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nod

Install the desktop app

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

Before you start, have a model connection ready: an OpenAI, Anthropic or OpenRouter API key, a ChatGPT plan, or a local model server such as Ollama. Paid providers bill you for use. A local model costs nothing per request.

flowchart LR
  dl[Download<br/>the installer] --> open[Open and<br/>approve it]
  open --> prep[nod prepares<br/>its computer]:::accent
  open --> ob[Onboarding]
  prep --> chat([Start chatting]):::go
  ob --> chat

Install nod

Section titled “Install nod”

You need macOS 14 or later, on Apple silicon or Intel. The app and its runtime are about 1.8 GB to download.

  1. Open the releases page and find the newest nod release. Download nod-arm64.dmg for Apple silicon or nod-x64.dmg for Intel.

  2. Open the DMG, drag nod to Applications and open it from there.

  3. The first time, macOS asks whether to open an app downloaded from the internet. Select Open.

  4. Welcome opens while nod prepares its computer. Choose whether to share usage data. Once storage is ready, connect a model and Gmail and answer the setup questions while the workspace and browser finish starting. Enable desktop notifications and Open at login to finish setup. Telegram is optional. You can change the desktop preferences later in Settings. If macOS asks for your keychain password, approve it so nod can protect your saved keys.

  5. Keep your internet connection on. When setup and the computer are ready, nod opens your chat with the connections and answers you just saved. 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:

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. Your existing data stays in place. You don't need a GitHub account.

Keep nod running

Section titled “Keep nod running”

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.

Update nod

Section titled “Update nod”

nod updates itself. It checks after it starts, every six hours while it's open and after your computer wakes. To check now, select Check for Updates… in the nod menu on a Mac, or from the menu bar or tray icon.

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.

Where your data lives

Section titled “Where your data lives”

nod's database, workspace and browser stay on your computer. Requests go to the model provider and apps you choose. Managed app requests and results pass through n8n's hosted connection service and Composio. 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

Section titled “Remove nod”

Moving nod to the Trash or uninstalling it keeps your data, so a later install opens where you left off. To delete everything first:

  1. Select Remove all data in Settings → General. If nod can't finish setup, select Remove all data… in the nod menu instead.
  2. Confirm. nod deletes your profile and private computer, then quits.
  3. Move nod 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

Section titled “Troubleshooting”
Problem Try this
macOS blocks the first launch Install the newest release. On a managed Mac, ask your IT team to allow nod.
nod 0.1.12 or earlier doesn't update Install the newest release once, as above. Your data is kept.
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 nod was open and your computer was awake at that time.
Section titled “Related resources”