Welcome to Dev WorkDir 👋

Dev WorkDir is a menu bar project manager built for the AI coding era. It helps you create, organize, and launch your side projects faster than ever.

This guide will get you up and running in 3 minutes.

Step 1: First Launch & Permission Setup

When you open Dev WorkDir for the first time, you’ll see the onboarding window.

Grant Home Directory Access

  1. Click “Grant Access”
  2. Select your Home folder in the file dialog
  3. Click “Open” to grant permission

Why do we need this? Dev WorkDir needs access to scan your project folders. Everything stays local — we never upload anything.

Add Your First Project Folder

  1. Click “Add Folder”
  2. Choose a folder where you keep your projects (e.g., ~/Projects or ~/Developer)
  3. Dev WorkDir will automatically scan and detect all your projects

Learn About Double-Click

The third step introduces you to one of our most powerful features — double-click a project card to run it. We’ll cover more about this later.

Step 2: Get to Know the Interface

Dev WorkDir has three main areas:

┌───────────┬──────────────────────┬──────────────────┐
│           │                      │                  │
│  Sidebar  │    Content Area      │   Detail View    │
│           │                      │                  │
└───────────┴──────────────────────┴──────────────────┘
  • Work Directories: Your added folders and projects
  • Dotfiles: Quick access to your configuration files
  • Create Project: Button to start a new project from templates

Content Area (Middle)

  • Project cards in a grid layout
  • Each card shows the project name, framework icon, and Git branch
  • Double-click a card to run the project

Detail View (Right)

  • Project information and settings
  • Todo list for the selected project
  • Double-click action configuration
  • Environment variables

Step 3: Create Your First Project

  1. Click “Create Project” in the sidebar
  2. Choose a template from 21 built-in options:
    • Frontend: Next.js, React, Vue, Svelte, Astro, etc.
    • Backend: Hono, FastAPI, Django, Gin, etc.
    • Mobile/Desktop: Expo, Tauri, Capacitor
    • Docs: VitePress, Docusaurus, Hugo
  3. Enter a project name
  4. Choose where to save it
  5. Select your preferred editor (auto-detected)
  6. Click “Create”

Your new project will be created and automatically opened in your editor.

Step 4: Use the Menu Bar

Click the Dev WorkDir icon in your menu bar for instant access:

  • Recent Projects: Quick access to your 10 most recent projects
  • Hover over a project to open it in any editor or run scripts
  • Create Project: Start a new project from anywhere
  • Open Main Window: Access the full interface

Pro Tip: The menu bar is the fastest way to switch between projects. Keep it open and use it all day.

Step 5: Double-Click to Run

Double-click any project card to run it:

  • Dev WorkDir automatically detects the right command (e.g., npm run dev, python main.py)
  • It opens Terminal and runs the command for you
  • No more typing commands manually

Customize the Double-Click Action

  1. Select a project
  2. In the detail view, find “Double-Click Action”
  3. Choose from auto-detected scripts or add your own custom command

Next Steps

Now that you’re set up, explore more features:

Need Help?

Check out our FAQ or contact us.

Happy vibe coding! 🚀