Using AI in your research

Setting up Warp

Warp is a terminal app, a replacement for the Mac’s Terminal or Windows Terminal that’s easier to read and type in. You can click to move the cursor, select text as you would in a document, and see each command’s output in its own block. Everything on Setting up the terminal works the same way in Warp. In the labs, Warp is only the window, and the agent doing the work is Codex or Claude Code. Setup takes about ten minutes.

Last verified November 6, 2026, against Warp’s own instructions.

Before you start

It’s free, and you don’t need an account. Warp’s paid plans are for its own AI, which you don’t need here. Without an account, that AI stays off.
It runs on a Mac with macOS 10.15 or newer, and on Windows 10 (version 1903 or later) or Windows 11. There’s also a Linux version.
Warp doesn’t include an agent. Install Codex or Claude Code as described on Setting up the terminal. The commands are the same in Warp, and you can install the agent before or after Warp.

1. Install Warp

	Mac	Windows
Download it	Go to warp.dev/download, open the file it downloads, and drag Warp into your Applications folder.	Go to warp.dev/download and run the installer it downloads. Warp then appears in the Start menu.
Or use one command	If you have Homebrew: `brew install --cask warp`	In PowerShell: `winget install Warp.Warp`
What it runs inside	The same shell as Terminal (zsh), so the same commands work.	PowerShell, the same as on Setting up the terminal.

2. First launch

Open Warp. It needs an internet connection the first time. The opening screens change from version to version, but whatever they show:

Skip signing in. You can sign up later if you ever want Warp’s AI.
If it asks how you want to work, choose the plain terminal over the option for agents. Codex and Claude Code still run fine.
Pick a light or dark theme. You can change it later.

You’ll end up at a window with a box at the bottom where you type commands.

3. Make it readable, and turn off Warp’s AI

To do this	Do this
Make the text bigger or smaller	`Cmd`+`=` and `Cmd`+`-` on a Mac, `Ctrl`+`=` and `Ctrl`+`-` on Windows. `Cmd`+`0` or `Ctrl`+`0` resets it. To set a size for good, open Settings, then Appearance, then Text, and change the font size.
Turn off Warp’s own AI	If you didn’t sign in, it’s already off. If you did, open Settings, then Agents, then Warp Agent, and switch it off. That also stops the AI suggestions that pop up under your commands.
Optional: share less with Warp	Warp sends usage counts and crash reports by default. Its usage counts don’t include what you type. To turn both off, open Settings, then Privacy, and switch off Help improve Warp and Send crash reports.
Optional: always start in your project folder	Open Settings, then Features, then Session. Under Working directory for new sessions, choose Custom directory and pick the folder.

4. How Warp differs from the plain terminal

Typing works like a text editor. In the box at the bottom, click to move the cursor, drag to select, and press Shift+Enter for a new line. Enter runs the command.
Output comes in blocks. Each command and what it printed form one block, so long output is easy to tell apart. A command that failed gets a red block.
Copying output is one click. Right-click a block and choose to copy its output, its command, or both.
The commands themselves don’t change. cd, ls, open ., and the rest of the table on Setting up the terminal work as they do there.

5. Run your agent in Warp

Open Warp in your project folder. On a Mac, drag the folder onto the Warp icon in the Dock, and a new tab opens there. On Windows, right-click the folder in File Explorer, choose Show more options, then Open Warp in new tab. You can also type cd and the folder’s path, as on Setting up the terminal.

Start the agent. Type codex or claude and press Enter.

codex

While the agent runs, three things are worth knowing:

What you type goes to the agent, not to Warp’s own box. Talk to it as you would in any terminal.
For a long prompt, press Ctrl+G. Warp opens a bigger box where you can click and select as in a document, then sends what you wrote to the agent.
To select text on screen, hold Shift while you drag.

Warp recognizes Codex and Claude Code and adds a small toolbar above them. You can ignore it. For the commands inside each agent, see Claude Code and Codex, side by side.

If something goes wrong

What you see	What to do
`command not found` for an agent you just installed	Open a new tab (`Cmd`+`T` on a Mac). Warp reads the same startup files as the plain terminal, so a new tab picks up anything you’ve installed. If the command also fails in the plain terminal, use the fixes on Setting up the terminal.
Mac: `Operation not permitted` in Documents, Desktop, or Downloads	Install any waiting Warp update, then try again. If the Mac asks whether Warp may use the folder, allow it.
Windows: running scripts is disabled, or the execution policy is Restricted	Run this, answer Y, and open a new tab: `Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser` If your PC is managed by MSU IT and that doesn’t work, use Windows Terminal instead. Everything on Setting up the terminal works there.
Windows: Warp crashes or opens a blank window	Open Settings, then Features, then System, choose a different Preferred graphics backend, and restart Warp.
AI suggestions keep appearing	Warp’s own AI is on. Turn it off as in step 3.