skip to content
Install & update

Desktop app

Install & update

Where each platform stands, and how a signed update reaches an installed app.

Where each platform stands

PlatformThe app todayThe CLI today
macOS (Apple Silicon)Shipping. A signed, notarized .dmg.Full product, local inference in-process.
Windows (x86-64)Not published yet.Shipping, with the embedded engine.
Linux (x86-64)Not published yet.Shipping as a thin client. No local inference.

The CLI is available on all three platforms regardless of the app's state.

Install on macOS

Take the .dmg from the download page, open it, and drag Conifer to Applications. It is signed and notarized, so there is no Gatekeeper warning to click through and no Terminal step.

Install the CLI

If you only want the command line, or you are on a platform where the app has not shipped, the install script detects your OS and architecture, verifies the SHA-256 against the published checksum, installs without sudo, and then runs conifer setup:

macOS
curl -fsSL https://conifer.build/setup | bash
Linux
curl -fsSL https://conifer.build/setup | sh
Windows
curl.exe -fsSL https://conifer.build/setup.ps1 | iex

Linux is piped to sh rather than bash on purpose: the script is POSIX sh, and Alpine often has no bash. On Windows, paste into an already-open PowerShell window rather than wrapping the line in powershell -c.

Sign it in

The app and the CLI share one credential, so signing in once is enough for both:

terminal
conifer login

Paste the key when prompted. It is validated against the gateway before it is stored, then kept in the OS keychain — never a dotfile, never a process argument. conifer login --status reports the signed-in state. Mint the key first at the console.

How updates arrive

The app updates itself. Every update is verified against a signing key compiled into the installed app, so a build that was not signed with Conifer’s private key is refused before it is applied — a tampered or substituted download cannot install itself.

Next

Platform detail — what thin means, which flags exist where — is on macOS, Windows, Linux. To point an editor at Conifer, start from the app overview.