Your First Loom Project — Quickstart

Beginner May 3, 2026 · 2 min read

In about five minutes you'll go from an empty directory to a running HTTP API with a Customer model, validated YAML, generated Go + SvelteKit + SQL, and live JWT auth.

1. Scaffold a new project

loom new my-app
cd my-app

This creates loom.yaml, threads/, custom/, README.md, and .gitignore. With GITHUB_TOKEN set, loom new also creates the GitHub repo. With ORBWEAVER_API_KEY set, it registers the project in OrbWeaver. Both are optional.

2. Define your first model

loom add model Customer

This drops a starter threads/customer.yaml. Open it and edit fields, permissions, and the form view. The schema is documented at the Thread YAML Schema Reference.

3. Validate

loom check

Reports parse errors, missing required fields, duplicate field names, and broken cross-references in list_view / form_view. Exits non-zero on failure.

4. Weave

loom weave

Generates ten files per Thread under .loom/: a Go model + handler + routes + handler test, three SvelteKit pages, two HTMX partials, and one SQL CREATE TABLE migration.

5. Bring up the database

export DATABASE_URL='mysql://user:pass@host/dbname?tls=true'
loom stitch --preview      # see what Loom would do
loom stitch                # apply (with a confirmation prompt)

loom stitch only emits CREATE TABLE and ADD COLUMN automatically. Type changes, dropped columns, and orphan tables are surfaced as warnings the operator must resolve by hand.

6. Serve it

export LOOM_SECRET=$(openssl rand -hex 32)
loom serve

The server listens on :8080 by default. Public routes:

  • GET /healthz — liveness probe (no auth)
  • GET|POST|PUT|DELETE /api/customers/[id] — CRUD over the Customer Thread, JWT-protected, permission-gated

Pass --no-auth for unauthenticated dev mode (only Threads granting role: Public are reachable).

What's next

  • Concepts → Threads for how Loom thinks about data
  • Tutorials → Build a Simple CRM for a multi-model walkthrough
  • Reference → CLI Command Reference for every flag
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