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Installation

AIDEN runs on your machine, close to your repos and your tools. Installing it takes a few minutes; the steps below also cover the first-launch setup so your first session starts from a working environment.

System requirements

  • macOS 12 or later (Apple Silicon and Intel)
  • Git installed and available on your machine
  • At least one AI path — one of:
    • Claude Code (Claude CLI) installed
    • Codex CLI installed
    • an Anthropic or OpenAI API key

If you already use Claude Code or Codex from the terminal, you are ready — AIDEN detects installed CLIs and uses your existing subscription, with no extra API billing.

Download and install

  1. Download AIDEN from aidenapp.org . The free tier includes one project and requires no credit card.
  2. Open the downloaded file and drag AIDEN into your Applications folder.
  3. Launch it. On first run, macOS may ask you to confirm opening an app downloaded from the internet.

First-launch setup

When you open AIDEN for the first time, set up the essentials:

1. Connect an AI provider

AIDEN checks for installed CLIs automatically. If you have Claude Code or Codex CLI, it will use them. Otherwise, add an Anthropic or OpenAI API key in Settings. You can mix providers and change the default at any time — see AI Providers.

2. Connect GitHub (optional)

If your code lives on GitHub, connect your account so you can import repositories and let AIDEN open pull requests for finished work. See the GitHub guide.

3. Set up voice (optional)

Voice needs an OpenAI API key with billing enabled. Add it under Settings → Voice — full details in Voice — Talk to AIDEN.

Where your data lives

AIDEN is local-first:

  • projects, stories, specs, and chats are stored on your machine
  • your code never leaves your machine — agents run through your local CLIs and your own keys
  • API keys are stored locally and only used to reach the providers you configured

Verify everything works

The best check is not just opening the app — it is finishing one small, real piece of work:

  1. Create a project (new, from a GitHub repo, or from a local folder).
  2. Create one small story.
  3. Let AIDEN plan and execute it.

The Getting started guide walks through exactly that.

Troubleshooting

  • AIDEN doesn’t see my CLI — make sure claude or codex runs from a fresh terminal. If it only works in a specific shell profile, reinstall the CLI with its standard installer, then restart AIDEN.
  • Provider errors on first message — double-check the API key in Settings and that the key’s account has credit or billing enabled.
  • GitHub import fails — reconnect your GitHub account; permissions may need to be granted to the specific organization that owns the repo.

Next step

Go to Getting started.

OverviewGetting Started