Getting Started

Getting Started

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Welcome to ECLI. This page walks you through your first 5 minutes — install, launch, edit, save.

1. Install

Pick the fastest path for your platform:

# Debian / Ubuntu
sudo apt install ./ecli_0.1.3_linux_x86_64.deb

# Fedora / RHEL / Rocky
sudo dnf install ./ecli_0.1.3_linux_x86_64.rpm

# FreeBSD
sudo pkg add ./ecli_0.1.3_freebsd_x86_64.pkg

# macOS (drag-and-drop, then approve in System Settings)
open ecli_0.1.3_macos_universal2.dmg

# Windows (PowerShell, run as user)
.\ecli_0.1.3_win_x86_64_setup.exe

# Cross-platform via PyPI (Python 3.11+)
pip install ecli-editor

For detailed install notes (Gatekeeper on macOS, SmartScreen on Windows, ncurses dependencies on Linux), see Installation.

2. Verify

ecli --version
# Expected: ecli 0.1.3 (or newer)

ecli --help

If ecli is not in PATH, see Troubleshooting › Command not found.

3. First launch

Open any text file:

ecli README.md

Or open ECLI without a file (you can open files from inside):

ecli

You'll see:

• Top bar — file name, modified indicator, encoding, cursor position
• Editing area — your file
• Bottom status line — Git branch, LSP status, line count
• Hint bar — current keybinding context

4. Essential keystrokes

Action	Key
Save	Ctrl+S
Open file	Ctrl+O
New file	Ctrl+N
Quit (with prompt if unsaved)	Ctrl+Q
Search	Ctrl+F
Go to line	Ctrl+G (when not in Git panel)
AI assistant panel	Ctrl+A
Git panel	Ctrl+G (when no other panel open)
Help	F1

Full list: Keybindings.

5. Try the AI panel (optional)

If you've configured an AI provider (see AI Setup):

1. Press Ctrl+A — AI panel opens.
2. Type a question or paste code with a request.
3. Submit — AI response appears.
4. Press Esc to close the panel.

No provider configured? ECLI runs perfectly fine without AI. The panel will show a "no provider" message until you set up one.

6. Try Git integration

Inside a Git repo:

1. Press Ctrl+G — Git panel opens with current status.
2. See modified/staged/untracked files.
3. Stage, commit, push, pull — all from the panel.
4. Press Esc to close.

7. Customize

Default config lives in:

Platform	Path
Linux / FreeBSD	~/.config/ecli/config.toml
macOS	~/Library/Application Support/ecli/config.toml
Windows	%APPDATA%\ecli\config.toml

On first launch ECLI creates a default config with all options documented inline. Edit it with ecli ~/.config/ecli/config.toml.

Common first edits:

• Change theme ([ui] theme = "dark" → "light")
• Set AI provider keys
• Adjust tab size

Full reference: Configuration.

What next

• Keybindings — full shortcut list
• AI Setup — connect OpenAI / Anthropic / Ollama / HuggingFace
• Themes & Customization — visual changes
• FAQ — common questions
• Troubleshooting — when something goes wrong