Installation & setup

Mel ships as a direct download for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Grab the build for your OS from the download page — the buttons detect your platform automatically.

macOS builds are signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarized by Apple, so Mel opens on a normal double-click with no Gatekeeper warning. Windows builds are code-signed too, though SmartScreen may still prompt once while the certificate builds reputation. Linux ships unsigned by design.

macOS

The download is Mel-macos.zip — a universal app that runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel. It's signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarized by Apple.

1. Unzip and move Mel.app to your Applications folder.
2. Double-click Mel. It launches — no "Open Anyway" step, no quarantine warning.

Because Mel's agent reads and edits files, macOS will ask permission the first time Mel touches each protected folder (Desktop, Documents, Downloads). You can either approve those prompts as they appear, or grant Full Disk Access once (System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access → add Mel). Full Disk Access is the smoothest option but the broadest — it's optional. Mel's in-app permissions card can deep-link you to the right pane; find it via the command palette (ctrl+P → "macOS permissions setup").

Because the build carries a stable Developer ID signature, macOS keeps your Full Disk Access grant across updates — you set it once.

Windows

Two downloads are available:

• Installer — Mel-windows-x86_64-setup.exe (recommended): a per-user install with no admin prompt. Run it, keep the "Create a desktop shortcut" box checked if you want one, and finish — Mel lands in %LocalAppData%\Programs\Mel, gets a Start-Menu entry, and appears in Settings → Apps with a working Uninstall.
• Portable — Mel-windows-x86_64.zip: extract anywhere and run mel.exe. Nothing is registered with Windows; to remove it, just delete the folder.

Mel for Windows is code-signed (Concepts Dzign LLC). SmartScreen builds its reputation per certificate, so a newly issued certificate can still show "Windows protected your PC" the first time you run the installer or mel.exe. Click More info, then Run anyway. This fades as the certificate accrues reputation.

Uninstalling on Windows

• Installer builds: Settings → Apps → Mel → Uninstall (or the Start-Menu uninstaller). Your data — sign-in, conversations, BYOK keys, settings — is kept under %APPDATA%\mel, so reinstalling picks up where you left off.
• Portable builds: delete the extracted folder.
• Full removal: after uninstalling, also delete %APPDATA%\mel to wipe all local Mel data.

Linux

The download is Mel-linux-x86_64.tar.gz — a plain tarball with the mel binary (Linux builds ship unsigned by design; there's no warning to click through).

tar -xzf Mel-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
./mel

Put the binary anywhere on your PATH if you want to launch it by name.

After installing

No account, API keys, or configuration are required — Mel's AI features work out of the box through its hosted backend. Head to the quickstart for your first five minutes, and see updating Mel for how new versions ship.