Getting started

This section helps you get from a fresh clone to a first successful Cress run. Pick the path that matches your system under test.

Prerequisites

• Windows for the full Studio and Flawright-backed desktop experience
• .NET SDK 10.0.107 or later
• Node.js 22.x for the Node workspaces and Playwright-backed browser tooling

Choose the right onboarding path

Path	Use it when	Outcome
Fastest first run	you want the quickest proof that Cress can validate and execute a real flow	pack the CLI as a local tool and run the built-in HTTP sample without a full solution build
HTTP quickstart	you want the fastest end-to-end success with no browser or desktop dependency	validate, run, and publish a living doc from the sample project
Web quickstart	you need browser automation with Studio or Studio Web	create a project, configure a profile, record or author a browser flow
Desktop quickstart	you need Windows desktop automation with Flawright	enable the desktop driver, record a desktop flow, and review evidence

Recommended first-session flow

1. Run the Fastest first run path if you want the quickest evaluation loop.
2. Run the HTTP quickstart so you can see the project layout and report outputs.
3. Open Studio or Studio Web to learn the authoring surfaces.
4. Move to the web or desktop quickstart for your real system.

Core commands you will use first

dotnet tool restore
dotnet restore Cress.sln
dotnet build Cress.sln --configuration Release
dotnet run --project src\Cress.Cli\Cress.Cli.csproj -- --help

What “first success” looks like

After the onboarding flow you should be able to:

• identify a Cress project root
• understand the .cress, capabilities, flows, fixtures, and steps folders
• validate a project before running it
• inspect generated artifacts, reports, and living docs