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Development Guide
This guide covers setting up and developing the CUA (Computer Use Agent) monorepo.
Project Structure
The project is organized as a monorepo with these main packages:
Python Packages (located in libs/python/):
core/- Base package with telemetry supportcomputer/- Computer-use interface (CUI) libraryagent/- AI agent library with multi-provider supportsom/- Set-of-Mark parsercomputer-server/- Server component for VMmcp-server/- MCP server implementationbench-ui/- Benchmark UI utilities
Other Packages:
libs/lume/- Lume CLI (Swift)libs/typescript/- TypeScript packages includingcua-cli
All Python packages are part of a uv workspace which manages a shared virtual environment and dependencies.
Quick Start
-
Install Lume CLI (required for local VM management):
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/trycua/cua/main/libs/lume/scripts/install.sh)" -
Clone the repository:
git clone https://github.com/trycua/cua.git cd cua -
Create
.env.localin the root directory with your API keys:ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_anthropic_key_here OPENAI_API_KEY=your_openai_key_here -
Install Node.js dependencies:
npm install -g pnpm # if not already installed pnpm install -
Install Python dependencies:
pip install uv # if not already installed uv sync -
Open workspace in VS Code/Cursor:
# For Python development code .vscode/py.code-workspace # For Lume (Swift) development code .vscode/lume.code-workspace -
Install pre-commit hooks:
uv run pre-commit install
Why use workspace files?
Using the workspace file is strongly recommended as it:
- Sets up correct Python environments for each package
- Configures proper import paths
- Enables debugging configurations
- Maintains consistent settings across packages
Python Development
Requirements
- Python 3.12+ (see
pyproject.tomlfor exact requirements) - uv - Python package manager
- pnpm - Node.js package manager
Setup
Install all workspace dependencies with a single command:
uv sync
This installs all dependencies in the virtual environment .venv. Each Cua package is installed in editable mode, so changes to source code are immediately reflected.
The .venv environment is configured as the default VS Code Python interpreter in .vscode/settings.json.
Running Python Scripts
Use uv run to execute Python scripts:
uv run python examples/agent_examples.py
Alternatively, activate the virtual environment manually:
source .venv/bin/activate # On Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate
python examples/agent_examples.py
Running Examples
The Python workspace includes launch configurations for running examples:
- "Run Computer Examples" - Runs computer examples
- "Run Agent Examples" - Runs agent examples
- "SOM" configurations - Various settings for running SOM
- "Run Computer Examples + Server" - Runs both Computer Examples and Server simultaneously
To run examples from VS Code/Cursor:
- Press F5 or use the Run/Debug view
- Select the desired configuration
Code Formatting
The Cua project follows strict code formatting standards to ensure consistency across all packages.
Python Formatting
Tools
- Black - Code formatter
- isort - Import sorter
- Ruff - Fast linter and formatter
- MyPy - Static type checker (configured but not enforced in pre-commit)
All tools are automatically installed when you run uv sync.
Configuration
Formatting configuration is defined in pyproject.toml. See the [tool.black], [tool.ruff], [tool.mypy], and [tool.isort] sections for all settings.
Key Rules
- Line Length: Maximum of 100 characters
- Python Version: Code must be compatible with Python 3.12+
- Imports: Automatically sorted (using Ruff's "I" rule)
- Type Hints: Required for all function definitions (strict mypy mode)
IDE configuration details
Python-specific settings
Python-specific IDE settings are configured in .vscode/settings.json, including:
- Python interpreter path
- Format on save
- Code actions on save
- Black formatter configuration
- Ruff and MyPy integration
JS/TS-specific settings
JavaScript/TypeScript formatting settings are also in .vscode/settings.json, ensuring Prettier is used for all JS/TS files.
Recommended VS Code Extensions
- Black Formatter –
ms-python.black-formatter - Ruff –
charliermarsh.ruff - Pylance –
ms-python.vscode-pylance - isort –
ms-python.isort - Prettier –
esbenp.prettier-vscode - Mypy Type Checker –
ms-python.mypy-type-checker
VS Code will automatically suggest installing the recommended extensions when you open the workspace.
Manual formatting commands
To manually format code:
# Format all Python files using Black
uv run black .
# Sort imports using isort
uv run isort .
# Run Ruff linter with auto-fix
uv run ruff check .
# Run type checking with MyPy
uv run mypy .
Pre-commit Validation
Before submitting a pull request, ensure your code passes all formatting checks.
Recommended: Run all hooks via pre-commit
uv run pre-commit run
This automatically runs Black, Ruff, isort, Prettier, TypeScript type checking, and other configured hooks. See .pre-commit-config.yaml for the complete list.
Note: MyPy is currently disabled in pre-commit hooks due to untyped codebase, but it's still configured and can be run manually.
