getting started

installation

spacecake is available for macOS and Linux (Debian). download the latest release from the homepage or GitHub.

you can also build from source by following the steps in the release pipeline.

step 1: download

• macOS: download the .dmg file (arm64 for Apple Silicon, x64 for Intel) or .zip for manual installation
• Linux: download the .deb file (for Debian-based distributions like Ubuntu)

step 2: install

for DMG (macOS):

1. open the downloaded .dmg file
2. drag the spacecake app into your Applications folder
3. launch spacecake from Applications or Spotlight (cmd+Space)

for ZIP (macOS):

1. extract the .zip file
2. move the extracted spacecake.app to your Applications folder
3. launch spacecake from Applications or Spotlight (cmd+Space)

for DEB (Linux):

1. install the package: sudo dpkg -i spacecake_*.deb
2. launch spacecake from your application menu or run spacecake in your terminal

step 3: open your first project

when spacecake launches, you’ll start in your home folder (~/.spacecake). press ⌘O (or ctrl+o on linux) to open your project’s root directory.

you can create notes and folders in your home folder, or open any project folder as a workspace anytime.

editor basics

workspaces

a workspace is a folder you’re working in. switch workspaces with ⌘O / ctrl+o or the folder icon in the toolbar.

your home folder (~/.spacecake) is always available for notes that aren’t tied to a specific project.

files and tabs

• quick open: press ⌘P / ctrl+p to search and open files by name
• new file: press ⌘N / ctrl+n to create a new file
• close tab: press ⌘W / ctrl+w or click the × on the tab
• save: press ⌘S / ctrl+s to save the current file

tabs show open files at the top of the editor. scroll horizontally if you have many tabs open.

autosave

spacecake can automatically save files as you edit. enable autosave in workspace settings:

1. click the gear icon in the sidebar (or navigate to Settings)
2. toggle enable autosave on

when enabled, changes are saved to disk automatically - no need to press ⌘S / ctrl+s.

keyboard shortcuts

action	macos	linux
open/switch workspace	⌘O	ctrl+o
quick open file	⌘P	ctrl+p
new file	⌘N	ctrl+n
save file	⌘S	ctrl+s
close tab	⌘W	ctrl+w
toggle terminal	ctrl+`	ctrl+`
focus editor	⌘1	ctrl+1
refresh app	⌘R	ctrl+r

🖥️ terminal

the integrated terminal is at the bottom of the screen. click it or drag to resize.

• powered by Ghostty
• run any CLI tool, including Claude Code

🦀 claude code integration

spacecake integrates with Claude Code to give Claude context about your open files and display live session metrics.

run claude from the integrated terminal - it automatically connects to spacecake and defaults to plan mode. when Claude creates a plan, press ctrl+g to open it directly in spacecake for editing.

see the claude code integration guide for more details.

📝 writing markdown

spacecake supports GitHub-flavoured markdown.

write code blocks with syntax highlighting:

def hello_world():
    print("hello from spacecake!")

create execution plans with checklists:

- [ ] set up database migrations
- [ ] implement user authentication
- [ ] write integration tests

embed Mermaid diagrams for system architecture:

graph TD
    A[User Input] --> B[Validate]
    B --> C[Process]
    C --> D[Output]

toggle between rich mode (WYSIWYG) and source mode (live preview) using the view toggle button in the toolbar.

⚙️ troubleshooting

“permission denied” on macOS? go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and allow spacecake to run.

something looks wrong? press ⌘R to refresh the app. if the issue persists in rich mode, switch to source mode to see the underlying markdown.

debugging issues: open Chrome DevTools from within spacecake to view console logs.

💬 feedback & issues

have feedback, found a bug, or want to request a feature?

• click the chat icon in the bottom left corner of the app to share your thoughts directly
• open an issue on GitHub