Install issues
Fix problems installing or updating Proliferate.
Use this page when the Proliferate desktop app will not download, open, or update correctly.
Proliferate ships for macOS as a signed app distributed as a .dmg, and for Windows x64 as an .exe installer (beta).
macOS
Check:
- You downloaded the build that matches your Mac. Download
defaults to Apple Silicon (M-series). Add
?arch=x64to the download link if you're on an Intel Mac. - The app is in
/Applications, not still sitting in your Downloads folder. Running it from Downloads works once, but auto-update and file access behave better from/Applications. - macOS let the app open. The first launch of a freshly downloaded app can trigger Gatekeeper's "cannot verify developer" prompt. Right-click the app and choose Open, or approve it under System Settings → Privacy & Security.
- The app has permission to read the folders where your repositories live. macOS gates access to folders like Documents or Desktop the first time an app touches them; approve the prompt, or move your checkouts somewhere Proliferate already has access to.
- The desktop updater isn't blocked by network policy. Proliferate checks for updates automatically; a corporate proxy or firewall that blocks outbound requests can silently stall updates.
Downloading a new .dmg doesn't require you to delete the old app first.
Dragging the new version into /Applications overwrites it and keeps your
workspaces, settings, and connected repositories.
Windows (beta)
The Windows build is not code-signed yet, so the first install trips Microsoft Defender SmartScreen: you'll see a blue "Windows protected your PC" wall instead of the installer. Choose More info, then Run anyway, and the installer proceeds normally.
Also worth knowing:
- You only see SmartScreen once. After the first install, Proliferate updates itself in place through the desktop updater, and those updates are verified by signature rather than downloaded through the browser. The mark-of-the-web flag that triggers SmartScreen is only attached to files your browser downloads, so automatic updates don't re-trigger the warning.
- x64 only. There is no native ARM (Windows on Arm) build yet.
- The same updater/network note as macOS applies: a proxy or firewall that blocks outbound requests can silently stall updates.
See Proliferate on Windows (beta) for the full Windows story, including install steps, how updates work, and how the Windows build differs from macOS.
If the app opens but setup checks fail once you're inside, continue with agent credential issues or Git and PR issues.