flow-dev-setup

name

flow-dev-setup

description

Guide for setting up a local Flow blockchain development environment from scratch. Covers installing and configuring the Flow CLI, emulator, Cadence MCP server, dev wallet, Cadence VS Code extension, testing framework, frontend SDKs (FCL/React), and EVM tooling (Hardhat/Foundry). Each tool has its own reference with self-contained install and setup instructions. TRIGGER when: setting up Flow development tools, installing Flow CLI, starting emulator for the first time, "how do I install flow", "set up my dev environment", "flow dev setup", "install flow-cli", "cadence extension", "set up emulator", "flow testing setup", "FCL install", "EVM on Flow", "Hardhat with Flow", "Foundry with Flow", "new to Flow development", "getting started with Flow", "cadence MCP", "set up MCP for Cadence", "flow mcp". DO NOT TRIGGER when: configuring flow.json or deployments (use flow-project-setup), writing Cadence code (use cadence-lang), querying on-chain data (use flow-cli-query), building token contracts (use cadence-tokens), auditing code (use cadence-audit).

Flow Dev Environment Setup

Install and configure the tools needed for Flow blockchain development. Each reference below is self-contained — read only the ones relevant to your task.

Tool Overview

Tool	Purpose	Required?
Flow CLI	Core tool — project init, contract deploy, transactions, testing, emulator	Yes — everything depends on this
Flow Emulator	Local Flow blockchain for development (bundled with CLI)	Yes — for local development
Cadence VS Code Extension	Syntax highlighting, code completion, type checking for .cdc files	Recommended for VS Code users
Flow Testing Framework	Cadence-native tests with coverage and fork testing	Yes — for writing/running tests
Flow Dev Wallet	Mock FCL-compatible wallet for local frontend auth testing	Only for frontend development
FCL / React SDK	Frontend libraries for wallet auth, transactions, and queries	Only for frontend development
Cadence MCP Server	MCP server giving AI agents Cadence type checking, code review, and on-chain queries	Recommended for AI-assisted development
EVM Tooling	Hardhat, Foundry, or Remix for Solidity development on Flow	Only for EVM/Solidity development

Navigation Map

Task	Reference
Install Flow CLI (brew, script, Windows), verify, upgrade	flow-cli.md
Start and configure the Flow Emulator (ports, persistence, fork mode)	emulator.md
Install Cadence VS Code extension for editor support	vscode-extension.md
Set up testing framework, run tests, coverage, fork testing	testing.md
Set up dev wallet for local frontend auth testing	dev-wallet.md
Install FCL or React SDK for frontend integration	frontend-sdk.md
Set up Cadence MCP server for AI-assisted development	cadence-mcp.md
Set up Hardhat, Foundry, or Remix for Solidity on Flow EVM	evm-tooling.md

Typical Setup Order

For most Cadence projects: Flow CLI → Emulator → VS Code Extension → Cadence MCP → Testing.

Add Dev Wallet + Frontend SDK when building a frontend. Add EVM Tooling only for Solidity work.