Developer workstation setup

Prepare your PC to connect integrations to an ACTIVE tenant — so you can model business metadata, enforce protection, and certify systems for Role Assistant use.

Prerequisites

• Tenant status ACTIVE (Tenant activation wizard)
• Platform admin completed First session checklist and shared controller URL + environment
• Integration developer platform access assigned

Where it lives

How to set

1 — Terminal and operating system

Open a shell where node, npm, git, and aifabrix are on your PATH. The Builder CLI works the same on Windows Command Prompt, PowerShell, and Linux/macOS terminals — use the column that matches your machine.

Windows (CMD or PowerShell) — verify and install the CLI:

node --version
npm install -g @aifabrix/builder
aifabrix --version

If npm install -g fails with permission errors, close and reopen the terminal as Administrator once, or set an npm global prefix under your user profile (see Node.js docs). You do not need Docker Desktop to connect to a Marketplace-deployed tenant — only for optional local platform setup (aifabrix setup).

Linux — same commands in bash/zsh:

node --version
npm install -g @aifabrix/builder
aifabrix --version

Optional: if you use WSL2 on Windows, run the Linux steps inside your WSL distro terminal; config and secrets live under ~/.aifabrix inside that distro, not in cmd.exe.

After aifabrix dev set-home or aifabrix dev set-work, open a new terminal so profile changes apply. In the current session: on Linux/macOS run eval "$(aifabrix dev shell-env)"; on PowerShell run aifabrix dev shell-env and paste the printed $env:... lines.

2 — Runtime and Builder CLI

Install Node.js 18+ if not already present, then the Builder CLI (publishes integrations and runs certification). Step 1 shows the exact commands for your OS.

You may use the af alias instead of aifabrix.

3 — Editor

Install Visual Studio Code or Cursor for editing integration manifests. Cursor is recommended when you use AI assistance while authoring.

4 — Git and GitHub

Install Git. Use a GitHub account your organization approves for integration repositories.

5 — Reference integrations catalog

git clone https://github.com/esystemsdev/dataplane-integrations.git
cd dataplane-integrations

Study ready-made external systems before scaffolding with aifabrix create <systemKey> --type external. Copy fixture JSON rather than starting from empty files.

6 — Connect to your tenant

aifabrix auth status
aifabrix login

Configure controller URL and environment to match what your platform admin recorded. Re-run aifabrix auth status until authenticated.

7 — Optional smoke test

Open Quickstart: new external system in a non-production environment. Do not treat results as production-certified until the full certification ladder passes.

Defaults and examples

Example local config shape (paths vary by OS — do not commit secrets):

controllerUrl: https://controller.example.com
environment: dev
developerId: 1

Platform environments use short names dev, tst, and pro — match the value your platform admin recorded (not informal labels like development or production unless your tenant explicitly uses them).

Integration work uses root identity fields on each datasource JSON — key, displayName, systemKey, entityType, resourceType, primaryKey, externalId — validated after scaffold via Quickstart.

Validate

node --version
aifabrix --version
aifabrix auth status

Common mistakes

Limits

• IT may require an internal npm mirror or block global installs — follow enterprise policy.
• Docker Desktop is only required for local platform setup (aifabrix setup), not for connecting to a Marketplace-deployed tenant.
• Workstation setup proves CLI auth only — building integrations still requires modeling JSON with validate/repair loops documented under Build AI-ready systems.
• Use a non-production environment for first upload --probe attempts; systemKey and datasource key names should not collide with production catalogs.
• Clone reference integrations before inventing new entityType / resourceType pairs — fixtures encode working sync, exposed, and externalId patterns.
• After auth succeeds, open Quickstart and run aifabrix create in a sandbox systemKey — workstation readiness is not integration completeness.
• Record the controller URL and environment name your admin shared — wrong environment values produce auth success against the wrong tenant while upload targets another.
• Keep Node and Builder CLI versions aligned with your team’s documented baseline — drift causes subtle validate/upload failures that look like permission errors until versions match.