By the end of this page, you'll have the boilerplate running on your machine with hot reload. No Electron experience required.
What you need first
- Node.js 20 or newer. Check with
node --version. If you don't have it, install from nodejs.org. - Git. Check with
git --version. - About 10 minutes of disk space —
node_modulesis heavy for desktop apps.
Tip
On Windows, run commands in PowerShell or Windows Terminal (not the old cmd.exe). The build scripts assume modern shell behavior.
1. Clone the repo
After purchase you get a GitHub invite to a private repo. Once you accept:
git clone https://github.com/YOUR-USER/electron-starter-template.git my-app
cd my-app2. Install dependencies
npm installThis pulls Electron, React, TypeScript, and everything else. First install takes 2–4 minutes.
3. Run one-time setup
npm run setupThis installs the git pre-commit hook (Husky), generates a placeholder app icon, and creates a starter .env file.
4. Start the dev server
npm run devA native Electron window opens with the boilerplate running. The renderer hot-reloads as you edit React code; the main process restarts automatically when you change Node code.
What you should see
A sidebar on the left, the Home screen in the middle, and a custom title bar at the top. Click around — every demo screen (AI, Components, Counter, Settings, License, Logs) works out of the box.
Ask your AI assistant
Paste this into Claude Code / Cursor / Copilot to get oriented:
"Read CLAUDE.md and PLAN.md in this repo. Summarize the architecture in 5 bullets, then tell me where I'd add a new screen called 'Notes'."
The boilerplate ships with a CLAUDE.md that documents every rule and pattern. AI tools that read it will never have to guess.
What's next
- Make it yours → run
npm run rebrandto replace every "Electron Starter Template" reference with your app name. See Rebranding to your app. - Learn the layout → see Project structure.