Install

Helmsman is a Mac app that drives your own Claude Code CLI. It is pre-launch, so this page describes the shape of installation. The download page tells you the current state.

Before you start

You need two things on your Mac:

macOS 13 Ventura or later. The final version floor is still being confirmed.
The Claude Code CLI, installed and signed in. Helmsman spawns your existing claude binary; it does not bundle or replace it. If claude runs in your terminal, Helmsman can drive it.

Getting the app

While Helmsman is pre-launch there is no public build to download yet. Join the waitlist on the download page and you get one email the day the signed app ships.

At launch, installation is the usual Mac flow: open the .dmg, drag Helmsman to your Applications folder, and open it. Because the release build is signed and notarized, Gatekeeper opens it without a warning.

First launch

On first launch, Helmsman asks for a projects folder. Point it at the folder that holds your repositories. From there you can spawn a session into the grid. See First run.

Staying local

Helmsman runs entirely on your machine. It owns local terminals and talks to your local claude; nothing about your code is relayed to a Helmsman server. The security page has the full account.