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Installation Guide — Step by Step

Complete guide for getting started with DCS. No programming knowledge required.

This guide is written for researchers and lab technicians who are new to DCS. You don’t need to know programming. Every step is described in plain language with exactly what to click.

Time needed: about 15 minutes.

Before you start

You need two programs on your computer:

1. Visual Studio Code (VSCode)

VSCode is a popular text editor used by scientists and developers worldwide. Even if you never write code, you’ll use it as the main interface for DCS.

→ Download VSCode — click the big blue button for your operating system. Install it like any normal program (double-click, Next, Next, Install).

Claude Code is an AI assistant that lives inside VSCode. It’s how you’ll ask questions about your lab setup.

Once VSCode is installed: press Ctrl+Shift+X (or Cmd+Shift+X on Mac) to open Extensions, search for “Claude Code” and click Install.

Step 1: Download and install DCS

Download DCS → — you’ll get a file called dcs-0.1.0.vsix.

To install it in VSCode:

  1. Open VSCode
  2. Click the Extensions icon in the left sidebar (four squares icon, or press Ctrl+Shift+X)
  3. Click the ⋯ button (three dots) in the top-right corner of the Extensions panel
  4. Select “Install from VSIX…”
  5. Find the dcs-0.1.0.vsix file you downloaded and click Open

VSCode will install DCS. A small ⬡ icon will appear in the left sidebar.

Step 2: Create a folder for your lab

DCS stores your lab information in files inside a folder on your computer. Think of it as a digital notebook for your lab setup.

  1. Create a new folder anywhere on your computer — for example, on your Desktop. Name it something like my-lab or synthesis-setup.

  2. In VSCode: go to File → Open Folder (or press Ctrl+K Ctrl+O)

  3. Select the folder you just created and click Open

Within a few seconds, DCS will initialize. You’ll see:

Step 3: Open the Graph Editor

Click the ⬡ DCS icon in the left Activity Bar (the vertical strip on the left).

You’ll see three options:

For your first time: click “Load Example Setup” to see what a finished setup looks like. You’ll see a dark canvas with several devices (HPLC Pump, Column Oven, Mass Detector, etc.) connected by colored lines.

Step 4: Understand what you’re looking at

The graph shows your lab as a diagram:

Click on any device box to open its details panel on the right side. You’ll see tabs: Parameters, History, Images, Docs.

Step 5: Add your own devices

  1. In the left panel, you’ll see the Library with device categories (Chemistry, Physics, Electronics, Custom…)

  2. Find a device that matches something in your lab. If you don’t find it, use ”+ New Custom Device” at the bottom.

  3. Drag the device from the Library onto the canvas.

  4. Click on the device → the right panel opens. Fill in the parameters you know:

    • Temperature limits
    • Flow rates
    • Voltage settings
    • Whatever is relevant for your device

  5. In the Notes field, write anything important that isn’t a parameter — for example: “internal temperature limit set to 350°C in service menu”

Step 6: Connect your devices

Devices in your lab are connected to each other. You can show this in DCS:

  1. Hover your mouse over a device — small colored dots will appear on its edges. These are the device’s ports (inputs and outputs).

  2. Click and drag from a port on one device to a port on another device. A line will appear connecting them.

  3. Click on the line to set the connection type (tube, cable, pipe, etc.) and add properties like material or length.

The colors show signal compatibility — DCS will warn you if you try to connect incompatible port types (for example, a fluid output to an electrical input).

Step 7: Attach photos from your phone

Real photos of your equipment are very useful — they show physical details that are hard to describe in text (deposits, wear, specific configurations).

  1. In the Graph Editor toolbar, click the [QR] button

  2. Two QR codes appear:

    • Local — works when your phone is on the same WiFi network as your computer
    • Cloud — works from anywhere

  3. Scan a QR code with your phone camera. A web page will open.

  4. The page shows your devices. Select a device, add an optional caption, then tap “Take Photo” and attach it.

  5. Back in VSCode, the device’s badge updates in real time: 📷 1 Click the device → Images tab to see the photo.

Step 8: Ask Claude Code about your lab

Now that your lab is documented, Claude Code can answer questions about it.

  1. Open Claude Code by pressing Ctrl+Shift+P, typing “Claude”, and pressing Enter (or click the Claude icon in the Activity Bar if visible)

  2. Type a question in plain language:

    “What devices are in my lab setup?” “Why might pressure drop after the MFC?” “What is the maximum temperature for the Column Oven?” “What connections are made to the ESI Source?”

  3. Claude knows about your devices, their parameters, and their history. Its answers will reference your actual equipment, not generic information.

Step 9: Save your work

DCS automatically saves changes to .dcs.yaml files in your folder. These are plain text files — you can open them in any text editor, share them with colleagues, or put them in a shared folder.

To create a named version checkpoint: Click the 🕰 Versions button in the toolbar → “Save Version” → give it a name like “before maintenance 2026-05-11”.

You can always restore any version with one click.

You’re all set! 🎉

Your laboratory setup is now documented. The next time a colleague needs to understand your setup, they can open the same folder and immediately see everything.

What to do next:

Need help? → Contact us

DCS version 0.1.0 · Technical docs · Pitch deck