Install Mezair Desktop#

You can download a ready-made build or build the app from source. Either way you end up at the same first-launch setup.

Download a release#

Builds are attached to the app-v* releases in the mezair repository.

macOS#

1. Download the latest DMG for Apple silicon and Mezair-macos-arm64.sha256 from the same release.

2. In Terminal, move to the download folder and verify the DMG:

   TerminalCopy

   grep '  Mezair-latest-arm64.dmg$' Mezair-macos-arm64.sha256 | shasum -a 256 -c -

   Continue only if the result says OK.

3. Open the disk image and drag Mezair into Applications.

4. Open Mezair from Applications.

About signed builds

Check the release notes. They state whether that build is signed and notarised. Unsigned internal builds may be blocked by Gatekeeper. For private testing only, follow the release note's quarantine-removal instruction after verifying the checksum. Removing quarantine does not sign or notarise the app. Never use that step to make an unverified download appear safe.

Sponsoring Mezair on GitHub helps pay for the Apple Developer membership.

Automatic updates are switched off for macOS builds for now, so check the releases page for new versions.

Windows and Linux#

Each release also includes Windows x64 installers and portable executables, and Linux x64 AppImage, deb and pacman packages. Download the one you need from the releases page and check it against the checksum file next to it. If a brand-new release is missing your platform, its build is probably still running; check back shortly.

Build from source#

You'll need:

• Node.js 22.13.0 or later
• pnpm 10 (run corepack enable to get it)
• A C/C++ toolchain for the native modules (better-sqlite3 and node-pty):
  • macOS: Xcode Command Line Tools (xcode-select --install)
  • Windows: Visual Studio Build Tools with the "Desktop development with C++" workload
  • Linux: build-essential, python3 and libsecret-1-dev
• Git 2.30 or later

git clone https://github.com/anthonyhumphreys/mezair.git
cd mezair/mezair-app

# Build the local Cloud and Registry CLI packages first
node ../.github/scripts/prepare-desktop-clis.mjs
pnpm install
pnpm dev

pnpm install builds the native modules, and pnpm dev rebuilds them for Electron before starting the app. If a native module misbehaves after you change Node or a dependency, run pnpm install again before digging further.

To package a build yourself on an Apple silicon Mac:

pnpm run dist:mac:arm64

The result lands in dist/.

First launch#

You can start locally without a Mezair account. Setup has three short steps:

1. Choose your starting tools. Pick the kind of work you do. This changes the initial navigation, not what you are allowed to use. Change your role or show all tools in Settings later.
2. Connect a coding agent, or choose Set up later. Use your Codex, Cursor or Devin subscription, or connect OpenAI, Azure AI Foundry or LLMGateway. A coding agent is needed for chat and coding tasks; you can browse repositories before connecting one. Any API keys you save are encrypted on your machine.
3. Choose whether to use Sync. Select Continue without Sync to work on this device. Sync is optional and has separate hosting and account setup.

Next, create a workspace and add a local repository or clone one. A workspace groups the repositories and conversations for a piece of work. Let indexing finish, then try a small task on a repository you know.

Connect more tools when you need them#

You do not need to configure everything before your first task. Settings lets you add more agent accounts, choose models, and connect Azure DevOps, Linear or Jira for work items. Connect Confluence, Notion or Linear for documents when your work needs them.

For LLMGateway, Mezair offers Install coding engine during setup. It uses Codex to edit files and run commands, while LLMGateway supplies and bills for the models. A ChatGPT subscription is not required.

Optional on-device helpers#

On macOS 26 or later with Apple Intelligence enabled, Settings → AI connections & models → Local model can route short helper prompts to Apple Foundation Models. Coding work still uses your chosen agent. Leave this off to start; the settings panel explains the platform requirements and test options.

Your repositories, settings and chat history are stored locally. Coding agents send the context they need to your chosen model provider, and optional integrations contact their services. Deleting the app's data folder resets it completely. If you turn on the optional Cloud Workbench, Mezair connects to the Mezair Cloud endpoint you set up; its token is encrypted locally, and the remote run state lives on that service.

Nice to have#

• A Nerd Font, such as MesloLGS NF or Hack Nerd Font, so the built-in terminal draws prompt icons properly.
• The mobile companion app in mezair-app/mobile and the Raycast extension in mezair-app/raycast/mezair. Both pair with a running copy of the desktop app. See Companion surfaces.

Read next#

• Operating guide for the day-to-day loop.
• Chat, personas and models to set up models.
• Troubleshooting if something won't start.