For AI agents: fetch the complete documentation index at /llms.txt, the full documentation corpus at /llms-full.txt, the agent skill at /skill.md, or this page as Markdown at /docs/web/before-you-start.md (or send Accept: text/markdown).
Before you start
Install Node.js, Git and an editor, accept your repository invitation, download the kit and check your computer is ready for the first run.
1. Choose what you want to run
Use a Windows, macOS or Linux computer with an internet connection. A browser runs the Web app; a phone runs the Mobile app; the Desktop app opens in its own window. Your phone alone cannot perform the installation steps below.
A repository is the folder of files you received through GitHub. Web, Mobile and Desktop purchases each provide the corresponding kit repository; the All Platforms bundle provides the monorepo, a folder containing all three apps. Accept the invitation for the repository you purchased. A Mobile or Desktop checkout still needs a reachable Web backend: the server that handles accounts and data. Those client repositories do not include the Web server.
Prepare these tools once. Downloading tools and the first native compilation can take much longer than five minutes. The five-minute guides begin after these preparations; running locally does not publish your app to the internet.
2. Install Node.js
Open the official Node.js download page below. Choose an LTS version numbered 22 or higher and the installer for your computer: .msi on Windows or .pkg on macOS. Open the downloaded installer, keep its defaults and finish installation. Node.js lets your computer run the app's JavaScript; npm is installed with it.
Close and reopen your terminal after installing. On Windows open Start, type PowerShell and open it. On macOS press Command + Space, type Terminal and press Enter. On Linux open Terminal from your applications menu. Paste the command below, then press Enter. A result such as v22.x.x or v24.x.x confirms Node is available. If you see command not found or not recognized, reopen the terminal or reinstall Node with its PATH option enabled.
node --version
npm --version3. Install Git and a text editor
Open the Git download page below, select your operating system and follow its installer. Git downloads your private repository and records file changes. On macOS, running the command below may offer Apple's command-line tools installation; accept it and rerun the command after it finishes. On Linux use the installation command shown for your distribution on the Git page.
Install Visual Studio Code from its official download page. This is a text editor for opening the project and saving configuration files. Open it, choose File → Open Folder (File → Open on macOS), and later select the supastack folder you download. You do not need to write code to complete the first local demonstration.
In a newly opened terminal, run the command below. A result beginning git version means Git is ready. If the command is missing, finish the installer and reopen the terminal.
git --version4. Accept your GitHub invitation
Sign in to GitHub in your browser using the account you supplied when purchasing. Open your GitHub invitation email, select View invitation and accept access. Then open the invited repository. You should see its files and a green Code button. A 404 usually means the invitation has not been accepted or you are signed in to a different GitHub account.
Select Code → Local → HTTPS and copy the address shown. Use that exact address in the next step. Example addresses containing angle brackets are templates: replace them rather than pasting the brackets. You do not need to guess an organization name or make the private repository public.
5. Download the project to your computer
Choose a folder for your projects, such as Documents. Open that folder in File Explorer or Finder. On Windows right-click an empty area and choose Open in Terminal, then choose PowerShell if needed. On macOS open Terminal, type cd followed by a space, drag the folder into the terminal and press Enter. The terminal is now working in that folder.
In the first command below, replace YOUR_COPIED_HTTPS_ADDRESS with the HTTPS address you just copied. Run one line at a time. The first line creates a new folder named supastack; the second line enters it. If Git asks you to sign in, complete the browser sign-in. Do not use your GitHub account password as a Git password. If browser sign-in is unavailable, follow GitHub's HTTPS authentication guide linked below.
Success: the supastack folder contains package.json, pnpm-workspace.yaml, apps and packages. This is the repository root. If Git says the destination already exists, use a different empty folder or open the existing clone; do not delete your work. Keep this terminal open for the next step.
git clone YOUR_COPIED_HTTPS_ADDRESS supastack
cd supastack6. Check Corepack and the pinned package manager
Run the first command below. Corepack selects the pnpm version recorded in package.json; pnpm downloads the libraries the project uses. If Corepack asks permission to download that version, type y and press Enter. This checkout pins pnpm 11.19.0; keep its pin rather than choosing a different package manager.
If corepack is missing, run npm install --global corepack, reopen your terminal and retry. If PowerShell says an npm.ps1 or corepack.ps1 script cannot run, use npm.cmd or corepack.cmd for that command, including corepack.cmd pnpm install. You do not need to change your computer's execution policy.
The filtered first-run commands call Corepack directly. If you use a Turbo command such as corepack pnpm dev, Turbo also needs a pnpm command on PATH. Windows setup below creates that command in a user-writable folder; its PATH change lasts for the current terminal only. Run this block again after opening a new terminal if pnpm is missing. On macOS/Linux, run corepack enable; if it reports a permission error, use the filtered first-run command instead.
corepack --version
corepack pnpm --version
# Windows PowerShell only, for Turbo commands:
$kitShimDir = Join-Path $env:LOCALAPPDATA 'supastack/corepack-shims'
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $kitShimDir -Force | Out-Null
corepack enable --install-directory $kitShimDir
$env:PATH = "$kitShimDir;$env:PATH"7. Continue with your platform
You are ready when Node and Git print versions, Corepack can select the pinned pnpm, and your terminal is in the folder containing package.json. Pick one tutorial below. Docker is optional for the Web demonstration; a database is required later for real accounts. Desktop also needs Rust and native build tools, which its tutorial explains before its launch command.