RAFT — GOV.UK / NHS Prototyping Kit

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Set up your prototyping toolchain (Mac)

Install the minimum tools (Terminal, VS Code, Node, Git) so you can run a prototype kit locally.

Goal

Get your machine ready to work on prototype kit projects.

Steps

Install VS Code

Download: https://code.visualstudio.com/
In VS Code: open the Command Palette → Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH

Install Git

In Terminal, run:
- git --version
If it’s missing, install Xcode Command Line Tools:
- xcode-select --install

Install Node.js

For the GOV.UK / NHS kits you should use the Node version the kit asks for.
Check requirements for your kit version (they change over time).
Verify:
- node -v
- npm -v

Create a workspace folder

Example:
- mkdir -p ~/Projects/prototyping
- cd ~/Projects/prototyping

Sanity check: clone + install

Pick any prototype kit repo you have access to.
git clone <repo-url>
cd <repo>
npm install

Common problems

"command not found: code" → you didn’t install VS Code’s shell command.
Permissions / EACCES during npm install → you’re probably using a global install path incorrectly; fix your Node install, don’t sudo npm.
Wrong Node version → switch Node versions (best with a version manager) to match the kit.