Build your first Rimeward project workspace

Install and open a project

Start on the computer that owns your files. Download the latest Rimeward desktop release and check its notes. The published macOS installer requires Apple Silicon and macOS 14 or newer; Windows targets x86-64. Linux packages currently target Ubuntu 24.04 or an equivalent system. The installation requirements include the Linux libraries and package options.

The installer bundles Rimeward's backend, Node, Chromium, and editor tools. Git, your project's compiler or runtime, and optional coding CLIs remain separate installations. Bundled Node runs Rimeward; it does not replace your project's toolchain.

1. Launch the app and choose Start right here → Open or create a project.
2. Approve a small folder you can safely edit. An existing Git repository with a README is a useful starting point.
3. Rimeward creates or reuses the project page. Use Edit to arrange its wards, the tools that sit on a page.

You can start without a Rimeward server account. A page gets its purpose from its wards; there is no separate development-page mode. Keep the first layout small enough to see your file, terminal output, and review together.

Connect the tools

A Workspace supplies folders; a page arranges tools. Add a Workspace through Edit → Add ward, choose the primary folder, and connect Editor, Terminal, Rime, and Changes as needed. Use Connect a ward…, the tool's Workspace connection… control, or drag a Workspace Leyline in Leylines mode.

Each connected tool uses one Workspace. Moving it to another page preserves that connection. Select instruction files explicitly, such as AGENTS.md or CLAUDE.md; leaving the selection blank loads no instruction file from that folder.

The primary folder appears at /. Additional folders can appear at virtual paths such as /data, including folders on connected computers or SSH hosts. Keep the first task on one local folder. Tools and dependencies belong on the machine that owns it.

Complete a first task

Try a documentation correction: improve one sentence in the README without changing behavior. It exercises the complete loop without requiring an AI connection.

1. Establish the starting state. Open a shell in Terminal. Confirm the folder; in a Git project, run git status --short. Notice existing edits so you can preserve them.
2. Find the file. Use the Editor explorer or Cmd/Ctrl+P. Read enough surrounding text to make the sentence accurate.
3. Edit and save. Change one sentence, then press Cmd/Ctrl+S. Formatting also changes the buffer and needs a save.
4. Check the result. Run the project's documented Markdown or documentation check if it has one. For a code change, run the relevant project checks in the terminal.
5. Review what changed. Open Changes or run git diff -- README.md. Verify that the saved diff contains your intended correction and preserves unrelated work.

A clean result means you can explain the change and the checks you ran. Decide whether to commit using your project's normal workflow. A successful save does not establish that code builds or that a service has been deployed.

Bring in Rime

Open Account → Agent to connect a supported provider: the ChatGPT backend, OpenRouter, OpenAI API, or an OpenAI-compatible endpoint. New Rime responses need provider access; the editor, terminal, and layout tools do not require model credits. Model availability, billing, and quotas belong to that provider.

Connect Rime to the same Workspace, then use @ to mention an editor buffer or terminal output. Try: “Explain this README paragraph and suggest one clearer sentence. Wait for my review before editing.” Inspect the response and action trail, then follow the same save, check, and diff steps for an approved edit.

Review the ward's tools and approval settings before giving it work. Do not assume every file write or command will prompt. A native shell uses your OS account's permissions; a Workspace's virtual paths do not sandbox that shell.

Terminal's + menu also offers Codex and Claude Code sessions. Install and authenticate those CLIs separately on the owning computer; connecting Rime's provider does not sign them in. For local AI, install a model server and suitable model separately, then configure its documented compatible endpoint. See the Rime guide for provider and local-model setup.

Save, compare, and recover

Editor tabs retain undo history. Its … menu offers find/replace, go to line, word wrap, formatting, and recovery. If a file changes outside Rimeward while your buffer is dirty, use Compare changes to choose the version explicitly. Repeated saves are a poor way to resolve a conflict.

Closing a dirty tab keeps recovery data for reopening. Recovery helps with interruptions; keep Git commits and separate project backups for durable history. Before changing a Workspace connection, finish active work and resolve unsaved buffers. Disconnect linked wards before deleting a Workspace.

The Problems panel shows current-file diagnostics from bundled Biome analysis for supported languages. It does not execute project lint plugins. Syntax highlighting does not imply lint support, and the editor does not provide full language-server support, cross-file type checking, a debugger, or VS Code extensions. Run the project's checks in Terminal.

Manage running work

Closing a terminal tab hides its view; it does not stop its process. Removing its ward also detaches the view. Open … → Task manager… to find hidden sessions, reopen one, inspect status, or end work you no longer need. Delete saved history separately when appropriate.

Let Rime control is on by default for Shell, Codex, and Claude Code. You can type while it is on. Turn it off to block Rime input while retaining your keyboard. If another device owns input, use Take control.

Reloading reconnects to a live session. Quitting ends the local runtime; a restored terminal screen is not a resumed build. Reopening a saved tab starts the shell or CLI conversation chooser without replaying old commands. Explicitly ended sessions stay stopped until you select Resume session.

For Rime's longer work, use Tasks to inspect output and Stop controls. Stopping a response does not undo completed changes; stopping a wait may leave the observed process running. Check terminal and task status before launching work again.

Understand where work goes

Your project folders stay at their approved paths on their owning computer. Editor recovery and the Workspace database stay desktop-owned. The local app works without hosting a server, although cloud models, online pages, and integrations require their own network access.

Rime sends conversation and tool context to the model provider serving the response. Mentioning private file content can include it in that context. If you later pair a trusted server, Rime history, attachments, and tool output can synchronize; live remote reads and edits also travel through that server. Local project storage does not imply that all conversation content stays local.

Back up projects separately from the application profile. Before a profile backup or update, save work, finish or stop important tasks, and quit gracefully. Preserve OS credential storage through its supported backup process. Follow Desktop care for update and recovery details and remote access before pairing.

Find the next useful check

• Wrong files or folder? Inspect the Workspace connection and session owner, then the working directory. Sharing a page does not supply project context.
• Workspace unavailable? Check the primary folder's owning machine and path. An offline primary folder blocks the Workspace; an offline secondary folder affects that path.
• Rime cannot respond? Check its provider, model, access, and endpoint. A saved transcript does not prove a working connection. Paired desktops use Provider connections to identify the installation serving model calls.
• CLI will not start? Confirm installation, authentication, and availability in the app's environment on the owning computer.
• Missing terminal or conflicting edit? Inspect Task manager for sessions; use Compare changes and recovery for buffers.

For a bug report, include your app version, OS, and a short reproduction with private values removed. Keep application databases, credentials, cookies, and private files out of public reports. Match this guide to your installed release; platform permissions and external services still apply.