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Agentic IDE

The AdaL Agentic IDE is AdaL's purpose-built engineering workspace for humans and agents to collaborate on code understanding, visual tasks, and review workflows.

It combines the agent chat experience with an IDE-style workspace so you can move fluidly between terminal work and visual review.

Why use the Agentic IDE?​

Use the Agentic IDE when a task is easier with visual context or a diff view:

  • Understand project structure and files visually
  • Review code changes and diffs
  • Continue an agent session outside the terminal
  • Inspect generated work before merging
  • Switch between chat, files, and review workflows without losing session context

The Agentic IDE can open in AdaL Desktop when installed, or in your browser as a fallback.

Ways to open it​

1. Open AdaL Desktop directly​

Open AdaL Desktop from your applications menu when you want to start directly in the visual workspace.

Download the Desktop app for macOS Apple Silicon.

2. Start from the terminal​

If AdaL CLI is installed, open a terminal in your project and run:

adal --ide

You can also use the short form:

adal -w

This starts AdaL IDE mode from your current working directory. If AdaL Desktop is installed, AdaL opens the Desktop app. If Desktop is not available, AdaL opens the browser workspace instead.

3. Hand off a running CLI session​

During any AdaL CLI session, run:

/ide

This hands off the same session to the Agentic IDE. Use this when you started in the terminal but want a visual workspace for code review, file browsing, or diff-heavy work.

Mid-session workflow switch

Start in the terminal for speed, then run /ide when you need visual context. AdaL keeps the same session so you do not have to restart your work.

Desktop and browser behavior​

AdaL opens Desktop when it is installed and available. If Desktop is not installed or not available on your machine, AdaL opens the Agentic IDE in your default browser.

Both paths keep the same core workflow: continue the agent session, inspect files, and review diffs in a visual workspace.

Switch anytime​

These entry points are designed to work together. Start in the terminal, Desktop, or browser—then switch when the task calls for it. Use /ide mid-session when you want to move from terminal speed into a visual workspace for file browsing, code understanding, or diff review.