Transaction-Science/agent-joule
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agent-joule/docs/src/getting-started.md
David Charlot 88a41bedd3 Rebrand Zed -> Joule across UI, docs, embedded assets, and legal 
The fork shipped renamed binary/bundle but the product name "Zed" was still
shown everywhere in the UI. Rename the display name to "Joule" (tagline
"Energy-metered agentic coding") while preserving every load-bearing reference.

Display renames (105 .rs files): release_channel display_name, welcome +
onboarding + ai_onboarding, macOS app menu (About/Hide/Quit), window titles,
About panel, settings UI, notifications, update/collab messages, system specs.
Bundle display name (crates/zed/Cargo.toml) -> "Joule" so CFBundleName / the
menu-bar name and the .app are "Joule" (identifier science.transaction.AgentJoule
and the agent-joule binary are unchanged).

Docs (223 .md): product prose Zed -> Joule, fence-aware (code blocks untouched).
Embedded assets (12 JSONC): // comments only.
Legal (4 files): product -> Joule, entity "Zed Industries, Inc." -> "Transaction
Science, Inc.", domain zed.dev -> openie.dev. NOTE: these are structurally Zed's
inherited terms and need a real legal review, not just a rename.

Deliberately PRESERVED (renaming would break the app): font aliases ("Zed Plex
Sans"/".ZedMono" in text_system + assets), HTTP header names (X-Zed-Predict-*),
zed:: action ids, app/bundle identifiers (dev.zed.Zed*, Zed-Editor-* product ids),
zed.dev URLs, ZED_* env vars, crate/package names, "Zed Industries" in non-legal
attribution, and the {zed,Zed} config-dir glob.

Signed + notarized + stapled as Joule.app, installed to /Applications, verified
(Gatekeeper: Notarized Developer ID, FH93XC2VRR). Caveat: test-code string
literals were renamed too, so some `cargo test` assertions may need updating.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <[email protected]>
2026-07-03 02:23:35 -04:00

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title description
Getting Started with Joule Get started with Joule, the fast open-source code editor. Essential commands, environment setup, and navigation basics.

Getting Started

Joule is an open-source code editor with built-in collaboration and AI tools.

This guide covers the essential commands, environment setup, and navigation basics.

Quick Start

Welcome Page

When you open Joule without a folder, you see the welcome page in the main editor area. The welcome page offers quick actions to open a folder, clone a repository, or view documentation. Once you open a folder or file, the welcome page disappears. If you split the editor into multiple panes, the welcome page appears only in the center pane when empty—other panes show a standard empty state.

To reopen the welcome page, close all items in the center pane or use the command palette to search for "Welcome".

1. Open a Project

Open a folder from the command line:

zed ~/projects/my-app

Or use Cmd+O (macOS) / Ctrl+O (Linux/Windows) to open a folder from within Joule.

By default, new projects open in your current window's threads sidebar. To open in a new window instead, use zed -n ~/projects/my-app or press Cmd+Enter when selecting from Open Recent. See Windows & Projects for more details.

2. Learn the Essential Commands

Action macOS Linux/Windows
Command palette Cmd+Shift+P Ctrl+Shift+P
Go to file Cmd+P Ctrl+P
Go to symbol Cmd+Shift+O Ctrl+Shift+O
Find in project Cmd+Shift+F Ctrl+Shift+F
Toggle terminal Ctrl+` Ctrl+`
Open settings Cmd+, Ctrl+,

The command palette (Cmd+Shift+P) is your gateway to every action in Joule. If you forget a shortcut, search for it there.

3. Configure Your Editor

Open the Settings Editor with Cmd+, (macOS) or Ctrl+, (Linux/Windows). Search for any setting and change it directly.

Common first changes:

  • Theme: Press Cmd+K Cmd+T (macOS) or Ctrl+K Ctrl+T (Linux/Windows) to open the theme selector
  • Font: Search for buffer_font_family in Settings
  • Format on save: Search for format_on_save and set to on

4. Set Up Your Language

Joule includes built-in support for many languages. For others, install the extension:

  1. Open Extensions with Cmd+Shift+X (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+X (Linux/Windows)
  2. Search for your language
  3. Click Install

See Languages for language-specific setup instructions.

5. Try AI Features

Joule includes built-in AI assistance. Open the Agent Panel with Cmd+Shift+A (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+A (Linux/Windows) to start a conversation, or use Cmd+Enter (macOS) / Ctrl+Enter (Linux/Windows) for inline assistance.

See AI Overview to configure providers and learn what's possible.

Coming from Another Editor?

We have dedicated guides for switching from other editors:

  • VS Code — Import settings, map keybindings, find equivalent features
  • IntelliJ IDEA — Adapt to Joule's approach to navigation and refactoring
  • PyCharm — Set up Python development in Joule
  • WebStorm — Configure JavaScript/TypeScript workflows
  • RustRover — Rust development in Joule

You can also enable familiar keybindings:

  • Vim: Enable vim_mode in settings. See Vim Mode.
  • Helix: Enable helix_mode in settings. See Helix Mode.

Join the Community

Joule is open source. Join us on GitHub or in Discord to contribute code, report bugs, or suggest features.