new project

  1. Click New Project
  2. Choose a parent directory where the project folder will be created
  3. Enter a project name
  4. Coddo creates the folder and initializes it

Open an existing project

  1. Click Open Project
  2. Navigate to your existing project folder
  3. Coddo detects the project and initializes the .coddo/ directory

Step 3: Understand the project structure

When Coddo initializes a project, it creates a .coddo/ directory:
your-project/
├── .coddo/              # Coddo data (auto-created)
│   ├── threads/         # Chat thread files
│   ├── attachments/     # Task images and attachments
│   ├── kanban.json      # Kanban board state
│   └── settings.json    # Project settings
├── CLAUDE.md            # Claude Code instructions (optional)
└── ... your code
The .coddo/ directory is local to your machine. It is automatically added to .gitignore by Coddo.

Step 4: Set up CLAUDE.md

Before chatting with Claude Code, create a CLAUDE.md file to give it context about your project. Use the built-in editor or create it manually. Key things to include:
  • Your tech stack and frameworks
  • Build and run commands
  • Coding conventions
  • Important project rules

Step 5: Create your first tasks

Switch to the Kanban view and start creating tasks:
  1. Click + New Task
  2. Write a descriptive title
  3. Add detailed instructions for Claude Code
  4. Choose an execution mode (worktree or direct) and a model
  5. Optionally add tags and attach images
  6. The task appears in the Backlog column

Step 6: Start coding with Claude

  1. Move a task to Todo - Coddo’s queue runner automatically picks it up
  2. Watch the task move to In Progress as Claude Code starts working
  3. Click on the task to see the live conversation in the detail panel
  4. When done, the task moves to Review - check the changes
  5. Validate and merge (worktree) or commit (direct), then move to Done

Tips for success

  • Write clear instructions - The more specific your task instructions, the better Claude Code’s output
  • Use worktree mode for independent tasks that can run in parallel
  • Review changes carefully - Check the diff before merging
  • Iterate - If Claude’s first attempt isn’t right, send another message from the review state