Zero to Dollar | Build a Real App in 24 Hours

What is an IDE?

It's the app where everything happens. Your Agent lives inside it. You type what you want, the Agent builds it. This is where you can see and edit all your files.

Think of it as your workshop.

Step 1: Pick your IDE

You have two good options. Pick one:

Option A: Google Antigravity (recommended)

Free
Agent built in
Works with this guide out of the box

Option B: Cursor

Free tier available, paid plans start at $20/month
Also has a built-in Agent
Best option if you don't have a Google account
Both work the same way. This guide shows Antigravity screenshots, but the steps are almost identical in Cursor.

Step 2: Download and install

If you picked Antigravity:

Download Antigravity

Go to antigravity.google/download and pick the version that matches your computer. Unlike Cursor, Antigravity won't detect it for you — you have to choose from:

macOS for Silicon (Apple chip: M1-5)
macOS for Intel (older Macs with an Intel chip)
Windows for x64 (most Windows PCs)
Windows for ARM64 (newer Windows laptops like Surface Pro X / Copilot+ PCs)
Linux

If you picked Cursor:

Download Cursor

Go to cursor.com and click the download button. Cursor detects your operating system automatically, so you just click once.

Then install it:

Mac

Open the file you just downloaded
Drag the icon into your Applications folder
Open it from your Applications folder

Windows

Double-click the file you just downloaded.
If you see a blue "Windows protected your PC" screen, click "More info" → "Run anyway." This is normal.
The installer opens and takes you through six screens. Click through them — but on "Select additional tasks", make sure every checkbox is ticked (some aren't checked by default).

Step 3: Set it up

When you open Antigravity for the first time, you'll go through a quick setup. Follow these exact steps:

1. Start screen

Click Next on the welcome screen.

2. Pick your theme

Choose the theme you like best. You can pick Dark Modern or Light Modern — it's entirely up to you.

3. Select your mode

Pick "Agent-driven development". This lets the Agent build for you — planning, writing code, and testing everything on its own.

4. Configure the editor

For this screen, just leave everything exactly as it is.

5. Sign in & Return

Click Sign in with Google. This opens your browser — sign in there, then come back to Antigravity.

6. Terms of Use

Accept the terms of use to finish the setup.

7. You're in!

That's it! You've arrived at the main screen. Your AI Agent is now ready on the right side.

Step 4: Set up the browser extension (Antigravity only)

This lets your Agent open the app you're building in a browser and check if everything looks right.

Install the browser extension

Look in the top right corner of Antigravity — you'll see the Google Chrome icon.

Click it and follow the steps to install the extension.
Once you see the "Antigravity Browser Control" screen in Chrome, you're done! You don't need to click anything or do anything else on this page. It just means it's working.

If you're using Cursor, skip this step. Cursor doesn't have a browser extension, but that's fine — everything else works the same.

Done

Your IDE is installed and ready.

Don't worry about what anything does yet — we'll walk through it in the next step.

Verification

Your IDE is open on your computer. You see the "Ask anything" screen on the right and the antigravity logo in the middle of the screen. If you're on Antigravity, the browser extension is set up too.