DyadQuickstart
Learn how to set up Dyad and start building your first app.
Installing
If you haven't already, download Dyad and then open the app.
If you are on Windows, you will see a big blue warning from Microsoft. Click "More info," then click "Run anyway."
Not sure if Dyad is safe? Dyad is open-source, so anyone can inspect the source code that's being run.
Setup
You'll need to complete two steps before you can start using Dyad.
When you open Dyad, you'll see a banner on the home screen indicating which steps (if any) still need to be completed.
Install node.js
You’ll need to install Node.js, which is the JavaScript runtime used to run your apps.
If you have trouble with this step, please go to the node.js help page.
Setup AI access
You’ll typically want to access AI models via APIs like Google’s Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude, or OpenAI’s.
To get started, I recommend creating a Google Gemini API key, which offers a generous free tier (e.g., 25 messages/day for Gemini 2.5 Pro).
Creating your first app
Now that you've finished the setup steps, type something into the chat input, then click the send button or press Enter. If you're not sure what to build, you can try one of the suggestions below the chat input.
Once you submit the chat input, Dyad will start building an app for you. After the AI finishes generating the code, you'll need to approve it. Once you approve the code, it will be saved and run on your computer. You should then see a preview of the app open on the right side.