Quickstart
This guide takes you from a fresh install to your first useful change. You will sign in, ask Niah to explain a codebase, make a small edit, and review the result.
1. Sign in
Niah's cloud models are tied to your Niah account, so sign in before you
chat. Open the Command Palette
(⌘⇧P / Ctrl+Shift+P) and run one of:
Niah: Sign In with Google | Opens your browser to complete sign-in, then hands control back to the app. |
|---|---|
Niah: Sign In with Microsoft | |
Niah: Sign In with Apple | |
Niah: Sign In with Email | |
Niah: Create Account | Sign up first if you do not have an account yet. |
Your browser opens niah.si. After you
authenticate there, the page hands you back to the desktop app through a
niah:// deep link, and Niah exchanges that for a session. You
should see a confirmation naming the account you signed in as.
Niah: Cancel Sign In and try again, and see
Troubleshooting if the
browser never returns to the app.
Once signed in, pick Niah Cloud as the provider in the sidebar. That routes chat through your organization's models and knowledge base — see Models & providers for local and bring-your-own-key alternatives.
2. Open a project and get oriented
Open a folder, then press ⌘L / Ctrl+L to
open chat. Asking for an orientation is one of the fastest ways into an
unfamiliar codebase:
Explain this codebase. Point me to the main entry points, key modules,
and anything I should read before making changes.In Agent mode Niah will search the repo, read the files it needs, and summarize how the project fits together, rather than answering from the open file alone.
3. Make one small change
Start with something low-risk — a wording fix, a small UI detail, a missing guard. If you are not sure what to pick, ask:
Suggest three small, safe improvements in this codebase.
Explain the tradeoffs and wait for me to choose one.There are two ways to ask for the edit itself:
⌘L / Ctrl+L |
Adds your current selection to chat. Best when the change spans files or needs discussion first. |
|---|---|
⌘K / Ctrl+K |
Quick Edit, inline in the editor. Best for a focused change to code you can already see. |
4. Review the diff
Niah proposes edits as diffs rather than writing straight to disk, so nothing lands until you accept it. Review each change and keep or discard it:
| Accept the current diff | ⌘⌥⇧Enter / Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Enter |
|---|---|
| Reject the current diff | ⌘⌥⇧Backspace / Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Backspace |
| Next / previous diff | ⌘⌥⇧↓ / ⌘⌥⇧↑ |
| Accept everything, all files | ⌘⇧Enter / Ctrl+Shift+Enter |
| Reject everything, all files | ⌘⇧Backspace / Ctrl+Shift+Backspace |
After accepting, run whatever checks the project already uses — its tests, type checker, linter, or build. You can ask Niah to run them for you and read the output.
5. Reach for Agents on bigger work
Chat is best when you can describe a change in one or two steps. When work
spans many files or needs exploration first, open the Agents window with
⌘⇧A / Ctrl+Shift+A and let Explorer,
Editor, and Verifier agents work concurrently across the repo.
See Agents for how they divide work and how to constrain them.
Where to go next
Chat & editing
Every chat and diff keybinding, and when to use each one.
Agents
Concurrent sub-agents and workspace policy.
Configuration
Scope what Niah indexes with .niahignore.
Models & providers
Cloud, local, and bring-your-own-key models.
You can replay the in-app tour at any time with
Niah: Get Started from the Command Palette.