Installation

Prerequisites

• macOS, Linux, or Windows — Watchfire runs on all three platforms with platform-specific sandboxing
• One supported agent backend — Install and authenticate at least one of: Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, opencode, Gemini CLI, or GitHub Copilot CLI

Watchfire does not bundle the coding agent itself. Install your preferred backend separately, sign in through that backend's normal CLI flow, then select it in Watchfire.

See Supported Agents for backend-specific setup, auth, and executable discovery details.

Download

Download the latest installer for your platform. The desktop app includes the GUI, CLI, and daemon.

Install via Homebrew

Works on both macOS and Linux.

Desktop app (GUI + CLI, macOS only):

brew tap watchfire-io/tap
brew install --cask watchfire-io/tap/watchfire

CLI & daemon only:

brew tap watchfire-io/tap
brew install watchfire-io/tap/watchfire

macOS

The .dmg installer is a Universal binary that runs natively on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. It includes the GUI, CLI, and daemon.

Alternatively, download individual CLI or daemon binaries from GitHub Releases.

Linux

The AppImage and .deb packages include the GUI, CLI, and daemon for x64 Linux.

Alternatively, install the CLI and daemon via the install script:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/watchfire-io/watchfire/main/scripts/install.sh | bash

Or download individual binaries for your architecture from GitHub Releases:

# Download (choose your architecture)
curl -Lo watchfire https://github.com/watchfire-io/watchfire/releases/latest/download/watchfire-linux-amd64
# or: watchfire-linux-arm64

# Make executable and move to PATH
chmod +x watchfire
sudo mv watchfire /usr/local/bin/

Sandboxing: Watchfire automatically detects the best sandbox backend on Linux. It uses Landlock (kernel 5.13+) for zero-dependency kernel-based sandboxing, or falls back to Bubblewrap for namespace-based isolation. No manual configuration is needed.

Windows

The .exe installer includes the GUI, CLI, and daemon for x64 Windows.

Alternatively, install the CLI and daemon via PowerShell:

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/watchfire-io/watchfire/main/scripts/install.ps1 | iex

Build from Source

Watchfire is written in Go and builds on all three platforms:

git clone https://github.com/watchfire-io/watchfire.git
cd watchfire
make install-tools   # Dev tools (golangci-lint, air, protoc plugins)
make build           # Build daemon + CLI
make install         # Install to /usr/local/bin

Verify Installation

After installation, verify everything is working:

# Check CLI version
watchfire version

# Start the daemon
watchfire daemon start

# Check daemon status
watchfire daemon status

If you plan to run tasks immediately, also verify that your chosen agent backend is installed and authenticated outside Watchfire first.