Desktop Installation

Download

Download the latest release from GitHub:

• macOS (Apple Silicon): Reeve-2026.2.27-arm64.dmg
• macOS (Intel): Reeve-2026.2.27-x64.dmg

Install

1. Open the .dmg file
2. Drag Reeve to the Applications folder
3. Launch from Applications or Spotlight

On first launch, macOS may show a Gatekeeper warning. Click Open to proceed — the app is signed and notarized.

First Run

When Reeve Desktop starts for the first time:

1. Gateway starts — The bundled gateway launches on port 18789
2. Frontend starts — The Next.js frontend launches on port 3100
3. Cockpit opens — A native window opens showing the Cockpit dashboard
4. Tray icon appears — A rooster icon in the menubar for quick access

Connect your LLM provider

Navigate to Settings → Models and add your API key:

• Anthropic (recommended) — Get a key at console.anthropic.com
• OpenAI — Get a key at platform.openai.com
• OpenRouter — Get a key at openrouter.ai

Create your first agent

1. Go to Settings → Agents
2. Click New Agent
3. Choose a role (start with assistant)
4. Name it and configure the model

You're ready to go! Open a chat session and start talking to your agent.

Auto-Updates

The desktop app checks for updates on launch via GitHub Releases. When an update is available:

1. A notification appears: "Update available: v2026.2.28"
2. Click Update to download and install
3. The app restarts with the new version

Updates include new gateway and frontend versions bundled together.

Menubar Tray

The tray icon provides quick access:

• Open Cockpit — Show/focus the main window
• Gateway Status — Running/stopped indicator
• Quit — Stop gateway and exit

Configuration

The desktop app uses the same reeve.json config as the standalone gateway. Config file location:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Reeve/reeve.json

Or, if the gateway detects an existing config at ~/.reeve/reeve.json, it uses that instead.