The setup app is the platform’s desktop application for macOS, Windows, and Linux (downloads page) and installs the ap CLI. After signing in with your Application Platform account, you see Projects, Developer setup, and Settings.
Developer setup
The Developer setup checks your machine and installs missing tools individually or all at once, from Git and the runtimes in .tool-versions to editors and AI tools (Requirements); run it before cloning your first project.
Cloning projects
In the Projects area you clone a project; the app clones all repositories into the workspace folder, ~/Documents/application-platform by default, or updates them there. It also sets up the ap CLI, a pre-commit hook protecting .gitlab-ci.yml and env/*.generated.env, the symlinks to local-configuration, and the platform extension for VS Code, Cursor, and Antigravity (Working locally on your project).
Opening projects in your editor
From the Projects area you open a project with a click in the default tool from the settings; supported editors and agents are listed under Choose your editor.
Settings
In Settings you choose the default tool, enter your Git identity (name, email address) and Git credentials, open the workspace folder or copy its path, and view the versions of app, CLI, and extension.
Updates
The setup app checks for new versions itself; ap cli-update check checks the CLI, ap --version shows its version. Without the setup app, you install the CLI with one command, as described under CLI and agent plugin.
The ap CLI
ap run-local starts the application and its services from a repository root (Starting applications); ap ports shows the local ports, ap doctor checks the tools, ap workspace info gives an overview of project and repositories. After ap login you clone projects without the desktop app:
ap login
ap platform projects clone <project-slug>
ap git auto-commit stages, commits, and pushes in one step, ap secrets edit <file> opens an encrypted deployment configuration; sign-in, agent plugin and MCP server are covered under CLI and agent plugin.
The setup CLI ap-app
The setup CLI ap-app runs the same setup steps without a user interface, for example for automation:
ap-app tools status
ap-app tools install asdf-plugin-hugo
ap-app auth login
ap-app projects clone <org>/<project>
ap-app remote-dev status
ap-app covers tools, the setup app’s login session, cloning, and the remote-dev agent, ap applications, Git hooks, the platform API, and MCP. The setup app and ap-app share their session (~/Library/Application Support/application-platform/ap-app/session.json on macOS, otherwise ~/.config/application-platform/ap-app/session.json), the ap CLI signs in separately through ap login.