Skip to main content
A project is a directory on your machine that contains an application.json file. BRICKS Project Desktop runs in a single window and displays all open projects in the sidebar.

​
Open a project

  1. Click the Open Project button in the sidebar
  2. Select a directory that contains a BRICKS project (or a parent directory — the app scans up to 3 levels deep)
  3. Discovered projects appear as nodes in the sidebar
If the selected directory does not contain any application.json file, the app shows an error message. Dismiss it and try a different directory.

​
Create a new project

The New Project dialog has two tabs: From Existing and Create New. If you have multiple authenticated profiles, a Profile dropdown appears at the top of the dialog so you can browse and create apps under any workspace.

​
From an existing app

Use the From Existing tab to create a local project from an app that already exists on BRICKS Controller.
1

Open the new project dialog

Click New Project in the sidebar.
2

Select an app

The dialog lists apps from the selected profile’s workspace. Use the search field to filter by name or description.
3

Choose a directory

Select an app, click Create Project, and pick a directory on your machine. The app initializes the project in that directory.

​
Create a new app

Use the Create New tab to create a new app on the server and initialize a local project in one step.
1

Open the new project dialog

Click New Project in the sidebar, then select the Create New tab.
2

Enter app details

  • App Name (required) — the name for your new app
  • Description (optional) — a short description of what the app does
3

Create the app and project

Click Create App & Project, then pick a directory. This creates the app on the BRICKS server and initializes a local project. A new session opens automatically.

​
Managing projects

Each open project appears as an expandable node in the sidebar. Click a project to expand it and view its sessions. Sessions are scoped per project — selecting a project shows only its chat sessions.

​
Remove a project

To remove a project from the sidebar:
  1. Hover over the project and click the X button
  2. Click the confirmation button that appears (or wait 3 seconds for it to reset)
Removing a project only removes it from the sidebar. Your project files on disk are not deleted.

​
Recent projects

Previously opened projects appear in the recent projects list for quick access. The app also restores all open projects when you restart it.

​
Project context files

Place a CLAUDE.md or AGENTS.md file in your project root to provide custom instructions to the AI agent. These files are automatically included in the agent’s system prompt for every session in that project. This is useful for:
  • Defining project-specific coding conventions
  • Describing your project architecture
  • Adding custom rules the agent should follow
The app also reads application.json from the project root to include app metadata in the agent’s context.

​
Next steps

Start using the AI agent

Chat with the AI agent to build your application.

BRICKS Project SDK

Learn about the TypeScript SDK that powers your BRICKS applications.