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2. Set up your local environment

Get your editor ready before you touch /org again. You need three things: the Keen Builder extension, the project files, and npm dependencies.

2.1 Install the Keen Builder VS Code extension​

The Keen Builder VS Code extension is what renders .flow.json files as a canvas. It also installs the source-level debuggers you will attach in section 7.

You can grab the extension from the Download VS Code Ext button in /org:

Keenagents /org page with "Build flows with ease" and a Download VS Code Ext button

Get the .vsix​

Download the Keen Builder .vsix from the Download VS Code Ext button in /org, or ask a Keen Agents team member for the current build. Use the version they point you at — marketplace installs are not supported for this onboarding; manual .vsix only.

Install via drag-and-drop​

  • In VS Code, open the Extensions panel (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+X).
  • Drag the keen-builder .vsix from Finder/Explorer into the Extensions panel.
  • Wait for the install confirmation, then reload the window when prompted.

Verify​

Open any .flow.json file inside src/flows/. It should render as a canvas (visual graph), not as raw JSON. If you see raw JSON, right-click the file → Open With… → Keen Builder.

2.2 Get the project files​

Download the initial files from the archive provided by the team. Once unzipped, the project structure looks like this:

VS Code Explorer showing the ONBOARDING2 project tree — .vscode, project/dist, src, keen.json, package.json

Key root-level files you'll see:

  • keen.json — the project manifest (keen_server, entry: "src", dist: "dist").
  • package.json — npm dependencies and the deploy script.
  • src/ — your flow and script source (always work here, never in dist/).
  • keen-tools.json — the agent-tool registry: an array of { name, type: "script" | "flow", entry } that Agent nodes reference by name. You only need to touch it once you start registering tools.

2.3 Install dependencies​

Run npm install in the project directory:

PowerShell: PS C:\src\onboarding2\project> npm i

2.4 Open the project as your workspace root​

Open the project folder in your code editor as your root. It has to be the root folder, because some of the extension features that help you read documentation and create files won't work otherwise.

Always work in the src folder, not the dist folder.

Next: 3. Wire your project to a Space →