Quickstart - Factory Documentation

This quickstart guide will have you collaborating with Factory’s development agent in just a few minutes. You’ll experience how droid understands your codebase, makes thoughtful changes, and integrates with your existing workflow.

Before you begin

Make sure you have:

A terminal open in a code project
Git repository (recommended for full workflow demonstration)

Step 1: Install and start droid

curl -fsSL https://app.factory.ai/cli | sh

brew install --cask droid

irm https://app.factory.ai/cli/windows | iex

npm install -g droid

Linux users: Ensure xdg-utils is installed for proper functionality. Install with: sudo apt-get install xdg-utils

Then navigate to your project and start the Droid CLI.

# Navigate to your project
cd /path/to/your/project

# Start interactive session
droid

You’ll see droid’s welcome screen in a full-screen terminal interface. If prompted, sign in via your browser to connect to Factory’s development agent.

Step 2: Explore your codebase

Let’s start by having droid understand your project. Try one of these questions:


> analyze this codebase and explain the overall architecture


> what technologies and frameworks does this project use?


> where are the main entry points and how is testing set up?

Droid reads your files contextually and leverages organizational knowledge to provide comprehensive insights about your project structure and conventions.

Step 3: Make your first code change

Now let’s see droid in action with a simple modification:


> add comprehensive logging to the main application startup

Droid will:

Analyze your current logging setup
Propose specific changes with a clear plan
Show you exactly what will be modified
Wait for your approval before making changes

This transparent review process ensures you maintain full control over all code modifications.

Step 4: Experience enterprise workflows

Try a more complex task that showcases droid’s enterprise capabilities:

> audit this codebase for security vulnerabilities and create a remediation plan

Or provide context from your team’s tools by pasting a link:

> implement the feature described in this Jira ticket: https://company.atlassian.net/browse/PROJ-123

If you’ve integrated these platforms through Factory’s dashboard, droid can automatically read context from Jira, Notion, Slack, and other sources. Droid can also connect to additional tools via MCP integrations for even more capabilities.

Step 5: Handle version control

Droid makes Git operations conversational and intelligent:


> review my uncommitted changes and suggest improvements before I commit

> create a well-structured commit with a descriptive message following our team conventions


> analyze the last few commits and identify any potential issues or patterns

Essential controls

Here are the key interactions you’ll use daily:

Action	What it does	How to use
Send message	Submit a task or question	Type and press Enter
Multi-line input	Write longer prompts	Shift+Enter for new lines
Approve changes	Accept proposed modifications	Accept change in the TUI
Reject changes	Decline proposed modifications	Reject change in the TUI
Switch modes	Toggle between modes	Shift+Tab
Bash mode	Run shell commands directly without AI interpretation	Press `!` on an empty input; `Esc` to return
Transcript view	Toggle detailed transcript with full message details	Ctrl+O
Mission control	Toggle Mission Control overlay (orchestrator sessions)	Ctrl+T
Close overlay	Dismiss the active overlay or menu	Escape
Scroll transcript	Navigate through previous turns	Alt+Up / Alt+Down
View shortcuts	See all available commands	Press ?
Exit session	Leave droid	Ctrl+C or type `exit`

Useful slash commands

Quick shortcuts to common actions:

/review - Start AI-powered code review workflow (learn more)
/settings - Configure droid behavior, models, and preferences
/model - Switch between AI models mid-session
/sessions - List and resume previous sessions
/fork - Fork the current session into a new branch
/compress - Compress/compact the current session to free up context
/missions - Open the Missions menu to launch multi-agent projects
/droids - Manage custom Droids (specialized subagents)
/skills - Manage prompt-based skills (reusable procedures)
/hooks - Manage tool execution hooks for lifecycle automation
/plugins - Manage plugins and marketplaces
/mcp - Manage Model Context Protocol servers
/account - Open your Factory account settings in browser
/billing - View and manage your billing settings
/help - See all available commands

Learn how to create custom slash commands →

Collaboration best practices

Be specific with context: Instead of: “fix the bug” Try: “fix the authentication timeout issue where users get logged out after 5 minutes instead of the configured 30 minutes” Use spec mode for complex features: For larger features, use Specification Mode which automatically provides planning before implementation without needing to explicitly request it. Leverage organizational knowledge:

> following our team's coding standards, implement the user preferences feature described in ticket PROJ-123

Use the review workflow: Always review droid’s proposed changes before approval. The transparent diff view helps you understand exactly what will be modified.

Pro tips for enterprise teams

Security-first approach: Droid automatically considers security implications and will flag potential vulnerabilities during code generation. Compliance integration: Connect your compliance tools through MCP to ensure all changes meet your organization’s standards. Team knowledge sharing: Droid learns from your organization’s patterns and can help maintain consistency across team members and projects.

What’s next?

Common Use Cases

Explore real-world scenarios and workflows

Configuration

Customize droid for your team’s workflow

AGENTS.md Guide

Document your project conventions and commands

IDE Integration

Use droid within your favorite editor

​Before you begin

​Step 1: Install and start droid

​Step 2: Explore your codebase

​Step 3: Make your first code change

​Step 4: Experience enterprise workflows

​Step 5: Handle version control

​Essential controls

​Useful slash commands

​Collaboration best practices

​Pro tips for enterprise teams

​What’s next?

Common Use Cases

Configuration

AGENTS.md Guide

IDE Integration

Before you begin

Step 1: Install and start droid

Step 2: Explore your codebase

Step 3: Make your first code change

Step 4: Experience enterprise workflows

Step 5: Handle version control

Essential controls

Useful slash commands

Collaboration best practices

Pro tips for enterprise teams

What’s next?