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Emdash is distributed as a native desktop application for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Choose your platform below to get started.

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System requirements

Before installing Emdash, ensure your system meets these requirements:
  • macOS: 10.15 (Catalina) or later
  • Windows: Windows 10 (64-bit) or later
  • Linux: Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 10+, Fedora 32+, or any modern distribution with GLIBC 2.28+
Most coding agents require Node.js. Emdash works best with:
  • Node.js: 20.x or 22.x (recommended: 22.20.0)
  • Install via nodejs.org or use nvm
Check your version:
node --version
Git is required for all worktree operations:
  • Git: 2.25.0 or later (worktree support)
  • Install via your package manager or git-scm.com
Check your version:
git --version
For GitHub integration (PR creation, issue fetching), install the GitHub CLI:Authenticate after installing:
gh auth login
GitHub CLI is optional. If you don’t need GitHub features, you can skip this.

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macOS

Emdash supports both Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) and Intel Macs.

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Download directly

Download the ARM64 build:
curl -LO https://github.com/generalaction/emdash/releases/latest/download/emdash-arm64.dmg
Then open the .dmg file and drag Emdash to your Applications folder.

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Install via Homebrew

The easiest way to install and update Emdash on macOS: 
brew install --cask emdash
Homebrew automatically selects the correct architecture for your Mac.

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First launch

When you first launch Emdash, macOS may show a security warning because the app is downloaded from the internet. To allow Emdash:
  1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security
  2. Scroll down to the Security section
  3. Click Open Anyway next to the Emdash warning
  4. Confirm by clicking Open in the dialog
Alternatively, right-click Emdash in Finder and select Open, then click Open in the confirmation dialog.

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Windows

Emdash provides both an installer and a portable executable for Windows.
Windows may show a SmartScreen warning on first launch. Click More info, then Run anyway to proceed.

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Linux

Emdash provides multiple formats for Linux distributions.
AppImage works on most Linux distributions without installation:
# Download AppImage
curl -LO https://github.com/generalaction/emdash/releases/latest/download/emdash-x86_64.AppImage

# Make it executable
chmod +x emdash-x86_64.AppImage

# Run Emdash
./emdash-x86_64.AppImage
Optionally, integrate with your desktop environment using AppImageLauncher.

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Linux dependencies

Emdash’s Electron build requires these system libraries (usually pre-installed):
  • libgtk-3-0
  • libnotify4
  • libnss3
  • libxtst6
  • libatspi2.0-0
  • libsecret-1-0 (for secure credential storage)
If Emdash fails to launch, install missing dependencies: 
# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt-get install libgtk-3-0 libnotify4 libnss3 libxtst6 libatspi2.0-0 libsecret-1-0

# Fedora/RHEL
sudo dnf install gtk3 libnotify nss libXtst at-spi2-core libsecret

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Verify installation

After installing Emdash, verify it’s working:
1

Launch Emdash

Open the application from your Applications folder (macOS), Start Menu (Windows), or application launcher (Linux).
2

Check the welcome screen

You should see the Emdash welcome screen with options to add a project or connect to a remote server.
3

Verify system requirements

Emdash will detect installed agents automatically. To verify your system is ready:
# Check Node.js (for agent installation)
node --version

# Check Git (required)
git --version

# Check GitHub CLI (optional)
gh --version

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Install coding agents

Emdash orchestrates CLI coding agents — you need to install at least one. Agents are separate CLI tools that run independently of Emdash.
Important: Coding agents are not bundled with Emdash. You must install them separately using their native installation methods (npm, curl, etc.).
# Claude Code (Anthropic)
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
After installing an agent, restart Emdash or click Refresh Agents in Settings. Emdash detects agents by running <cli> --version for each provider.
You can install multiple agents and switch between them per task. See the full provider matrix at Features → Providers.

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Data storage locations

Emdash stores app data locally in a SQLite database:
  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/emdash/emdash.db
  • Windows: %APPDATA%\emdash\emdash.db
  • Linux: ~/.config/emdash/emdash.db
You can override the database location with the EMDASH_DB_FILE environment variable.
While Emdash stores data locally, coding agents send your code to their respective cloud APIs (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.) for processing. Review each provider’s data handling policies.

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Update Emdash

Emdash checks for updates automatically and prompts you to install them.

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Manual update

To update manually: 
brew upgrade emdash

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Troubleshooting

  • macOS: Check System Settings → Privacy & Security and allow the app
  • Windows: Allow through SmartScreen by clicking “More info” then “Run anyway”
  • Linux: Ensure all dependencies are installed (see Linux dependencies)
Emdash looks for agents in your PATH. If agents aren’t detected:
  1. Verify the agent is installed: <cli> --version (e.g., claude --version)
  2. Check your PATH includes the installation directory
  3. Restart Emdash or click Refresh Agents in Settings
  4. On macOS, Emdash adds Homebrew, npm global, and nvm paths automatically
If you encounter SQLite errors:
  1. Quit Emdash completely
  2. Back up your database (see Data storage locations)
  3. Delete the database file — Emdash will recreate it on next launch
  4. If the error persists, file an issue on GitHub
If building from source and hitting native module errors:
# Rebuild native modules for your Electron version
pnpm run rebuild

# Or clean install
pnpm run reset
See AGENTS.md in the source repo for full development setup.

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Next steps

Now that Emdash is installed, let’s get you running your first agent:

Quickstart

Follow the quickstart guide to run your first agent task in under 5 minutes.

Features

Explore all 22+ supported providers and learn about advanced features.

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