Quick Start

The point of a quick start is not to explain every feature. It is to get one real Riot workspace through the full loop as quickly as possible.

Starter AppUse the public Riot bootstrap path and get to a realistic app layout immediately.Empty WorkspaceUse riot init when you want to understand the default Riot shape directly.Package StructureLearn how Riot packages are laid out once the first loop is working.riot docSee how package interfaces turn into generated documentation in the same workflow.

Path A: start from a starter app

riot run leostera/create-riot-app

This is the fastest path when you want a realistic Riot application instead of a blank workspace.

Follow the scaffold prompts, move into the generated directory, and run the normal loop:

cd <workspace-name>
riot build
riot test
riot doc

Then run the package or app target the scaffold created:

riot run <package-name>

This path is ideal when the question is not “what files does Riot generate?” but “can I get a real Riot project moving quickly?”

Path B: start from an empty workspace

If you want the cleanest view of Riot’s default project shape, start empty:

riot init hello
cd hello
riot build
riot run hello
riot test
riot doc

This is the better path when you are evaluating:

• the workspace layout
• the package model
• the standard development loop
• the generated docs flow

Why these steps matter in either path

Each step proves a different part of the system:

• riot init or riot run leostera/create-riot-app proves Riot can bootstrap the project shape it expects
• riot build proves the workspace can resolve and compile what it needs
• riot run proves the package produces a usable binary path
• riot test proves the quality workflow is wired into the same tool
• riot doc proves the public interface can become docs

That is why this quick start is better than a trivial “print version” walkthrough. It tells you whether the system is coherent.

What to look for while you do it

During the quick start, pay attention to whether Riot feels:

• package-aware rather than file-scattered
• consistent between commands
• predictable in what it builds and runs
• opinionated in a useful way rather than a constraining one

Those are the real evaluation questions.

What to do next

After the quick start, most users should move into one of these paths:

• riot build and riot run if the main concern is the daily development loop
• Package Structure if the main concern is how Riot expects a package to look
• Editor Setup if the CLI works and the next step is making the editor match it
• Package Manager if the main concern is dependencies, publishing, or docs