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Everything you need to know about MicroCode — the native macOS IDE built for speed.

Getting Started Editor Modes AI Agent Cell Mode Playground Notebook Terminal Git Integration Syntax Engine Design Mode Remote Development API Client Database Studio Keyboard Shortcuts Plans & Quotas

Getting Started

MicroCode is a native macOS IDE built with SwiftUI. Download from the Download page, then drag MicroCode.app to your Applications folder.

System Requirements: macOS 12+ · Universal Binary (Intel & Apple Silicon) · ~142 MB

On first launch, MicroCode opens in Code Mode — the primary editor. Open a project folder via File → Open or drag a folder onto the app icon.

# Quick Start
1. Download MicroCode.dmg
2. Drag to /Applications
3. Open MicroCode → File → Open Folder
4. Start coding!

Editor Modes

MicroCode has 9 workspace modes, each designed for a specific workflow. Switch modes from the sidebar or toolbar:

CodePrimary code editor with syntax highlighting, file tree, and tab bar
PlaygroundLive code execution with instant output panel and GUI preview
NotebookJupyter-style notebook with code/markdown cells and DataFrame support
AI AgentMulti-mode AI assistant (Chat, Plan, Task, Report, Cell)
DesignVisual UI builder with canvas, layers, and inspector panels
RemoteXSSH remote development with file browser and terminal
EmbeddedIoT/embedded development studio (Arduino, ESP32, Raspberry Pi)
ScenarioTest scenario runner for automated workflows
BrowserBuilt-in web browser for previewing web apps

AI Agent

The AI Agent (AIAgentView) supports 5 modes:

  • Chat — Conversational AI for code questions, generation, and debugging
  • Plan — AI generates step-by-step implementation plans
  • Task — AI creates and tracks development tasks with checkmarks
  • Report — A4 paper-style reading mode for AI-generated reports
  • Cells — Notebook-style cell mode for executing AI-generated code blocks

AI Providers: Supports GPT-4, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Gemini, and local LLM inference via LocalLLMService. Configure providers in Settings → AI.

The agent uses AgentService with memory (AgentMemoryService) and auto-healing (AutoHealerService / HealerAgent) for self-correcting code.

Cell Mode

Cell Mode (AgentCellModeView) brings notebook-style coding to the AI Agent. Each cell is an independent code block with:

  • Color-coded cells — Assign colors to categorize tasks (Run by Color)
  • Individual execution — Run cells independently with instant output
  • Syntax highlighting — Full SyntaxHighlightingEngine per cell
  • Add/Delete/Reorder — Manage cells with drag-and-drop

Playground

Playground (PlaygroundView) is a live coding environment with:

  • Code Editor — Full syntax-highlighted editor with 50+ languages
  • Cell Mode toggle — Switch between single-file and multi-cell editing
  • Output Panel — Real-time stdout/stderr with ANSI color support
  • GUI Preview — Live preview for SwiftUI, HTML, and framework detection
  • Runtime selection — Python, Node.js, Swift, Go, Rust, C++, and more
# Supported Languages in Playground
Python, JavaScript/Node.js, TypeScript, Swift,
Go, Rust, C, C++, Java, Kotlin, Ruby, PHP,
Dart, Lua, Perl, R, Shell/Bash, and more

Notebook

Notebook Mode (NotebookView) provides a full Jupyter-compatible experience:

  • Code & Markdown cells — Mix executable code with rich documentation
  • DataFrame viewer — Visualize tabular data with DataFrameView
  • Data Profiling — Auto-profile datasets via DataProfilingView
  • SAS Procedures — Statistical analysis with SASProcedureView
  • AI Panel — NotebookAIPanel for AI-assisted analysis

Terminal

MicroCode includes multiple terminal implementations:

  • AuthenticTerminal — Primary integrated terminal with GPU-accelerated rendering
  • TransparentTerminal — Overlay terminal with translucent background
  • PlaygroundTerminal — Dedicated output terminal for Playground mode
  • RemoteTerminal — SSH terminal for remote development

Toggle terminal: Cmd+` · Split panes supported · Auto-detects zsh/bash/fish

Git Integration

Built-in Git support via GitPanelView and GitHistoryView:

  • Visual diff viewer with inline changes
  • Stage, commit, push, pull from the GUI
  • Branch management and merge conflict resolution
  • Commit history timeline with GitHistoryView
  • Git settings per-project via GitSettingsView

Syntax Engine

MicroCode uses a custom SyntaxHighlightingEngine with:

  • 50+ languages via AuthenticLexerAdapter and Lexer
  • Theme Engine — ThemeManager with custom theme support
  • Incremental highlighting — Only re-highlights changed regions
  • Line numbers — LineNumberRulerView with current-line highlight
  • Token caching — SyntaxCache for instant re-renders

Design Mode

Visual UI builder (DesignModeView) with:

  • Canvas — Drag-and-drop element placement on DesignCanvasView
  • Inspector — Property editing via PropertiesInspector
  • Layers Panel — Z-index management with DesignLayersPanel
  • AI Design — AI-generated UI via AIDesignPanel
  • Ruler — Pixel-perfect alignment with DesignRulerView

Remote Development

Connect to remote servers via RemoteXView:

  • SSH Connection — Parse ~/.ssh/config via SSHConfigParser
  • Remote File Browser — Browse and edit files on remote machines
  • Remote Terminal — Full terminal over SSH with RemoteTerminalView
  • Workspace Manager — Manage remote workspaces via RemoteWorkspaceManager

API Client

Built-in REST/GraphQL client (APIClientView) for testing APIs:

  • GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, PATCH methods
  • Headers, body, query params editor
  • Response viewer with JSON formatting
  • Environment variables support via EnvEditorView

Database Studio

Query and manage databases via DatabaseStudioView:

  • Connect to PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite
  • SQL editor with syntax highlighting
  • Table viewer with inline editing
  • Powered by DatabaseService

Keyboard Shortcuts

# Essential Shortcuts
Cmd+O          → Open Project
Cmd+N          → New File
Cmd+S          → Save
Cmd+Shift+P    → Command Palette
Cmd+P          → Quick Open File
Cmd+`          → Toggle Terminal
Cmd+B          → Toggle Sidebar
Cmd+I          → AI Agent Panel
Cmd+R          → Run Code (Playground)
Cmd+Shift+F    → Search Across Files
Cmd+/          → Toggle Comment
Cmd+D          → Select Next Occurrence
Cmd+Shift+K    → Delete Line

Plans & Quotas

FeatureFreemiumStartup $19/moBusiness $49/mo
Native IDE✅✅✅
Local LLM✅✅✅
Projects525Unlimited
Cloud AI Requests—2,000/mo10,000/mo
Canvas Mode—✅✅
API Client—✅✅
SSO & Teams——✅
Custom AI Models——✅