Installation Overview
Detailed install options. If you just want the happy path, go to Quickstart. This section is for when the happy path isn't what you need: different install method, air-gapped environment, specific OS quirks, upgrades, uninstalls.
Which install method
| Method | When to use | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop app | You want the full UI experience. Most common choice. | Desktop app |
| CLI only | Remote machines, servers, CI, scripting. | CLI |
| Both | Day-to-day in the desktop app, scripting via CLI. Same server backs both. | Desktop + CLI |
The desktop app ships with the server and CLI embedded. The CLI-only install is just the server + CLI without the Electron shell.
System requirements
See System Requirements for the full table. Minimums are modest:
- OS: Windows 10+, macOS 12+, or a recent Linux distro.
- RAM: 4 GB free (8 GB recommended if you plan to run local models).
- Disk: ~2 GB for the app + server, plus whatever local models need (5-50 GB).
- Network: Only needed for remote LLM providers. Everything else works offline.
Updates
Desktop app updates automatically by default. See Updating to change the update channel or pin a version. CLI updates via your package manager.
Uninstalling
See Uninstalling. Important: by default, uninstall preserves your database and shadow git repos so nothing you've worked on is lost. You have to opt in to deleting project data.
Install-time problems
See Install troubleshooting for the common ones (port in use, permission errors on Windows, missing build tools on Linux, rosetta requirements on macOS).