🖥️Quickstart

Before you start - checklist

• ✅ Access to your GitHub to add integrations

• ✅ Permission to read/write to at least one repo

• ✅ (Optional) Your team’s task tool (Jira/Linear/Asana) and Slack

• ✅ (Optional) A small, non‑critical task you’re happy to try first

Quick start in 10 steps

1. Create your account

   • Open the Cosine platform and sign up with your work email.

   

1. Connect your code

   • Link your GitHub/other git provider and import one or more repos you want Cosine to work on (you can also start a new project from a template).

   
2. Pick a project

   • From the Projects page (second tab at the top), select the repo/project you just imported.

   

1. Tell Cosine what you want

   • Use the New task / prompt box. Be simple: describe the bug or feature and any acceptance criteria (what “done” looks like).

   

1. (Optional) Kick off from Jira/Linear/Slack

   • Instead of typing a prompt, you can trigger tasks by tagging/labelling a ticket in Jira/Linear or by mentioning @cosine in a Slack thread. Details below.

1. Start the task — then walk away

   • Cosine works asynchronously. Don’t babysit it. Queue several tasks if you like.

   

1. Come back to review

   • Open the task to see what Cosine did: the plan, code changes and validation runs.

   

1. Review the pull request (PR)

   • Read the diff, view test/CI status, and add comments if you want tweaks.

   

1. Ask for changes or iterate

   • Type follow‑ups (e.g., “Make the button blue and add a test”). Cosine updates the branch/PR.

   

1. Merge

   • When happy, merge the PR from Cosine or from your git host. To do this, select the PR icon on the right-hand side (second from the top) and click Merge. Done.

   

What are the icons on the Cosine platform?

In order:

• Explorer: allows you to look in and select specific files for Cosine to work in. You can search over file names and paths.

• PR: allows you to view PRs and merge.

• Source control: lets you view the code changes directly.

• Search: lets you search in the actual code base of files.

• Preview: shows you the impact of the change on the site.

• Tickets: can integrate with Jira / Linear / Slack.

• Workflows: shows you CI checks and their status.

• Settings: lets you change the underlying model you’re using, and choose where to merge your PR into.

Common ways to give Cosine a task

A. On the platform (fastest):

• Open your project → New task / prompt → Describe the change → Submit.

B. From Jira/Linear:

• Add your integration once.

• On a ticket, apply the Cosine label/tag your workspace uses (e.g., “cosine”). That’s it — Cosine will pick it up and start.

C. From Slack:

• In a relevant channel/thread, mention @cosine and say what you want (or ask it to take the ticket discussed above).

• Or open the Cosine side‑panel in Slack to get the full app experience without leaving Slack.

What you’ll see on the platform

• Task timeline & plan

  • What it intends to do and why.

  
• Code changes

  • Diffs grouped by file (Third icon on the right-hand side).

  
• Validation

  • Local code execution and CI status for the PR (Second last icon on the right-hand side).

  
• Controls

  • Ask for changes, re‑run, or merge when satisfied.

  

Tips that 10x results

• Don’t hover: Kick off 5–10 small tasks; come back later to review.

• Add acceptance criteria: Tell it how you’ll judge “done”.

• Start small: Non‑critical bugs/UX tweaks are perfect first wins.

• Let it clarify: If your ask is vague, Cosine will ask you questions; answer briefly and keep moving.

• Turn on AutoDoc when you want docs: It writes and keeps project docs up‑to‑date as code changes. (To do so, enter a Project and then select “Autodoc” rather than “Tasks” in the header)

  

Troubleshooting basics

• Nothing happened? Check the task page for errors; re‑submit or slightly narrow the ask.

• It asked questions. That’s normal — answer directly; it will continue.

• Tests failing? Ask Cosine to fix failing tests and re‑run.

• Private repos okay? Yes — as long as your user has access.

First‑task ideas you can try today

• “Fix the header logo alignment on mobile (<768px). Add a test.”

• “Add a ‘Resend verification email’ button on the account page with success/error toasts.”

• “Refactor legacy utils/date.js to TypeScript, add unit tests for parseDate and formatDate.”