Quickstart: SynapseX Desktop

This page installs the SynapseX Desktop AI coding agent, signs it into your account, and puts it to work on a project on your own disk. By the end you will have reviewed a change the agent made to a real file in your repository — with your code, terminal and git history staying on your machine.

Current version: 1.17.9.

Step 1: Download SynapseX Desktop

Go to https://synapsex.ai/download  and pick your platform, or use the stable direct links:

Step 2: Install it

macOS. Open the .dmg and drag SynapseX to Applications. The build is ad-hoc signed and not notarized, so macOS blocks the first launch: right-click the app, choose Open, and then choose Open again in the dialog. You only need to do this once.

Linux. Make the AppImage executable and run it:

chmod +x synapsex-desktop-x86_64.AppImage
./synapsex-desktop-x86_64.AppImage

Windows. Unzip synapsex-desktop-windows-x64.zip and run SynapseX.exe. This is a portable build — there is no installer step.

Step 3: Sign in from your browser

Open Settings (on macOS, Cmd+,), then SynapseX AI → Account → Sign in with SynapseX.

Enter your email. The app opens https://chat.synapsex.ai/activate in your browser with a code in the form XXXX-XXXX; approve it there. The code is valid for 15 minutes.

One approval provisions both sets of credentials the app needs — models and compute — so you only do this once.

Step 4: Decide how much freedom the agent has

Open Settings → SynapseX AI → Permissions → Agent security mode and choose one of Full access, Sandboxed or Strict.

For a first run, choose Sandboxed. In that mode the agent reads and edits files inside your project automatically, and asks you first before it runs a terminal command, fetches or searches the web, or touches anything outside the project directory. That is enough freedom to be useful and few enough surprises to stay comfortable.

Step 5: Open a project and make a change

1. File → Open Project… (Cmd+O) and pick a folder on your disk.
2. File → New Session (Shift+Cmd+S).
3. Describe what you want in plain language, for example: Add input validation to the signup handler and a test that covers the empty-email case.
4. Read the diff in the review panel and check what changed.

Do the first run in a repository with a clean git working copy. The agent writes its edits straight to your files — there is no “approve this diff” step that holds a change back — so git diff and git checkout are your safety net, next to the permission prompts you chose in Step 4.

Two toggles you will use constantly: Ctrl+` opens and closes the built-in terminal, and Cmd+B opens and closes the sidebar.

Note for Windows and Linux users: the application menu bar exists only on macOS. On Windows and Linux, drive the app from the in-app interface rather than from a menu bar — the actions are the same, the menu is not there.

How do I update SynapseX Desktop?

Re-download the current build from https://synapsex.ai/download  and reinstall it.

The CLI is a separate install

The desktop app does not install the SynapseX CLI. If you also want the terminal agent and the local quantum simulator, install it yourself:

curl -fsSL https://synapsex.ai/install.sh | sh

Windows, in PowerShell:

irm https://synapsex.ai/install.ps1 | iex

Then follow the CLI quickstart.

Next steps

• Agent permissions — exactly what each security mode allows
• Projects and sessions — working across repositories
• Desktop reference — settings, shortcuts and identifiers