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Getting started

A fresh CrazyToad install unlocks itself and walks you straight into a new workspace. Do these steps in order and you will be chatting with Toad in minutes: install, open the app, create a workspace, wire one account, and send your first prompt in Studio.

At a glance

  • CrazyToad is a local Windows desktop app — no cloud sync, no telemetry, no billing through us.
  • On first launch it auto-unlocks and opens the New workspace modal for you.
  • Connect at least one provider in Manage → Accounts — a subscription CLI login is the cheapest path.
  • New workspaces default to the edit permission mode (read plus safe file writes).

Install on Windows

CrazyToad runs as a local Windows desktop app. During the pre-sale it ships as an unsigned build, so Windows SmartScreen may warn you the first time you run it — choose More info → Run anyway to continue. Nothing phones home: provider calls go through the CLIs and accounts you configure, the same as opening a terminal yourself.

First run: open the app

CrazyToad auto-unlocks on launch — no passphrase is set by default, and it mints a session for you. You can re-lock later from the Lock app button on the Accounts page.

Create your first workspace

On first run the New workspace modal opens automatically. Give it a name, clone a git repo, or point it at a project folder, then create it. A workspace is one project CrazyToad works on, and exactly one is active at a time. For the full field reference — project path, tech stack, goals — see the Manage guide.

Note
New workspaces default to the edit permission mode — read plus safe file writes. Raise or lower it any time in Manage → Settings → Permissions; the five modes are covered in Manage.

Wire one account

Go to Manage → Accounts and connect at least one provider. The cheapest path is a first-party CLI login: click Claude (subscription) to run claude auth login or Codex (subscription) to run codex login, finish the provider's own sign-in, then press Test model to confirm “CLI auth OK”. A subscription login lets the brain spawn real terminal sessions with no key to paste. Full details — API keys, local models, and role routing — are in the Accounts guide.

Send your first prompt in Studio

Open Studio and tell Toad what you want done — a one-line fix, a whole feature, or a question about the codebase. Toad coordinates the agents; they do the work. Follow-ups stay in the same thread, so Toad keeps the context. From here, pick a surface guide for the workflow you need.

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