ncode

Desktop docs Install on macOS

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Install on macOS

Note This is a preview of the docs. The download and the one-line installer go live with the 0.1.0 release; until then these steps describe how they will work.

ncode 0.1.0 is a developer preview. It runs on a Mac with Apple silicon (arm64) and macOS 15 or later. Installing takes a few minutes; the only unusual step is the first launch, because the app is not yet notarized by Apple.

Download#

Download ncode-0.1.0.dmg.

Then check that the file is intact and is the one we published. Open Terminal and run:

sh
shasum -a 256 ~/Downloads/ncode-0.1.0.dmg

Compare the long number it prints with the line for ncode-0.1.0.dmg in SHA256SUMS. They must match exactly. If they do not, delete the file and download it again.

Move to Applications#

  1. Double-click ncode-0.1.0.dmg in your Downloads folder. A window opens with the ncode app in it.
  2. Drag ncode into your Applications folder.
  3. Eject the disk image (the eject button next to it in the Finder sidebar) and delete ncode-0.1.0.dmg if you like.

First launch#

Open ncode from Applications. The first time, macOS stops it with a message that begins "Apple could not verify…", because the app is not notarized (see below). Click Done, not Move to Trash.

Then allow it once:

  1. Open System Settings and choose Privacy & Security in the sidebar.
  2. Scroll down to Security. You will see a line saying ncode was blocked, with an Open Anyway button. Click Open Anyway.
  3. Confirm with your password or Touch ID, then click Open in the dialog that follows.

You only do this once. From then on, ncode opens like any other app.

Note On macOS 15 and later, Control-clicking the app and choosing Open no longer skips this check; System Settings is the way.

From Terminal instead#

If you prefer, remove the download mark from the app before the first launch:

sh
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/ncode.app

Tip If the app still does not open after this command, use the System Settings steps above.

Why ncode is not notarized#

Apple notarizes apps from developers with a paid Apple Developer ID. ncode does not have one yet, so the app is signed on the build machine only ("ad-hoc"). That is why macOS asks you to confirm it once. The checksum in the Download step is how you know the file is the one we published.

First steps#

When ncode opens, add your model provider key and a project: follow the Quickstart.

Updating#

There is no automatic update yet. To update:

  1. Quit ncode (⌘Q, then confirm).
  2. Download the new disk image and check it as above.
  3. Drag the new ncode into Applications and choose Replace.

Your conversations, projects, settings and keys are not inside the app, so they stay. The first launch of a new version may ask for the System Settings step again.

If you had SwarmCode.app#

ncode is the same app under a new name, and it uses the same data folder, so nothing needs moving. Quit SwarmCode.app, drag it to the Trash, then install ncode.app as above. Your conversations, projects and keys appear as before.

Uninstalling#

  1. Quit ncode.
  2. Drag ncode.app from Applications to the Trash.

This leaves your data in place, so a later install picks up where you left off. To remove the data too, delete the folder ~/Library/Application Support/SwarmCode.

Warning The ncode terminal app uses the same folder. Deleting it removes the conversations, settings and keys of both.

Projects you opened keep their own .swarm_code folder (memory, commands, workflows). Delete it from a project if you no longer want it. Update and uninstall lists every folder ncode uses.