Setup guide

Craft Anything setup, one step at a time.

Choose Launcher or a standalone package, open Craft Anything and prepare the AI tools for your task.

On this page

Three things to prepare

  1. Your appA desktop package matching your system.
  2. Your builderA coding agent ready to generate files.
  3. Your referenceA readable target and one small task.

Check your operating system and CPU architecture in System information or About before choosing a download.

Choose Launcher or a standalone download

INSTALL & UPDATE

ArtCraft Launcher

Install Craft Anything and manage updates from the Launcher. Choose this route if you want the shared ArtCraft app manager.

Get the official Launcher ↗
CRAFT ANYTHING ON ITS OWN

Standalone package

Download the desktop package for your system. Use the release page for new versions, or add Launcher later.

Choose a standalone package ↓

Standalone release packages

Match the release asset to your system. The filename examples use v0.3.0, checked November 4, 2026.

GitHub release assets list Linux x86_64 packages, the macOS universal DMG and Windows installers.
Official v0.3.0 release · package list, Nov 4, 2026. Full size ↗
  1. Find your operating system in the filename.
  2. Match its CPU architecture.
  3. Choose the desktop package format: MSI, DMG or your Linux format.
Open official downloads ↗
See package filenames and architecture details
Desktop download examples, v0.3.0
SystemFilename or formatChoose it when
Windows x64craft-anything-0.3.0-windows-x64.msiYou want the installer path.
Windows x64craft-anything-0.3.0-windows-x64-portable.zipYou want to extract and run the portable package.
macOScraft-anything-0.3.0-macos-universal.dmgYou want the universal desktop app.
LinuxAppImage, DEB, RPM, Flatpak or archiveThe architecture and distribution match the selected asset.

The source-code ZIP is for working with the source. It is different from the prebuilt desktop app. A standalone CLI archive is also a different package; you do not need it just because you see Rust mentioned in the repository.

Windows also has arm64 and x86 assets in this release. Choose the architecture shown by your system information; the x64 filenames above are examples.

Install and open Craft Anything

For Launcher, install the app manager and choose Craft Anything in it. For a standalone package, follow your system below.

Windows: installer or portable launch

MSI installer

  1. Open the downloaded .msi file.
  2. Review the installer prompts and complete installation.
  3. Launch Craft Anything from its installed application entry.

Portable ZIP

  1. Extract the complete portable archive to a folder you can keep.
  2. Open that extracted folder and launch the application inside it.
  3. Keep the accompanying files together. Do not run the app from inside an archive preview.

macOS: universal DMG

  1. Open the downloaded .dmg disk image.
  2. Move Craft Anything to Applications, then open it from there.
  3. Review any macOS prompt. Confirm the file came from the official project before proceeding.

For the bundled desktop app, the project documents an included CLI. The separate CLI-only download is intended for a different workflow.

Linux: package and distribution

Choose the architecture and format supported by your distribution. Open a DEB or RPM through the matching package manager, or follow the release instructions for the AppImage or Flatpak.

Keep the selected format in your notes: an app inside Flatpak has a different environment from a host-installed program. The official integration notes describe separate Claude Code configuration inside that sandbox.

Read the official Linux download instructions ↗
Craft Anything Make screen, with New project on the left and the website form in the center.
ArtCraft · official Make screen. Full size ↗

Choose New project in the left sidebar to reach this form. If your app opens the technical workbench, select Simple in its toolbar:

Simple and Advanced controls, with Advanced currently selected.
ArtCraft · workbench toolbar detail. Full size ↗

After opening the app, look for its project creation view. If launch fails, record the package filename, system version and exact message before trying another package.

Choose a model for questions and analysis

SETTINGS → AI

Study and ask questions

Select the provider and model you want for questions and analysis. The official project lists Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter and local OpenAI-compatible servers.

Using a local server?

Start the service, check the model identifier and confirm that the endpoint is reachable from the app. For Ollama, confirm that your version provides the compatible endpoint you selected.

Check local-model connection problems →

Project generation uses a coding agent, prepared in the next section. Read the official AI roles and support notes ↗.

Prepare Claude Code for builds

Craft Anything runs the Claude Code program installed on your computer. Check the program, complete its sign-in and restart the app before building.

Check that the program is available

Open a terminal on the computer where you will run the build. Check the installed program:

Terminal
claude --version

If the shell cannot find it, use Anthropic's official setup instructions. After installation, open a new terminal and repeat the version check. Then restart Craft Anything so it can discover the available program.

Complete sign-in and startup checks

Check your account state
claude auth status

If the status says you are not signed in, run claude auth login and complete the provider's own flow. Recheck the status afterward. Your account's terms and usage limits apply.

CLI startup and Flatpak notes

Before a build, Craft Anything also checks whether craft-anything-cli starts. If it reports a missing or unstartable tool server, keep that exact error and use the tool-server checks. Check that startup error before changing external-client configuration.

Source: official Claude Code integration notes. These notes explain the startup commands and the Flatpak-specific environment.

Confirm you are ready to start a project

  • The desktop app opens.
  • You know which release and package you installed.
  • Your coding agent is available and signed in before you start a build.
  • Your reference opens as the intended page, and you have defined the result you want.
  • You have chosen a project location and understand your builder's usage costs.

If one condition fails, address that condition before asking for a large build. Find the matching setup or build symptom.

Next / one small website

Build around a six-film catalogue and a clear set of checks.

Start the first project →