Getting Started
First Launch
When you open Crab Desktop for the first time, the app runs through a quick setup sequence.
What Happens on Startup
- Agent sidecar starts — the Rust binary (
crab-desktop-agent) launches as a background process. This takes ~50ms. - Terminal pool warms — two shell sessions are pre-spawned so terminals open instantly later.
- Welcome screen appears — you're ready to open a repository.
Welcome Screen
The Welcome screen offers three paths:
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Clone a Repository | Enter a crab://, HTTPS, or SSH URL |
| Open Local Folder | Browse to an existing git repository on disk |
| Connect via SSH | Set up a remote workspace connection |
Setup Wizard
If the Crab CLI is detected, the app checks your cloud storage configuration. If credentials aren't found, a setup wizard guides you through:
- Storage provider — choose AWS S3, GCS, or Azure Blob Storage
- Credentials — point to your existing AWS profile, service account, or connection string
- Test connection — verify access to a bucket
You can skip this step and configure storage later in Settings → Storage.
Telemetry Opt-In
On first launch, a modal asks whether you'd like to share anonymous usage data. This is entirely optional and can be changed later in Settings → About → Telemetry.
No data is collected until you explicitly opt in.
Theme Detection
The app defaults to following your OS appearance preference (dark or light mode). You can override this in Settings → Appearance → Theme.
Next Steps
Once the Welcome screen is showing:
- Open a repository to start working
- Learn the interface to navigate efficiently