DocsInstallationQuickstart

Quickstart

Three steps: install the extension, run a one-time setup command, and send your first message.

Install the Chrome extension

Install Trace from the Chrome Web Store, then pin it to your toolbar. Click the Trace icon to open the side panel — it stays docked to the right of whatever tab you're on.

Connect the local agent

In the side panel, click Connect. The first time you do this, Trace needs a small local agent installed on your machine — it's what actually reads and edits your files. Run this one-time command in your terminal:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/tracedevtools/Forge-release/main/install.sh | bash

Don't want to use a terminal? The same setup screen has a Download & run it instead option that downloads a double-clickable setup file — see the note on security warnings in Troubleshooting before using it.

Once the command finishes, the side panel detects it automatically and connects — no need to reopen anything.

Pick a project and send your first message

Once connected, choose Browse folder to point Trace at an existing project, or use the Default workspace to start something new from scratch. Then just describe what you want:

text

set up a react app

Trace reads your files, makes the change, and shows you what it did — right in the side panel. See Workspaces & Projects for more on the difference between the two options above.

Pick your model before you start

Trace works with a range of models out of the box, and you can bring your own API key too. Head to Models & Reasoning Effort to see how model selection and reasoning effort work.

Something went wrong?

Connection errors and security warnings during setup are common on the first install and are easy to fix — see the Troubleshooting guide.