Skip to main content

1. Create the Rust Project

From this article onward, we officially begin developing our Coding Agent. This article first configures the RustRover IDE and creates a minimal runnable Rust project. Later, we will gradually expand this project into an agent runtime and harness.

There are two common ways to create a Rust project:

  • Use the official command-line tool: cargo new KQode
  • Use the JetBrains RustRover project wizard

Here we use RustRover. Later code writing, running, and debugging will also mainly happen in RustRover.

1. Install and Open RustRover​

First download RustRover from the JetBrains website:

https://www.jetbrains.com/rust/download/

After installation, open RustRover. After accepting the user agreement, you will enter the welcome page. Click New Project in the center to create a new project.

RustRover welcome page, click New Project

2. Create the Rust Project​

On the New Project page, select Rust on the left, then set the project location, for example:

C:\Users\kefeiqian\RustroverProjects\KQode

If the Rust toolchain has not been installed before, Toolchain location will be empty and Toolchain version will show N/A. Click Install Rustup.

Rust project wizard showing missing Rust toolchain

Rustup is the official recommended Rust toolchain installer. It installs rustc, cargo, the standard library, and other components required to run Rust projects.

Click Install Rustup to install the Rust toolchain

After installation, RustRover automatically detects the toolchain path, toolchain version, and standard library path. Confirm the project template is Binary (application), then click Create.

Rust toolchain installed, create the Binary project

3. Choose a RustRover License​

After the project is created, RustRover may show a license selection window.

RustRover license selection window

Because this is for learning and research, choose Free for Learning and Hobby.

On the Individual Non-Commercial Use page, select the options that match your usage. In the screenshot, the selected options are:

  • Learning and self-education
  • Open-source contributions without earning commercial benefits
  • Hobby development

Then click Log In for Non-Commercial Use.

Choose individual non-commercial use options

After completing JetBrains login in the browser, the authorization success page appears. You can close the browser and return to RustRover.

JetBrains login success page

Back in RustRover, you also need to agree to the non-commercial use terms. The second option is an AI feature trial; this series does not depend on RustRover AI features, so it can remain unchecked.

Agree to non-commercial use terms

After clicking Start Non-Commercial Use, the status in the lower-right corner changes from Trial to Non-commercial use, which means the license is active.

RustRover switched to Non-commercial use

4. Inspect the Default Project Structure​

A Binary project created by RustRover contains src/main.rs. The default code is a minimal Hello World program:

fn main() {
    println!("Hello, world!");
}

Default generated main.rs

5. Run the Project​

Click the green run button on the right side of the top navigation bar. RustRover will call Cargo to compile and run the current project.

Click the top run button

After the run completes, the Run window prints:

Hello, world!

You can also see that the process exits with exit code 0, which means the Rust toolchain, project configuration, and run configuration are working correctly.

Run window output showing Hello, world