Install the desktop app

Cradle is the desktop client — an Electron app that acts as the console for configuring connectors and reviewing and approving results. On a single machine it can also run an embedded cradle-server, so installing the desktop app is enough to get a full, local, offline-capable setup working.

Grab the latest build from the download page, then follow the instructions for your platform.

macOS

Open the downloaded .dmg file.
Drag the Cradle icon into your Applications folder.
On first launch, Gatekeeper may warn about an unidentified developer. Right-click the app and choose Open to bypass it.
If the build is unsigned (early releases are), clear the quarantine flag:
```
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Cradle.app
```

Cradle ships as an Apple Silicon build. Intel Macs can run it under Rosetta.

Windows

Run the downloaded .exe installer.
SmartScreen may warn on unsigned builds — click More info, then Run anyway.
Follow the installer prompts.
Launch Cradle from the Start menu.

Linux

AppImage

Make the file executable:
```
chmod +x OpenCradle-*.AppImage
```
Run it:
```
./OpenCradle-*.AppImage
```
For desktop integration (menu entry, icon), install AppImageLauncher first.

Debian / Ubuntu (.deb)

# with apt (pulls dependencies automatically)
sudo apt install ./opencradle_*.deb

# or with dpkg
sudo dpkg -i opencradle_*.deb && sudo apt-get install -f

Then launch from your application menu or run cradle from a terminal.

Verify your download

Every artifact on the download page publishes a SHA-256 checksum. Verify before installing:

# macOS / Linux
shasum -a 256 <filename>

# Windows (PowerShell / cmd)
certutil -hashfile <filename> SHA256

Compare the output to the checksum shown next to the download.

First run

On first launch Cradle creates its database in the OS user-data directory (for example ~/Library/Application Support/Cradle/ on macOS) and, when running with an embedded server, generates an admin API key. From there you can download a model, create an agent, connect a channel, and start triaging messages.

Next: understand how the pieces fit together, or if you want a dedicated headless box, set up a GPU server.