The console

The terminal is a text window that talks to your computer.

You type a short instruction called a command and press Enter. That is the whole magic trick. Grok and Codex are parallel examples of agents you can launch here — not religions.

Why it exists

Clicking is great. Agents live in a folder.

A coding agent needs to know which folder is the project — the working directory. The terminal is how you point it there. You are not becoming a hacker. You are opening the door to the room where the files live.

Open it

VS Code → Terminal → New Terminal

On Windows the shortcut is Ctrl+Shift+` (the key under Esc, next to 1). macOS is usually Ctrl+` or the same menu.

VS Code menu bar with Terminal highlighted — The Terminal menu lives at the top of VS Code, next to View and Go.

Terminal menu open, New Terminal selected, shortcut Ctrl+Shift+` — Choose New Terminal. That opens a panel at the bottom of the window.

The trap

You may see Copilot first. That is not Grok.

Terminal hint: Type copilot to use Copilot CLI. Don't show this again. — GitHub Copilot CLI advertising itself. A different instrument. Ignore it unless you mean Copilot.

Pick one

Two parallel doors

PROJECT.md is the brain either way. The adapter is the nameplate. You are the authority.

Grok Build

Type grok. Screenshot walkthrough, Alt+V, plan-first prompt.

Grok tutorial →

Codex

Type codex. Chat vs Codex vs desktop vs CLI, in plain English.

Codex tutorial →

Same first sentence

Whoever you launched, say this

first prompt

Read PROJECT.md. Do not write code yet.
Write a numbered Phase 1 plan.
After each step include: what will be built, how I will test it, and any command.
Wait for my approval.

Expected

A plan. Not a pile of new files. If it starts editing immediately, stop it and paste the prompt again.

What did I just do?

You told the agent to read the project brain and wait. That is you remaining the builder.