The start screen
When no project is open, Code shows its start screen:
| Card | What it does |
|---|---|
| Open folder (CmdO) | Open a project on this computer. |
| Clone from GitHub | Clone one of your repositories, or any Git address. |
| New project | Describe it, and Piye plans and builds it. |
| Piye Studio | Open the window for agents working across all your projects. See Piye Studio. |
Under the cards: Connect a model (Settings, AI), Bring your chats (import conversations from Claude Code, Cursor and Codex), Command palette and Keyboard shortcuts. Recent projects lists what you opened before.
Your sign-in status shows at the top, with Sign in and Settings.
Clone from GitHub
Choose Clone from GitHub, then either pick one of your repositories (after connecting GitHub, private ones included) or paste any Git address (https://… or git@…). Choose where it goes, and Piye clones it and opens it.
Trusting a folder
The first time you open a folder that came from outside Piye (a clone, a download), a small card asks Trust this folder? Until you trust it, Piye opens, reads and edits it normally, but runs none of its programs: its type check and lint, its TypeScript, its MCP servers and Git actions wait. Source control says it's waiting for trust. Choose Trust to start them. Folders you created with Piye never ask. See Security.
More than one folder
File: Add Folder to Workspace, in the command palette, adds another folder to the window, so one window can hold, for example, a web app and its API.
The Code agent can also work in another project on your computer from the same chat: see The Code agent.
Switching projects
Open another folder with CmdO, or pick one from the project menu at the top left. If a command is still running in the terminal, Piye asks before switching, because running processes stop.
New windows
Each window can hold its own project. Open a new window from the app's menu; Piye remembers each window's size and position when Restore Windows is on (Settings, General).