Installation - Syft Space

Download the latest release

Download the installer for your operating system from the GitHub Releases page.

The desktop app is currently in beta. Windows support is planned for a future release.

Installation by platform

macOS
Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)
Linux (Fedora/RHEL)
Linux (AppImage)

macOS installation (.dmg)

The desktop app supports both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs running macOS 11 (Big Sur) or later.

Step 1: Download

Download Syft-Space_<version>_universal.dmg from Releases.

The universal build works on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs.

Step 2: Install

Open the downloaded .dmg file
Drag Syft Space to your Applications folder
Eject the disk image

Step 3: First launch

Open Syft Space from Applications (or Spotlight)
If you see a security warning, click Open to confirm

On first launch, macOS may show a security dialog because the app is downloaded from the internet. Click Open to proceed.

Step 4: Grant permissions (if needed)

When accessing datasets from specific folders, macOS may request permission:

Documents folder - Allow access to index documents
Downloads folder - Allow access to uploaded files
Desktop folder - Allow access to desktop files

If you accidentally deny permission, you can reset it from the app’s tray menu: Settings → Reset folder permissions.

Uninstall

To uninstall:

Quit Syft Space from the tray menu
Move Syft Space.app from Applications to Trash
Delete ~/.syft-space to remove all data

Ubuntu/Debian installation (.deb)

Supports Ubuntu 20.04+ and Debian-based distributions.

Step 1: Download

Download syft-space_<version>_amd64.deb from Releases.

Step 2: Install

Install the package using dpkg:

sudo dpkg -i syft-space_<version>_amd64.deb

If you encounter dependency errors, run:

sudo apt-get install -f

Step 3: Launch

Launch from your application menu or run:

syft-space

Uninstall

sudo apt remove syft-space
rm -rf ~/.syft-space  # Remove data (optional)

Fedora/RHEL installation (.rpm)

Supports Fedora 36+ and RHEL-based distributions.

Step 1: Download

Download syft-space-<version>.x86_64.rpm from Releases.

Step 2: Install

Install the package using rpm or dnf:

# Using dnf (recommended)
sudo dnf install syft-space-<version>.x86_64.rpm

# Or using rpm
sudo rpm -i syft-space-<version>.x86_64.rpm

Step 3: Launch

Launch from your application menu or run:

syft-space

Uninstall

sudo dnf remove syft-space
rm -rf ~/.syft-space  # Remove data (optional)

Universal Linux installation (.AppImage)

Works on any modern Linux distribution without installation.

Step 1: Download

Download Syft-Space_<version>_amd64.AppImage from Releases.

Step 2: Make executable

chmod +x Syft-Space_<version>_amd64.AppImage

Step 3: Run

./Syft-Space_<version>_amd64.AppImage

You can move the AppImage to any location. Consider placing it in ~/Applications or /opt.

Create desktop entry (optional)

To add Syft Space to your application menu:

Move the AppImage to ~/Applications:

mkdir -p ~/Applications
mv Syft-Space_*.AppImage ~/Applications/syft-space.AppImage

Create a desktop entry:

cat > ~/.local/share/applications/syft-space.desktop <<EOF
[Desktop Entry]
Name=Syft Space
Exec=$HOME/Applications/syft-space.AppImage
Icon=syft-space
Type=Application
Categories=Network;Application;
Terminal=false
EOF

Uninstall

Simply delete the AppImage file and data directory:

rm ~/Applications/syft-space.AppImage
rm -rf ~/.syft-space  # Remove data (optional)

Verify installation

After installation, verify Syft Space is running:

Check for the system tray icon (bell icon in your menu bar or system tray)
Click Open Syft Space from the tray menu
The web interface should open at http://localhost:8080
You should see the Syft Space dashboard

First-time setup

Once the app is running:

Create an account: Click Register and set up your credentials
Configure network settings:
- For local development: Add a developer token from OpenMined
- For cloud deployment: Add your public IP address
Add your first dataset: Upload documents or connect a vector database
Create an endpoint: Combine your dataset with an AI model

See the Quickstart guide for detailed first-time setup instructions.

Troubleshooting

App won’t start

Check if the port 8080 is already in use:
```
# macOS/Linux
lsof -i :8080
```

Check logs for errors:

cat ~/.syft-space/logs/syft-space-desktop.log
cat ~/.syft-space/logs/syft-space-backend.log

macOS: “App is damaged” error

If you see a “damaged” error on macOS:

Remove the quarantine attribute:

xattr -cr /Applications/Syft\ Space.app

Try launching again

Linux: Missing dependencies

If the AppImage or installed app won’t start, install WebKitGTK:

Ubuntu/Debian
Fedora
Arch

sudo apt install libwebkit2gtk-4.1-0

sudo dnf install webkit2gtk4.1

sudo pacman -S webkit2gtk-4.1

Can’t access certain folders

macOS only: If you can’t browse or upload files from specific folders:

Open the system tray menu
Right-click the Syft Space icon
The app will prompt for folder access permissions when needed

Alternatively, grant Full Disk Access in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access.

Get help

If you encounter issues:

Check the GitHub Issues for known problems
Review logs in ~/.syft-space/logs/
Join the OpenMined Slack for community support
Open a new issue with:
- Your OS and version
- App version (from About Syft Space in tray menu)
- Relevant log excerpts

Get Started

Core Concepts

Guides

Desktop App

Deployment

Advanced

​Download the latest release

​Installation by platform

​macOS installation (.dmg)

​Step 1: Download

​Step 2: Install

​Step 3: First launch

​Step 4: Grant permissions (if needed)

​Uninstall

​Ubuntu/Debian installation (.deb)

​Step 1: Download

​Step 2: Install

​Step 3: Launch

​Uninstall

​Fedora/RHEL installation (.rpm)

​Step 1: Download

​Step 2: Install

​Step 3: Launch

​Uninstall

​Universal Linux installation (.AppImage)

​Step 1: Download

​Step 2: Make executable

​Step 3: Run

​Create desktop entry (optional)

​Uninstall

​Verify installation

​First-time setup

​Troubleshooting

​App won’t start

​macOS: “App is damaged” error

​Linux: Missing dependencies

​Can’t access certain folders

​Get help

​Next steps

Features

Quickstart

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Download the latest release

Installation by platform

macOS installation (.dmg)

Step 1: Download

Step 2: Install

Step 3: First launch

Step 4: Grant permissions (if needed)

Uninstall

Ubuntu/Debian installation (.deb)

Step 1: Download

Step 2: Install

Step 3: Launch

Uninstall

Fedora/RHEL installation (.rpm)

Step 1: Download

Step 2: Install

Step 3: Launch

Uninstall

Universal Linux installation (.AppImage)

Step 1: Download

Step 2: Make executable

Step 3: Run

Create desktop entry (optional)

Uninstall

Verify installation

First-time setup

Troubleshooting

App won’t start

macOS: “App is damaged” error

Linux: Missing dependencies

Can’t access certain folders

Get help

Next steps