Files, folders and your home folder

How it works

A fileDefinitionfileA named piece of content saved on your computer, like a document, an image or a piece of code.Open in the glossary → is a named piece of content on your computer (such as SPEC.md), and a folderDefinitionfolderA container for files and other folders. Each project lives in its own folder.Open in the glossary → is a container that holds files and other folders. All of your personal folders live inside your home folderDefinitionhome folderYour personal folder on the computer, written `~`. On Mac it has your name; on Windows it's `C:\Users\<name>`.Open in the glossary →, written as the shorthand ~ (on Mac: Finder → Go → Home; on Windows: type %USERPROFILE% in File Explorer's address bar and press Enter).

Inside your home folder, you create one folder called Development (or Desarrollo, with no spaces or accents). Keep it out of iCloud Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, and synced Desktop or Documents folders: automatic cloud syncing clashes with GitDefinitionGitThe tool that keeps your repo's memory: it records every commit on your computer.Open in the glossary → and can corrupt your project's memory. GitHub will be your safe online backup instead.

Inside Development, give each project its own folder named in lowercase with hyphens, such as my-first-app or recipe-finder. That exact folder name becomes your repo (repository)Definitionrepo (repository)Your project folder plus its full history. Git records each checkpoint so you can go back to any version.Open in the glossary → name on GitHub and your default web address (my-first-app.vercel.app), where spaces and uppercase letters cause trouble.

Every project also contains a few hidden fileDefinitionhidden fileA file whose name starts with a dot, like `.env.local`. Your computer hides it by default (Mac: Cmd + Shift + . in Finder; Windows: View → Show → Hidden items).Open in the glossary → items whose names start with a dot: .git (your project's history), .gitignoreDefinition.gitignoreA file listing what Git must never save, like `node_modules` and your `.env` secret files.Open in the glossary → (what Git must never upload), and .env.local (your local keys). Your computer hides dot-files by default so you don't delete them by accident; press Cmd + Shift + . in Finder on Mac, or choose View → Show → Hidden items in File Explorer on Windows to see them.

What it looks like in your project

Before starting a new project, your coding agentDefinitioncoding agentAn AI that works in your project folder: it reads files, writes code and runs commands, with your permission.Open in the glossary → checks that you are inside ~/Development/<project-name> with a lowercase-and-hyphens name. If your folder is on the Desktop or inside iCloud/OneDrive, the agent will explain why, ask permission to help you move or rename it, and have you reopen the session there.