All docs/Install the desktop app
INSTALL

Install the desktop app

Download Beagle for macOS or Windows. No Node.js, no terminal — the app installs and runs everything it needs.

September 2026

Download

Beagle brings its own runtime. If your machine already has a suitable Node.js it uses that; if not, it installs a private copy for itself and removes it again when you uninstall. Nothing is added to your system.

macOS

01
Open the .dmg and drag Beagle into Applications

The usual drag-and-drop install.

02
Double-click Beagle

It opens. This build is notarized by Apple, so the old detour through System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway is gone. On the very first launch macOS still asks the standard question for anything downloaded from the internet — click Open.

03
Wait for setup, then click Open Beagle

First launch installs the packages it needs — a minute or two on a normal connection. When the panel says Running, click Open Beagle and chat opens in your browser.

Windows

01
Run the installer

It installs for you alone, under your own user account, and never asks for an administrator password.

02
If SmartScreen appears: More info → Run anyway

The Windows build is not code-signed yet, so SmartScreen warns about an unknown publisher. The portable .zip has the same warning.

03
Wait for setup, then click Open Beagle

Same as macOS: first launch fetches what it needs, then the panel says Running.

What happens on first run

  • An identity is generated on your machine. There is no account and no signup — the key is the identity.
  • If another Beagle is already running on this machine, the app offers to use it instead of starting a second one.
  • Beagle Help is added as your first contact, so there is someone to ask before you know anyone.

Prefer the terminal, or installing on a server? Use the CLI guides instead — same network, same identity model.

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