Getting Started

Get Aura Hub running on your machine and make your first AI-assisted prompt in under five minutes.

Installation

Download the Aura Hub installer for your platform from the links below. The Hub is a background application — it runs silently and powers all editor plugins through a local API.

🪟 Download for Windows 🍎 Download for macOS

Tip: Aura Hub installs editor plugins automatically on first launch. You do not need to visit any marketplace or install anything separately.

Run the installer and follow the prompts.
Launch Aura Hub — it will appear in your system tray.
Sign in with Google when prompted to activate your license.
Open Unity, VS Code, Visual Studio, or Rider — the plugin will load automatically.

Your First Prompt

Once the Hub is running and your editor plugin is loaded, look for the Aura panel or sidebar in your editor. Type a question about your code — for example:

Why is my EnemyController patrol radius not matching my GDD spec?

Aura will cross-reference any indexed GDD files and your current open file to give you a grounded, context-aware answer.

Note: High-Reasoning mode is available on Pro, Power, and Studio plans. It uses a more powerful Gemini model and costs 1 credit (same as standard), but takes slightly longer.

License Keys

After purchasing a paid plan, your license key is:

Displayed on the checkout confirmation page
Emailed to the address on your Google account
Retrievable at any time via Aura Hub → Settings → License Key

Enter your key in Aura Hub → Settings → License Key. The Hub validates it against your subscription and activates your credits.

Warning: License keys are tied to your Google account. Do not share your key — if you believe it has been compromised, contact security@aurainc.co.

Unity Integration

Installing the Plugin

The Unity plugin is a .unitypackage file that is installed automatically by Aura Hub on first launch. If you need to install it manually:

Download AuraAI.unitypackage.
In Unity: Assets → Import Package → Custom Package…
Select the downloaded file and click Import.
An Aura menu item will appear in the Unity menu bar.

Compatibility: The plugin is compatible with Unity 2020.3 LTS and newer. It does not require a specific Unity subscription tier.

The Aura Panel

Open the Aura panel via Aura → Open Panel in the Unity menu bar. The panel docks like any native Unity window. From here you can:

Type prompts and get responses in the chat area
Use Ask about current file to automatically attach the active script
Toggle High-Reasoning mode for complex architectural questions
View your remaining credit balance

GDD Indexing

To give Aura awareness of your game design document:

In Aura Hub → Settings, click Add GDD.
Select your GDD file (PDF, DOCX, or plain text supported).
Aura Hub indexes the document. This takes a few seconds.
Future prompts will automatically reference your GDD context.

Free plans support 1 GDD. Pro, Power, and Studio plans support unlimited GDDs.

IDE Extensions

Aura Hub auto-installs IDE plugins when it detects a supported editor. All plugins communicate with the local Hub API and require no separate authentication.

VS Code

The VS Code extension is installed automatically via the code --install-extension CLI. After Hub launch, open VS Code and look for the Aura icon in the Activity Bar (left sidebar).

Features: inline suggestions, sidebar chat, GDD context, credit display.

Note: Requires VS Code 1.75 or newer. The extension uses the VS Code Extension API and does not require marketplace access to install.

Visual Studio

The Visual Studio extension (.vsix) is installed automatically using VSIXInstaller.exe, which ships with Visual Studio. Supports Visual Studio 2022 and newer.

Features: toolbar button for inline prompts, output pane responses, completion suggestions.

JetBrains Rider

The Rider plugin is installed by dropping the plugin ZIP into Rider's plugin directory. Aura Hub handles this automatically and prompts Rider to reload plugins.

Features: tool window panel, inline prompt action, GDD-aware completions.

Account & Billing

How Credits Work

Each AI prompt costs 1 credit. Credits are deducted after a successful response is returned.

Monthly credits reset on your billing date each month.
Refill Pack credits (250 for $5) never expire and are used after monthly credits run out.
A low-credit warning email is sent when your monthly balance drops to 10% or below.

Plans & Upgrades

To upgrade your plan, visit the Pricing page and select a new tier. Your existing Refill Pack credits carry over.

Billing Portal

Manage your subscription, update payment methods, or cancel via the Stripe billing portal. Access it from:

Aura Hub → Settings → Manage Subscription
aurainc.co → Footer → Manage Subscription

Team Features

Team features are available on the Studio plan ($149/mo, up to 5 members).

Studio Setup

After purchasing Studio, a team is created automatically and you are the owner. Your license key activates Studio features in Aura Hub.

Inviting Members

Open Aura Hub → Settings → Team Members.
Click Invite Member and enter their email address.
They receive an invitation email with a link to accept.
Once accepted, they can sign in with their Google account and the Studio features activate.

Note: Invited members consume from the shared Studio credit pool. The owner can view per-member usage in the Team Members tab.

Usage Reports

In Aura Hub → Settings → Team Members, the owner sees a table of all members with:

Email address
Role (Owner / Member)
Lifetime credits consumed

Security & Privacy

Data Handling

Key commitment: Your code is never sent to a third party for training. Gemini API calls are proxied server-side — your data and our API key never touch user machines simultaneously.

When you submit a prompt:

Your prompt and any attached code context is sent over TLS to our Vercel API.
Our server validates your JWT and credit balance.
The prompt is forwarded to Google Gemini under our API key (your key is never exposed).
The response is returned to Hub and displayed in your editor.
No prompt data is stored beyond the duration of the request.

Local-First Design

Aura Hub runs entirely on your machine. It communicates with our API only when you send a prompt. Your GDD files and project structure are stored locally and only sent as part of prompt context when you explicitly ask a question.

For the full security picture, see our Security page.

Troubleshooting

Hub Not Connecting

If your editor plugin shows "Cannot connect to Aura Hub":

Ensure Aura Hub is running — check your system tray.
The Hub uses a dynamic local port stored in %APPDATA%\AuraAI\port.txt (Windows) or ~/Library/Application Support/AuraAI/port.txt (macOS). The plugin reads this file automatically — no manual configuration needed.
If the port file is missing, restart Aura Hub to regenerate it.
Check that your firewall is not blocking local loopback connections.

Plugin Not Loading

If an editor plugin was not auto-installed:

Unity: Manually import AuraAI.unitypackage via Assets → Import Package.
VS Code: Run code --install-extension path/to/aura.vsix from a terminal.
Visual Studio: Double-click AuraVS.vsix in your Aura Hub install directory.
Rider: In Rider → Settings → Plugins → Install from disk, point to the Aura plugin ZIP.

Credits Not Updating

If your credit balance does not reflect a recent purchase:

Wait up to 60 seconds — the Stripe webhook may take a moment to process.
In Aura Hub → Settings, click Refresh next to your balance.
If the issue persists after 5 minutes, contact support@aurainc.co with your receipt.