Install the desktop app

The desktop app is the quickest way to run Nod. You don't need Node.js, Docker or developer tools.

Already have a Nod server? Choose Connect to a server on first launch, or Server connection in the app menu or tray. Enter its address and access token to use that assistant.

For a local assistant, have a supported model service ready with its required credentials, a ChatGPT plan that supports sign-in, or a local model server such as Ollama. Paid providers bill you for use. A local model costs nothing per request. A remote assistant uses the models configured on its server.

flowchart LR
  dl[Download<br/>the installer] --> open[Open and<br/>approve it]
  open --> local[Use this computer]
  local --> prep[Nod prepares<br/>its computer]:::accent
  local --> ob[Onboarding]
  open --> remote[Connect to a server]
  remote --> address[Enter address<br/>and token]
  prep --> chat([Start chatting]):::go
  ob --> chat
  address --> chat

You need macOS 14 or later, on Apple silicon or Intel. For a local assistant, the app and its runtime are about 1.8 GB to download.

Open the releases page and find the newest Nod release. Download nod-arm64.dmg for Apple silicon or nod-x64.dmg for Intel.
Open the DMG, drag Nod to Applications and open it from there.
The first time, macOS asks whether to open an app downloaded from the internet. Select Open.
At Welcome, choose Connect to a server to use an existing assistant, or Use this computer to start a local one. Local setup offers optional email and calendar connections, then a model and other apps. Enable Open at login to finish local setup. After the first chat introduction, choose Enable notifications if you want Nod to alert you while you’re away. macOS may ask for permission. If macOS asks for your keychain password, approve it so Nod can protect your saved keys.
Keep your internet connection on. When setup is ready, Nod opens your chat with your saved connections. See Your first conversation.

Install from Terminal instead

You can install the latest release on Apple silicon or Intel with one command. Quit Nod first, then paste this into Terminal:

(
  installer="$(mktemp)" || exit
  trap 'rm -f "$installer"' EXIT
  curl -q --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -fsSL https://internal.users.n8n.cloud/webhook/nod/install -o "$installer" && /bin/sh "$installer"
)

Run it as your normal user, without sudo. It verifies the download, installs to /Applications/Nod.app, and opens Nod. An existing installation keeps its current path. Your existing data stays in place. You don't need a GitHub account.

Before it replaces Nod, the installer stops any old ShipIt update job and removes its cache. If it cannot stop the job, it keeps your app. If the new app cannot open, it keeps the previous copy and shows its location.

You need Windows 11 x64. A local assistant also needs WSL 2 with hardware virtualization and at least 20 GB of free disk space. Its app and runtime are about 2.1 GB to download. Connecting to a server doesn't need WSL or a local runtime.

Open the releases page and find the newest Nod release. Download nod-Setup-x64.exe.
Run nod-Setup-x64.exe. Windows shows n8n GmbH as the publisher, though SmartScreen can still warn about a new release. The installer adds Nod to the Start menu.
At Welcome, choose Connect to a server to use an existing assistant, or Use this computer to start a local one. Local setup offers optional email and calendar connections, then a model and other apps. Enable Open at login to finish local setup. After the first chat introduction, choose Enable notifications if you want Nod to alert you while you’re away. Windows notification settings control delivery. You can change these preferences later in Settings.
If Nod needs WSL, follow its setup instructions and approve the administrator request. If Windows needs a restart, open Nod again afterwards; your saved connections and settings are kept.
Keep your internet connection on. When setup is ready, Nod opens your chat with your saved connections. See Your first conversation.

Install from PowerShell instead

Quit Nod first, then paste this into PowerShell:

irm https://internal.users.n8n.cloud/webhook/nod/install-windows | iex

Use a normal PowerShell window, not Run as administrator. It verifies the installer and runtime file, installs Nod, and opens it. An existing installation keeps its current path. Your existing data stays in place. You don't need a GitHub account.

Keep Nod running

For a local assistant, closing the window keeps Nod running in the menu bar on a Mac, or the tray on Windows. Quit Nod stops Nod and its private computer.

Nod is	What runs
Open, or closed to the menu bar or tray	Chat, channels, schedules and background checks
Quit, or your computer is asleep	Nothing, until Nod is open and awake again

If you rely on scheduled tasks, turn on Open at login in Settings → General.

