Setting Up your project

What is FTC Robot Controller?

The FTC Robot Controller project is the official codebase provided by FIRST. It contains the FTC SDK, sample OpModes, Gradle configuration, and everything needed to program your robot.

There are several ways to obtain the project. Choose the one that best fits your experience level.

Option 1: Download the ZIP (Beginner)

If you're just getting started, downloading the ZIP file is the simplest option.

Visit the FTC Robot Controller GitHub repository.
Click the green Code button.
Select Download ZIP.
Extract the ZIP file to a location you'll remember.
Open Android Studio and select Open.
Choose the extracted FtcRobotController folder.

You're now ready to build and run the project.

Note: Downloading the ZIP does not preserve Git history, making it harder to receive updates or contribute changes later.

Option 2: Clone with GitHub Desktop (Recommended)

GitHub Desktop provides an easy graphical interface for Git and is recommended for most FTC teams.

If you haven't already, download and install GitHub Desktop from the official website. Make sure to log into your github account inside the app before you get started. If you don't have one yet, don't worry! The app will help you get all set up.

Clone the repository

Open GitHub Desktop.
Select File → Clone Repository...
Click the URL tab.
Enter the following repository URL:

https://github.com/FIRST-Tech-Challenge/FtcRobotController.git

Choose where you'd like to save the project.
Click Clone.

Once the repository has finished downloading:

In GitHub Desktop, select Repository → Open in Visual Studio Code or Show in Finder/File Explorer.
Open Android Studio.
Click Open.
Select the cloned FtcRobotController folder.

You now have a local Git repository that can easily receive updates from the official SDK.

Option 3: Clone with Git

If you're comfortable using the command line, Git offers the fastest way to clone the project.

Open a terminal and navigate to the folder where you'd like to store your projects.

Run:

git clone https://github.com/FIRST-Tech-Challenge/FtcRobotController.git

Once the repository finishes downloading:

Open Android Studio.
Click Open.
Select the newly created FtcRobotController folder.

Opening the Project

The first time you open the project, Android Studio will:

Index the project
Download Gradle dependencies
Configure the Android SDK
Build the project

This may take several minutes depending on your internet connection.

If Android Studio asks whether you trust the project, click Trust Project.

Verify Everything Works

After Gradle finishes syncing:

Wait until indexing is complete.
Open the TeamCode module.
Expand src/main/java/org/firstinspires/ftc/teamcode.

If you can browse the files without any errors appearing at the top of the screen, your FTC SDK has been installed successfully.

What to do next

Now that you have the FTC SDK installed, you're ready to code! It's time to learn how the project is organized.

Continue to Understanding the Project Structure.