START HERE / PROJECT SETUP

Dowe Init

Create a complete Dowe project in the current directory, with source, editor settings, local environment files, and agent-ready guidance.

1 / YOUR FIRST PROJECT

Initialize the directory you want to own

Create or enter an empty directory, then run the interactive command. Dowe asks which starter to use and whether to add English and Spanish localization catalogs.

dowe
mkdir my-dowe-app
cd my-dowe-app
dowe init
Select CRUD for a complete fullstack example or blank for the smallest Hello Dowe application. Use --i18n when the first version should include English and Spanish catalogs.
dowe
dowe init --template crud
dowe init --template crud --i18n
dowe init --template blank
dowe init --template blank --i18n

2 / TWO CANONICAL STARTERS

Start small or study the full system

Both templates use the same Dowe Source Format and the same Rust-owned compiler. The difference is how much application structure they create for you.

Template
Best for
What it creates

No data

There are no records to display

3 / PROJECT BOUNDARY

Know what Dowe creates

The root files connect the application. Frontend modules stay under views, backend modules stay under server, and generated development output does not exist until a later command compiles the project.

dowe
main.dowe
theme.dowe
.env.example
.env
.env.live
.env.stage
.env.uat
.gitignore
.zed/settings.json
views/
  routes/
  layouts/
  pages/
server/
  endpoints.dowe
  handlers/
.agents/
AGENTS.md
CLAUDE.md
Area
Ownership

No data

There are no records to display

4 / SAFE INITIALIZATION

No partial project and no silent overwrite

Dowe validates every destination before it writes. A conflict stops new-project initialization without leaving a partially copied template.

Situation
Decision
What happens

No data

There are no records to display

Initialization does not run development automatically, initialize Git, install node_modules, add Tailwind, or execute authored source through Node.js.

5 / NEXT STEP

Start the generated project

Run the fullstack development targets from the same directory. Dowe compiles main.dowe and its imports, starts the server and web views, and writes disposable artifacts below .dowe.

dowe
dowe dev --target server --target web

Continue to Dowe Dev