---
title: Clone and launch the activity
description: Get the workshop repository onto your laptop and understand what a clone contains.
---

## Clone a repository

The workshop starts from the shared [Git Mystery repository](https://github.com/universitysjp/git-mystery). Cloning creates a working copy on your computer and downloads the repository's existing commit history. It also records the source repository as a remote, usually named `origin`.

In your terminal, choose a folder where you want the activity and run:

```sh
git clone https://github.com/universitysjp/git-mystery.git
cd git-mystery
```

`git clone` creates a new folder named `git-mystery`. `cd` is a shell command that moves the terminal into that folder; it is not a Git command. The `.git` directory inside the folder stores the local repository data, including branches and history.

## Install and open the workshop app

Install the dependencies from the repository root:

```sh
bun install
```

Then use the launch command shown in the activity repository's README. The app opens the concept slides and progress board in your browser. Keep the app running while you complete the missions, and use a separate terminal tab or window for Git commands.

If `git` or `bun` is not recognized by your terminal, finish the [prerequisites](/docs/si/workshops/first-byte-episode-1/prerequisites) and open a new terminal window.

## A clone is already a repository

You do not need `git init` after cloning. `git init` creates an empty repository in a folder; `git clone` creates a working copy of a repository that already exists. The clone is independent: edits and commits you make locally do not change the shared starter repository.

The next step is to connect your clone to a new repository in your GitHub account. That gives you a personal place to publish your work and open your pull requests.

[Continue to publishing your own repository](/docs/si/workshops/first-byte-episode-1/publish-to-github)