Open Design quickstart.

Requirements

• Node.js 24 — install via your platform package manager or nodejs.org. Node 22 is not supported.
• pnpm 10.33.2 — enabled through Corepack so the lockfile-pinned version is used.
• git — any recent version.
• An agent — Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, or Qwen.

Three commands to ship

Run these commands from a clean shell:

1. Clone and install. Clone the open-design repository and install workspace dependencies with pnpm. Requires Node 24 and pnpm 10.33.2.

   git clone https://github.com/nexu-io/open-design
   cd open-design
   pnpm install

2. Start the daemon and web UI. Run tools-dev to start the local daemon and web runtime. This is the only lifecycle entry point.

   pnpm tools-dev

3. Generate your first artifact. Open the web UI, pick a skill from the catalog, and let your agent render it. Or drive the daemon directly with the od CLI.

   od skill run open-design-landing --output ./artifact.html

Full notes live in QUICKSTART.md.

What you should see

When pnpm tools-dev is healthy, the terminal reports the daemon, web runtime, and sidecar IPC namespace as ready:

# tools-dev — startup
→ daemon  listening on http://127.0.0.1:17456 (namespace tools-dev/main)
→ web     listening on http://127.0.0.1:17573 (proxy → daemon)
→ sidecar /tmp/open-design/ipc/tools-dev-main/daemon.sock
→ ready in 1.4s

The exact ports come from your tools-dev flags (--daemon-port, --web-port); defaults are stable across runs.

Troubleshooting

• EBADENGINE on pnpm install: wrong Node major. Switch to Node 24.
• better-sqlite3 build hangs on Windows: expected on Node 24; install Visual Studio Build Tools first.
• Port already in use: pass --daemon-port and --web-port, or stop the previous run.
• Agent does not show up: check /agents/ and your .od/media-config.json credentials.
• Permission prompt loops: pnpm tools-dev check verifies the environment and prints missing setup.

Next steps

• Browse the skill catalog — and pick one to render.
• Pick a DESIGN.md system — so generated artifacts inherit a brand.
• Compare Open Design — with Claude Design, Figma Make, v0, and Lovable.
• Subscribe to GitHub releases — for new versions.