When connected to a server, the server keeps your assistant, channels and schedules running after you quit the app or put your computer to sleep. The server must stay running and connected.

Update Nod

Nod checks for updates after it starts, every six hours while it's open, and after your computer wakes if a check is due. Checks continue when an update is already downloaded, so a newer release can replace it before you restart.

To check now, select Check for Updates… in the Nod menu on a Mac, or from the menu bar or tray icon. This stays available alongside Restart to update when an update is ready. While a check or download runs, its menu item shows progress and restart waits until it finishes.

When an update is ready, choose Restart to install it or Later to keep working. If Nod is in the middle of a task, it asks before restarting, and you can ask it to continue afterwards. Nod keeps your profile, keys and data. A completed installation does not repeat onboarding after an update.

On Windows, the restart runs the new installer in the background and opens Nod again when it's done.

Updating a connected desktop client does not update its server. Follow Server operations to update the server separately.

Where your data lives

For a local assistant, Nod's database, workspace and browser stay on your computer. When connected to a server, the server stores them along with model credentials and the Composio identity. Every client using the same server reaches the same assistant and connected accounts. Your device keeps its server address, encrypted access token, preferences and client data, such as unsent drafts and downloaded files.

Requests go to the model provider and apps you choose. Managed app requests and results pass through the configured connection service and Composio; n8n hosts the default service. Usage analytics leave only if you turn on Share usage data during setup or in Settings → General. Conversation traces leave only if you turn on Share conversation traces in Settings → General. See Your data and privacy.

Nod starts with a fresh profile and doesn't import data from a source install.

	Mac	Windows
App data and settings	`~/Library/Application Support/nod/profiles/local`	`%APPDATA%\nod\profiles\local`
Private computer	`~/.nod-desktop/<profile id>`	A WSL distribution named `nod-<profile id>`
Saved keys	Encrypted with the macOS key store	Encrypted with Windows DPAPI

Remove Nod

Moving Nod to the Trash or uninstalling it keeps your data, so a later install opens where you left off. Uninstalling a connected client does not delete server data. To delete a local assistant first, choose Use this computer in Server connection, then:

Select Remove all data in Settings → General. If Nod can't finish setup, select Remove all data… in the Nod menu instead.
Review the warning, then confirm. It lists what Nod will delete and explains that you must complete setup again. Nod deletes your profile and private computer, then restarts and opens setup. The app stays installed.
To remove the app too, quit Nod. Move it to the Trash on a Mac, or uninstall it in Settings → Apps on Windows.

On a Mac, Nod keeps the runtime it downloaded, so a new install doesn't download it again, and its entry in the key store. Neither holds your data. Apps you connected may still list Nod until you remove it there.

If you deleted Nod's folders by hand, Nod removes the private computer they leave behind the next time it opens.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Try this
macOS blocks the first launch	Install the newest release. On a managed Mac, ask your IT team to allow Nod.
Setup stops with an error	Select Try again. If it fails again, send the error with Send feedback… from the menu bar or tray icon.
Nod asks for a runtime file	Select Choose runtime file and pick the `nod-Runtime-…` file from the same release.
Windows can't download the runtime	Put `nod-Runtime-win32-x64.tar.gz` from the same release next to `nod-Setup-x64.exe` and run the installer again.
A scheduled task didn't run	Check that the machine running your assistant was awake and Nod was running. For a remote assistant, check the server.

A failed Mac update blocks a new install

After a failed update, the ShipIt update job can stay loaded. A new copy of Nod can then fail to open. If macOS shows “Nod” is damaged and can't be opened after an update failed, remove the old update job before you install Nod again.

Quit Nod. If it stays open, use Activity Monitor to stop it.
Open Terminal and run these commands as your normal user:
Terminal
```
launchctl bootout "gui/$(id -u)/dev.nod.desktop.ShipIt"
rm -rf "$HOME/Library/Caches/dev.nod.desktop.ShipIt"
```
If no ShipIt job is loaded, the first command can report an error. Continue with the second command.
Download the newest DMG from the releases page. Replace the copy in Applications, then open it.

These commands remove only the update job and its cache. They keep your profile, conversations, saved keys and private computer. If Nod still does not open, send feedback.