Run individual tools manually
# Python checks
uv run black --check .
uv run isort --check .
uv run ruff check .
uv run mypy .
# JavaScript/TypeScript checks
pnpm prettier:check
node ./scripts/typescript-typecheck.js
JavaScript / TypeScript Formatting
The project uses Prettier to ensure consistent formatting across all JS/TS/JSON/Markdown/YAML files.
Installation
All Node.js dependencies are managed via pnpm:
npm install -g pnpm # if not already installed
pnpm install
Usage
-
Check formatting (without making changes):
pnpm prettier:check -
Automatically format files:
pnpm prettier:format -
TypeScript type checking:
node ./scripts/typescript-typecheck.js
VS Code Integration
The workspace config ensures Prettier is used automatically for JS/TS/JSON/Markdown/YAML files. Ensure editor.formatOnSave is enabled in VS Code.
Swift Code (Lume)
For Swift code in the libs/lume directory:
- Follow the Swift API Design Guidelines
- Use SwiftFormat for consistent formatting
- Code will be automatically formatted on save when using the lume workspace
Refer to libs/lume/Development.md for detailed Lume development instructions.
Releasing Packages
Cua uses an automated GitHub Actions workflow to bump package versions.
Note: The main branch is currently not protected. If branch protection is enabled in the future, the github-actions bot must be added to the bypass list for these workflows to commit directly.
Version Bump Workflow
All packages are managed through a single consolidated workflow: Bump Version
Supported packages:
cua-agentcua-computercua-computer-servercua-corecua-mcp-servercua-som
How to use:
- Navigate to the Bump Version workflow
- Click the "Run workflow" button in the GitHub UI
- Select the service/package you want to bump from the first dropdown
- Select the bump type (patch/minor/major) from the second dropdown
- Click "Run workflow" to start the version bump
- The workflow will automatically commit changes and push to main
Local Testing (Advanced)
The Makefile provides utility targets for local testing only:
# Test version bump locally (dry run)
make dry-run-patch-core
# View current versions
make show-versions
Note: For production releases, always use the GitHub Actions workflows above instead of running Makefile commands directly.
Releasing a New CLI Version
To release a new version of the CUA CLI (@trycua/cli):
1. Update the Version
- Update the version in
libs/typescript/cua-cli/package.json - Commit the version change with a message like "Bump version to x.y.z"
- Push the changes to the main branch
2. Trigger the Release Workflow
- Go to the GitHub Actions tab in the repository
- Select the "Publish @trycua/cli" workflow
- Click "Run workflow"
- Optionally, specify a version (e.g., "1.2.3") or leave empty to use the version from package.json
- Click "Run workflow"
The workflow will:
- Build single-file executables for all supported platforms
- Publish the package to npm
- Create a GitHub release with the version tag (format:
cua-vX.Y.Z) - Attach all platform-specific binaries to the release
3-5. Verify, update docs, and announce
3. Verify the Release
-
Check the GitHub Releases page to ensure the new version is published
-
Verify the npm package was published to the registry
-
Test installation on different platforms:
# Test Linux/macOS installation curl -fsSL https://cua.ai/install.sh | sh # Test Windows installation (PowerShell) irm https://cua.ai/install.ps1 | iex
4. Update Documentation
Update any relevant documentation with the new version number, including:
- Example code in documentation
- Any version-specific instructions
- Compatibility matrices
5. Announce the Release
- Create a new GitHub release with release notes
- Update the changelog if maintained separately
- Announce in relevant channels (Slack, Discord, etc.)
Rolling Back a Version Bump
Rolling Back a Version Bump
If you need to revert a version bump, follow these steps:
Step 1: Find the version bump commit
# List recent commits
git log --oneline | grep "Bump"
# Example output:
# a1b2c3d Bump cua-core to v0.1.9
Step 2: Revert the commit
# Revert the specific commit
git revert <commit-hash>
# Example:
# git revert a1b2c3d
Step 3: Delete the git tag
# List tags to find the version tag
git tag -l
# Delete the tag locally (use the correct package-specific format)
git tag -d core-v0.1.9
# Delete the tag remotely
git push origin :refs/tags/core-v0.1.9
Step 4: Push the revert
git push origin main
Per-package tag patterns
Each package uses its own tag format defined in .bumpversion.cfg:
- cua-core:
core-v{version}(e.g.,core-v0.1.9) - cua-computer:
computer-v{version}(e.g.,computer-v0.4.7) - cua-agent:
agent-v{version}(e.g.,agent-v0.4.35) - cua-som:
som-v{version}(e.g.,som-v0.1.3) - cua-computer-server:
computer-server-v{version}(e.g.,computer-server-v0.1.27) - cua-mcp-server:
mcp-server-v{version}(e.g.,mcp-server-v0.1.14)