Installation

System Requirements

macOS 13 (Ventura) or later, Git installed (comes pre-installed on macOS), and an Anthropic API key for Claude access.

Download

Download the latest version of ChatML from the GitHub Releases page.

Download the DMG

Download the .dmg file for your Mac (Apple Silicon or Intel).

Install the App

Open the .dmg file and drag ChatML to your Applications folder.

Launch ChatML

Launch ChatML from Applications. On first launch, the onboarding wizard walks you through initial setup.

macOS Security Prompt

On first launch, macOS may show a security prompt since ChatML is distributed outside the App Store. Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security, scroll down, and click Open Anyway next to the ChatML message.

Auto-Updates

ChatML checks for updates automatically. When a new version is available:

A notification appears in the app
Click to download and install the update
Restart ChatML to apply the update

What Gets Installed

ChatML is a self-contained application that includes:

Frontend — Next.js-based UI
Backend — Go sidecar for API, git operations, and data management
Agent Runner — Node.js process that manages Claude AI sessions
SQLite database — Local data stored at ~/Library/Application Support/ChatML/state/chatml.db
Session worktrees — Created at ~/Library/Application Support/ChatML/workspaces/ (configurable)

Uninstalling

To uninstall ChatML:

Quit ChatML
Delete ChatML.app from your Applications folder
Optionally, remove data: rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/ChatML