Use Your First Project
In Captain Who, a “project” is a local folder you select. It establishes a clear workspace boundary for file tools, commands, the right sidebar, and project-specific skills.
1. Add a project
- Select “New conversation.”
- Open the project selector below the composer.
- Select “New project,” then choose a folder in the system dialog.
- Confirm that the project name appears in the page title.
You can also add or remove projects under “Settings → Environment.” Selecting a project does not automatically modify or upload its files.
2. Begin with read-only understanding
Select Default permissions, then send:
First, inspect this project in read-only mode. Summarize the problem it solves, its main directories, its entry point, and how to run its tests. Do not modify files or install dependencies. Clearly identify anything the available information does not establish.
The agent can use file-listing, search, and read tools. If it proposes running a command, Default permissions will show an approval request. For this first exercise, you can deny the request and explain that the agent should answer from the files alone.
3. Verify in the right sidebar
Open “Files” in the right sidebar:
- Expand the directory tree or use the filter to locate a file.
- Select a text, Markdown, image, or PDF file for a read-only preview.
- For Markdown, switch between source and rendered preview.
- Copy the file path or reveal the file in your system file manager when needed.
“Files” does not provide editing, deletion, or renaming. Office files are not rendered there; open them in an external app or ask the agent to process them with the appropriate skill.
4. Try a small change
Choose a disposable practice project or one that is already under version control, then send:
Add a short “Run locally” section to the README. Explain the plan first, modify only this file, and summarize the exact changes when finished.
Under Default permissions, the agent will show an approval request when it submits a file change. Before approving, check the target file and the change summary. Afterward, open “Review” in the right sidebar and inspect the “Last turn” or “Unstaged” diff.
If the project is a Git repository, “Review” also lets you:
- View unified or side-by-side diffs.
- Stage unstaged files or unstage staged files.
- Revert unstaged changes. This permanently discards the affected changes and requires a second confirmation.
Captain Who does not currently provide commit or push buttons in “Review.”
5. Understand the project lifecycle
- Conversations associated with a project appear under that project.
- Project-specific skills come from
.agents/skills/inside the project and are not available after you leave it. - Right-sidebar terminals and file views remain bound to the project they were created with. Switching projects does not silently change an existing terminal's working directory.
- “Remove project” permanently deletes the conversations and attachment records Captain Who has saved for that project, but it does not delete the folder's contents.