xDesk on a Mac

1. Pick the right download

Apple menu → About This Mac. If it says Chip: Apple M1, M2, M3 or M4, take xDesk for Apple Silicon. If it says Processor: Intel, take xDesk for Intel.

2. Install

Open the downloaded .dmg and drag xDesk onto Applications. Then eject the disk (the ⏏ next to it in Finder).

3. Open it the first time

The beta isn't signed by Apple yet, so macOS asks once before it opens.

• macOS 15 Sequoia and newer: open xDesk from Applications. macOS shows a box with only Move to Bin and Done: click Done (not Move to Bin). Then open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down to "xDesk" was blocked and click Open Anyway, confirm with your password or Touch ID, and open xDesk again.
• macOS 14 and older: in Applications, right-click (or Control-click) xDesk → Open → Open.
• Or in Terminal (one line, then open xDesk as usual):
  xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/xDesk.app

You only do this once: after that xDesk opens like any other app. (That box appears because the beta isn't notarized by Apple yet; once it is, xDesk opens straight away.)

If macOS says xDesk isn't made for Apple Silicon or offers to install Rosetta, you have version 0.9.26: click Not Now, xDesk still opens and runs. It's fixed in the next version.

4. Allow the keychain

xDesk keeps your broker keys and wallet encrypted in your Mac's keychain. The first time, macOS asks whether xDesk may use "xDesk Safe Storage": type your Mac password and click Always Allow, so it doesn't ask again.

5. Notifications

The first time xDesk has something to tell you, macOS asks whether xDesk may send notifications: click Allow. To change it later: System Settings → Notifications → xDesk: turn on Allow notifications and pick Alerts if you want trade and exit notices to stay until you see them. Also check Focus isn't hiding them.

6. The island under the notch

While xDesk isn't in front, trades, exits and questions show in a small island at the top of the screen, right under the notch on a MacBook. Click it to bring xDesk back. Turn it off in xDesk: Settings → Alerts & system → Island on the desktop.

7. Keep the desk running

Rounds, exits and memecoin checks only run while your Mac is awake and xDesk is open.

• MacBook on power: System Settings → Battery → Options → turn on Prevent automatic sleeping on power adapter when the display is off.
• Desktop Mac: System Settings → Energy → turn on Prevent automatic sleeping when the display is off.
• Closing the lid sleeps a MacBook unless an external display is connected.

8. Open at login

In xDesk: Settings → Alerts & system → Open xDesk when I log in. You can check it in System Settings → General → Login Items.

9. Updates

When an update is ready, xDesk's update button says so. Click Download: the new .dmg downloads in your browser. Open it and drag xDesk onto Applications again, choosing Replace. Your settings, keys, history and Vega's Mind stay, because they live in your account and in ~/Library/Application Support/xDesk, not in the app.

10. Luna’s voice

The first time Luna speaks, xDesk downloads her voice (a few hundred MB) once. After that she speaks offline, on your Mac.

11. Removing xDesk

Quit xDesk, drag it from Applications to the Bin. To remove its data too, delete ~/Library/Application Support/xDesk (Finder → Go → Go to Folder…). Your account and plan stay on the server.