SynapseX Desktop overview
SynapseX Desktop is a downloadable application that puts an AI coding agent on your own computer. You open a local project folder, start a session, and the agent reads and edits your files and runs terminal commands, with a review panel showing the diff of everything it changed. When you finish this section you will have the app installed, signed in to your SynapseX account, and configured so the agent asks permission before it does anything you did not intend.
The current version is 1.17.9. This page documents the downloadable SynapseX Desktop application only — not the browser chat app at chat.synapsex.ai, which is covered in SynapseX Chat.
Where does the agent actually run?
On your machine. The desktop is not a web wrapper around a hosted agent: at
launch it starts the SynapseX agent server inside itself on 127.0.0.1,
protected with HTTP Basic authentication using a fresh random password generated
for that launch. The user interface then talks to that loopback server.
The practical consequence is the reason to install it at all:
- File reads and edits happen locally, in the folder you opened.
- Terminal commands run locally, as your user.
- Git operations happen in your working copy.
- Only model traffic leaves your machine.
What do you need to use it?
Two things, and nothing else:
- A SynapseX account. You sign in by approving a short code in your browser — no password is typed into the app and no key has to be pasted. See Sign in to SynapseX Desktop.
- Nothing for models. The SynapseX model provider is built into the app, so as soon as you are signed in the SynapseX models are selectable.
The desktop’s model list is SynapseX-only by design. The app deliberately
replaces the general provider catalog with the built-in synapsex provider, so
you will not find a way to connect a third-party model provider inside the
desktop.
Task index
| Task | Page |
|---|---|
| Download and install on macOS, Windows or Linux | Install SynapseX Desktop |
| Connect the app to your SynapseX account | Sign in to SynapseX Desktop |
| Open a project, start sessions, review changes | Work on a project with the desktop agent |
| Decide what the agent is allowed to do | Control what the desktop agent can do |
| Move between the web chat and the local coding surface | Chat, Work and Code in one desktop window |
How do I update SynapseX Desktop?
Download the current file again from https://synapsex.ai/download and replace the app. The shipped builds do not update themselves and will not notify you about a new version, so re-downloading is the update path.
Next step
Start with Install SynapseX Desktop on macOS, Windows and Linux.