Install Halo Forge Desktop

Choose a verified desktop beta candidate or the cross-platform browser and CLI path.

Halo Forge uses one local service layer. Desktop, browser, and CLI launches open the same datasets, runs, evaluations, reviews, and models. Browser and CLI are supported on macOS, Linux, and Windows. The download page recommends a desktop installer only when that exact artifact appears in the checksummed release manifest with a passing packaged-runtime smoke result.

Release Types

Type	Use it for	Trust state
Signed/notarized macOS DMG	Normal macOS install after its release qualification passes	Verified by macOS and the Halo Forge manifest
Linux AppImage or Debian package	Desktop beta when listed as supported by the release manifest	Package signature and smoke state are shown before download
Windows NSIS installer	Desktop beta when listed as supported by the release manifest	Signature and smoke state are shown before download
Unsigned candidate	Engineering and preview QA only	Not presented as a trusted normal installer

Do not treat a repository tag or filename as proof that an installer is trusted. Halo Forge uses the release manifest’s platform, architecture, package type, runtime version, signature state, smoke result, and supported-backend record.

Current Recommended Path

Open the Download page and use its recommended path. If no trusted desktop package matches your platform, use the Quick Start for the browser dashboard and CLI. It provides the same managed workflow.

Desktop Install

For a release-manifest-qualified package:

Download the package recommended for your platform at halo-forge.io/download.
macOS: open the DMG and drag Halo Forge to Applications.
Linux: install the .deb or make the AppImage executable, according to the displayed release instructions.
Windows: run the qualified NSIS installer.
Open Halo Forge and follow the single workstation-readiness action, if one is shown.

The desktop app starts a local Halo Forge dashboard at 127.0.0.1:8765 and stops the backend process tree it owns when the app quits. Uninstalling the desktop shell does not delete datasets, runs, models, or review history.

The shell uses the same dashboard/API as browser and CLI installs. Its only Dataset Lab-specific convenience is a native open dialog for choosing files or folders on the workstation. See Workstation Surfaces for the callable contract and browser fallback.

Unsigned macOS Developer Preview

Alpha, beta, and release-candidate GitHub prereleases may include a DMG whose filename ends in -unsigned-preview.dmg. This optional path is for informed technical testing. It is not notarized, is not supported as a normal installer, and may be blocked by Gatekeeper. Stable releases never include it.

Download the DMG and matching .sha256 file only from the official Halo Forge GitHub prerelease.
In Terminal, change to the download directory and run shasum -a 256 -c Halo-Forge_*_aarch64-unsigned-preview.dmg.sha256. Continue only if it reports OK.
Open the DMG. If macOS blocks the known preview and you intentionally accept its unsigned status, follow Apple’s current Open Anyway instructions in System Settings → Privacy & Security.
If the checksum fails, the download source is not the official prerelease, or the warning differs from Apple’s documented flow, stop and use the browser/CLI Quick Start instead.

Do not disable Gatekeeper and do not remove quarantine attributes globally. The checksum proves that the download matches the project’s artifact; it does not provide Apple Developer ID identity or notarization.

If The Operating System Blocks The Installer

Do not bypass Gatekeeper or Windows SmartScreen for normal use. Remove the candidate and use the browser/CLI Quick Start path. From a startup failure or Diagnostics, Create support bundle produces a previewable, privacy-safe ZIP that you may choose to share; Halo Forge never uploads it automatically.

For source-development builds, use apps/desktop-tauri/README.md instead.