---
title: Get Started
description: This guide will walk you through installing the Mist CLI, setting up your development environment, and compiling your very first program.
icon: Rocket
---

## 1. Installation

Mist is currently distributed as a Cargo crate. To get started, you'll need to have the Rust toolchain installed.

Run the following command to install the Mist toolchain:

```bash title="Terminal"
cargo install mist-lang@0.3.7-alpha.0
```

> (ℹ) For a more streamlined development experience, Install the following VSCode extensions:
> 1. [Mist syntax highlighting VSCode extension](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=selimaj-dev.mist-syntax)
> 2. [Mist analyzer LSP VSCode extension](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=selimaj-dev.mist-analyzer)

Once the installation finishes, verify it by checking the version:

```bash title="Terminal"
mist version
```

---

## 2. Setting Up Your Cargo Project

Mist works alongside Cargo to handle the heavy lifting. Use `cargo new` or `cargo init` to scaffold a new project:

```bash title="Terminal"
cargo new my-mist-app
cd my-mist-app
```

This creates a `src/main.mist` and wires up the output directory (`.mist/src/`) in your `Cargo.toml`.

### 3. Adding mist to your Cargo project

Mist needs a `Mist.toml` in the root of the project (Alongside `Cargo.toml`) to know what to transpile as the main file (eg. main.mist, lib.mist).

```toml title="Mist.toml"
# main.mist is now the main package
package = "main.mist"

# Side packages that work as cargo binaries
packages = []
```

Source files go in `src/` and the transpiled output goes to `.mist/src/`. Non-Mist files in `src/` (e.g. Rust sidecar files) are copied through as-is.

---

## 4. Your First Program

Create a new file at `src/main.mist` and add the following code:

```mist title="src/main.mist"
void main() {
    println!("Hello World!");
}
```

### Build and Run

```bash title="Terminal"
mist run          # or: mist r
mist build        # or: mist b
mist check        # or: mist c
mist transpile    # or: mist t
```

---

## Command Reference

| Command              | Alias | Description                                     |
| -------------------- | ----- | ----------------------------------------------- |
| `mist init`          |       | Initializes a new Mist project (Deprecated)     |
| `mist run`           | `r`   | Runs the project in the current directory       |
| `mist build`         | `b`   | Builds the project in the current directory     |
| `mist transpile`     | `t`   | Transpiles the project in the current directory |
| `mist check`         | `c`   | Checks the project in the current directory     |
| `mist version`       | `-v`  | Prints the compiler version                     |
| `mist help`          | `-h`  | Prints this message                             |