Getting Started with cto.new

Getting started with cto.new is straightforward, but there are some patterns that will help you get the most out of it. Here's how to get up and running.

Sign Up and Connect Your Tools

First, head to cto.new and create a free account. The platform works with your existing development workflow by connecting to your GitHub or GitLab repositories right away. This gives it the context it needs to understand your codebase.

You can also connect your project management tools—Linear, Jira, or Trello. This allows cto.new to pull issues directly from your backlog and turn them into merge-ready pull requests.

Configure Your Task Runner

Once you've connected your repositories, you'll need to set up the task runner environment for each one. This is where the work happens. You can configure your dependencies, set up your validation process, and tell the platform how to build, test, format, and lint your code.

The platform has a setup agent that can handle most of this configuration automatically. It looks at your project structure and figures out what tools you're using, then sets things up accordingly.

Start Your First Chat

After you've set everything up, you can start chatting with the platform. Just open a conversation and describe what you're trying to do. You might talk through a feature you're planning, ask for advice on an approach, or get help figuring out what to prioritize.

Chats are private to you, and they're a good place to explore ideas, get technical advice, and think through your next steps. It's like having an experienced CTO who knows your entire codebase.

Create Your First Task

When you're ready to have code written, create a task. The platform will plan the work, write the code, run tests, and open a pull request for you to review. All of this happens asynchronously in the cloud, so you can queue up work and let it run while you focus on something else.

You can create tasks from your project management tools, or you can describe what you need in plain language and the platform will figure out the rest.

Review and Ship

When the task is done, you'll get a pull request ready for your team to review, comment on, and request changes—just like any other PR. The platform gets smarter as it works with your codebase, learning your patterns, preferences, and best practices.

The best part? It's completely free, and you get access to the most advanced AI models available.