Getting Started

#Supported platforms

Kensa is a native desktop app built on Tauri 2 (Rust + system WebView), so downloads are small and start fast. Auto-update is built in - the app keeps itself current from GitHub Releases.

#Install

Download the installer for your platform from the releases page and run it.

• Windows: .msi / .exe installer.
• macOS: .dmg. (Early builds are unsigned - open via right-click → Open the first time.)
• Linux: AppImage, .deb, or .rpm.

No accounts, no sign-up. The app works fully offline.

#First launch

The welcome screen offers three paths:

1. Create a new project - pick a name and a starting field schema; Kensa scaffolds the folder (.tms/, suites/, CLAUDE.md, README.md) and can git init it for you.
2. Open an existing project - point it at any folder that already has a .tms/ directory.
3. Import from another TMS - bring cases in from TestRail, Qase, Allure, or a CSV.

There's also an Open Demo Project button that loads an in-memory sample with a few example cases, so you can explore the UI before committing a folder to disk.

On first project load, a non-blocking tutorial overlay points at the key UI regions (suites, editor, terminal, settings). Dismiss it with × or Esc - it never reappears.

#The window at a glance

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Top bar:  project name · search · AI-plugin · settings        │
├───┬──────────┬────────────────────────────┬───────────────────┤
│ A │          │                            │                   │
│ c │  Suites  │   Test case editor         │   Terminal        │
│ t │  sidebar │   (main content)           │   (resizable)     │
│ i │          │                            │                   │
│ v │ ▸ Auth   │   # Login with valid creds │   $ claude        │
│ a │   • 001  │   priority [high ▾]        │   > add negative  │
│ r │   • 002  │   tags  [auth] [smoke]     │     cases for     │
│   │ ▸ Check  │   ## Steps …               │     $TMS_CASE     │
└───┴──────────┴────────────────────────────┴───────────────────┘
 activity   suite tree       editor (flex)        terminal
   bar

• Activity bar (far left) switches the sidebar between Explorer, Search, Source Control, Tools, Runs, Code, etc.
• Sidebar is collapsible (Cmd/Ctrl+B) and resizable.
• Editor fills the center.
• Terminal docks right (default) or bottom; toggle with Cmd/Ctrl+`.

Light and dark themes; toggle with Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+L. The cold-start splash matches your theme from the first painted frame - no white flash.

#Keyboard shortcuts

#Recommended setup for AI workflows

1. Have a CLI agent installed and logged in (e.g. Claude Code or Codex).
2. From the top bar (or onboarding), run the AI-plugin setup - it wires the Kensa QA agent plugin into your project so your agent knows the case format and CLI. See ai-integration.md.
3. Open the terminal and try: claude "read $TMS_CASE and suggest edge cases".

#Building from source (for contributors)

npm install
npm run tauri:dev     # builds the kensa CLI sidecar, then runs the app
npm run tauri:build   # platform bundles in src-tauri/target/release/bundle/

Prerequisites: Node.js 20 LTS+, Rust stable. On Linux you also need the WebKitGTK / build packages listed in the repo README.