Install

Install MUON on macOS

MUON ships as a native macOS app (Apple silicon) that hosts its own local backend and background runner — there is nothing else to start. The v1 build is unsigned, so the first launch needs one extra step past Gatekeeper.

Requirements

  • macOS on Apple silicon (arm64). Intel/universal builds are a follow-up, not available in v1.
  • git installed and on your PATH. MUON works on git workspaces and shells out for identity, diffs and merges.
  • At least one coding-agent CLI installed and logged in. MUON drives your own agents; it never ships or authenticates one for you.
AgentInstallLog in (you run this)
Claude Codenpm i -g @anthropic-ai/claude-coderun claude and sign in
Codexnpm i -g @openai/codexcodex login
Cursorcurl https://cursor.com/install -fsS | bashcursor-agent login
OpenCodecurl -fsSL https://opencode.ai/install | bashopencode auth login

Each lane plays its strongest position

Claude Code and Codex build, lead, and hold the coordinator seat. Cursor runs review-class roles (reviewer, QA, architect, scout) with a guarantee attached: it reads and judges, and your workspace stays untouched. OpenCode is the crew's scout, and MUON forwards it no credential at all.

Get the app

Download the app from the download page: grab MUON-<version>-arm64.dmg, open it, and drag MUON into Applications. Every artifact ships with a published SHA-256 checksum (SHA256SUMS) so you can verify what you got before you open it.

First launch: getting past Gatekeeper

Because the v1 build carries no Developer ID signature, macOS blocks the very first launch and calls MUON an app from an “unidentified developer.” You only do this once.

  1. 01

    Right-click → Open

    In Finder, Control-click (or right-click) MUON.app and choose Open, then confirm Open in the dialog. A plain double-click only offers “Move to Trash” on an unsigned app.

  2. 02

    Or: System Settings → Privacy & Security

    On newer macOS, after a blocked double-click, open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to the “MUON was blocked” notice, and click Open Anyway.

  3. 03

    Or: clear the quarantine flag from the Terminal

    xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/MUON.app

    This is the standard macOS mechanism for an unsigned app you trust — the same thing “Open Anyway” does. Run it once, after the app is in /Applications.

Install the CLI and TUI

The terminal surfaces install with one command (requires Node 20+ and npm on your PATH):

curl -fsSL https://getmuon.com/install.sh | bash

That installs muon (the CLI — it auto-starts the local brain on first use, so there is no server to run) and muon-tui (the full-screen terminal cockpit). The desktop app ships the brain itself, so install it first; the CLI finds it whether or not the app is running. To register MUON as an MCP server with your own coding agent, run muon mcp install afterwards — see the CLI reference and the MCP guide.

“Unsigned” — why, and is it safe?

MUON's v1 build is not signed with an Apple Developer ID certificate and is not notarized. Treat it as a controlled build, not (yet) a certificate-verified one.

  • Why: Developer ID signing requires an active Apple Developer Program membership; the entitlements, notarization hook and config seam already exist so it can flip on later with no rework.
  • What it means for you: macOS quarantines and warns on first launch. There is no other behavioral difference — MUON still runs entirely on your machine.
  • How to trust the build: every release ships a published SHA256SUMS file next to the download — verify the DMG's checksum before opening it.

Auto-update

MUON makes no outbound network calls on its own, with exactly one opt-in exception: an update check against MUON's release feed, toggled from the sidebar's Updates panel (off by default).

v1 limitation: check-only

An unsigned build can tell you a newer release exists; it cannot download or install it for you. The updater's install path stays refused until a signed, notarized build has been verified through a real two-version upgrade — a deliberate release gate, not a missing feature.

Where MUON stores data

PathWhat
~/Library/Application Support/MUON/Settings, the embedded SQLite brain, the graph store, the lockfile
…/MUON/logs/brain.logEmbedded backend log
…/MUON/logs/runner.logSandboxed runner boot, lease, dispatch and recovery log

Uninstalling: delete MUON.app. Clearing the data directory is a manual step today.

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