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This guide walks you through setting up your development environment for building on the Vibing AI platform.

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Prerequisites

Before getting started, ensure you have the following installed:
  • Node.js: Version 20.6.0 LTS or later
  • npm: Version 9.0.0 or later
  • Git: Latest version
You can check your installed versions with: 
node --version
npm --version
git --version

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Developer Account Setup

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1. Create a Developer Account

  1. Go to https://developers.vibing.im
  2. Click “Sign Up” and complete the registration form
  3. Verify your email address
  4. Complete your developer profile

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2. Create an Application

  1. Log in to the Developer Portal
  2. Navigate to “Applications” and click “Create New Application”
  3. Enter application details:
    • Name
    • Description
    • Category
    • Redirect URIs (for OAuth)
  4. Note your Client ID and Client Secret

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Installing the SDK and CLI

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Install the SDK

The Vibing AI SDK provides the core libraries for developing platform offerings: 
# Create a new project directory
mkdir my-vibing-project
cd my-vibing-project

# Initialize a new npm project
npm init -y

# Install the SDK
npm install @vibing-ai/sdk

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Install the CLI Tools

The Vibing CLI provides helpful commands for development, testing, and deployment: 
# Install globally
npm install -g @vibing-ai/cli

# Verify installation
vibe --version

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Project Initialization

Initialize a new project using the CLI: 
# For a new app
vibe init app my-awesome-app

# For a plugin
vibe init plugin my-productivity-plugin

# For an agent
vibe init agent my-specialized-agent

# For a theme
vibe init theme my-beautiful-theme

# For a studio
vibe init studio my-integrated-studio
This will create a new directory with the following structure: 
my-awesome-app/
├── src/
│   ├── index.ts         # Main entry point
│   ├── components/      # UI components
│   ├── services/        # Business logic
│   └── utils/           # Helper functions
├── public/              # Static assets
├── tests/               # Test files
├── vibe.config.js       # Vibing AI configuration
├── package.json         # Project dependencies
├── tsconfig.json        # TypeScript configuration
└── README.md            # Project documentation

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Configuration

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Configure Your Project

Update the vibe.config.js file with your application details: 
module.exports = {
  name: 'My Awesome App',
  version: '1.0.0',
  description: 'Description of your application',
  author: 'Your Name',
  license: 'MIT',
  type: 'app', // or 'plugin', 'agent', 'theme', 'studio'
  surfaces: ['conversationCard', 'appTab'],
  permissions: [
    'memory:read:conversation;purpose=user_context;ttl=session',
    'memory:write:conversation;purpose=conversation_results;ttl=persistent'
  ],
  clientId: 'YOUR_CLIENT_ID', // From Developer Portal
  clientSecret: 'YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET', // From Developer Portal
  redirectUri: 'http://localhost:3000/callback'
};

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Set Up Environment Variables

Create a .env file to store sensitive information: 
VIBE_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id
VIBE_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret
VIBE_REDIRECT_URI=http://localhost:3000/callback
VIBE_ENV=development
Add .env to your .gitignore file to prevent committing sensitive information.

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Development Workflow

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Start Development Server

Run the development server to start working on your project: 
# Start local development server
vibe dev

# Start with specific options
vibe dev --port 3001 --open
This will:
  1. Start a local development server
  2. Watch for file changes
  3. Provide a sandbox environment
  4. Open your default browser (with —open flag)

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Testing Your Project

Run tests to ensure your project is working correctly: 
# Run all tests
vibe test

# Run specific test
vibe test tests/specific-test.ts

# Run with coverage
vibe test --coverage

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Building for Production

Build your project for production: 
# Build project
vibe build

# Build with specific target
vibe build --target production

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Sandbox Environment

The sandbox environment allows you to test your offering without affecting production data: 
# Initialize sandbox
vibe sandbox init

# Reset sandbox
vibe sandbox reset

# Import test data
vibe sandbox import data.json

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Troubleshooting

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Common Issues

  1. EACCES permissions errors If you get permission errors when installing the CLI globally: 
    npm install -g @vibing-ai/cli --unsafe-perm=true --allow-root
  2. Connection to developer portal fails Check your internet connection and verify your API keys in .env file.
  3. Development server fails to start Try clearing the cache: 
    vibe cache clean

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Getting Help

If you encounter issues:
  1. Check the documentation
  2. Join our Discord community
  3. Open an issue on GitHub
  4. Contact support at support@vibing.im

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Next Steps

Now that you have set up your development environment, you can: