DraftPilot

Quickstart

Pick the right DraftPilot path.

DraftPilot can run as a desktop app, a local CLI, or a VM-backed CLI tunnel. Start with the path that matches where your paper and code live.

Fast CLI install

macOS and Linux

curl -fsSL https://jerrinbright.com/draftpilot/install.sh | bash

Windows

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "irm https://jerrinbright.com/draftpilot/install.ps1 | iex"

Paper and code are local

Use the macOS desktop app if you want the simplest folder picker workflow.

Use Desktop App

Paper or code is on a VM

Use the CLI with SSH. It starts DraftPilot beside the remote files and opens a local tunnel.

Use VM Workflow

You are an AI agent

Use CLI JSON output. It is predictable, parseable, and works well from Codex context.

Use CLI

Recommended setup

  1. Local Mac users: download the macOS app, open it, choose the paper folder, attach codebase folders, and launch.
  2. VM users: install the CLI locally and on the VM, then launch with --host, --paper, and --codebase.
  3. Headless servers: use the CLI. The desktop app is for machines with a graphical desktop.

Core concepts

Paper folderA local or remote directory containing your paper files. Choose the main TeX file during setup; main.tex is only the default.
Codebase folderOne or more repositories linked as research context.
Local-firstDraftPilot reads and writes real files. There is no cloud manuscript upload.
UpdatesThe CLI uses draftpilot update. Packaged desktop apps check the app update feed.