Installing the Desktop Client

The desktop client is a Tauri app, a lightweight wrapper that is multiplatform. Grab a copy from the downloads page and run it.

Platform	What you get
macOS	A `.dmg`. Open it and drag Cambium to Applications.
Windows	An `.exe` installer. Run it and follow the prompts.
Linux	Linux support isn't finalized yet, you are free to make a build but compatibility is not guaranteed.

Homebrew is on the way as well; see Installing via Homebrew.

First launch

The app opens on the Revision Control page with no connection. Click the globe in the top bar to open the connections window, then fill in three things:

The server address as host:port — for example studio.local:8666. Whoever runs the server will hand you this.
Your @handle.
Your password. Tick Remember me if you want this device to stay signed in; that stores a server-issued, device-bound token, not your password.

Screenshot of the connections window with a server address filled in

Trusting the server

The first time you connect to a server, Cambium shows you its TLS fingerprint and asks whether to trust it. That fingerprint is printed by the server when it starts, so check it against what your admin gives you before accepting. After that first time the fingerprint is pinned and a mismatch will prevent a connection to prevent impersonation.

Picking a project and a workspace folder

Once you are logged in the app asks which project you want to work on. Choose one, then set a workspace folder for it — an empty folder on a fast local disk is ideal. That folder is where your copy of the project lives; everything Cambium pulls lands there.

Pull once and you are ready. Head to Using the Desktop Client.

Bypassing macOS quarantine

Cambium's builds are not signed currently, and macOS quarantines anything it downloads that it cannot attribute to a registered developer. The message it shows is misleading: it says the app is damaged and can't be opened and prompts you to delete it.

The download is not damaged. Install as normal, dragging Cambium into Applications, and then clear the quarantine flag:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Cambium.app
open -a Cambium

After that it opens from the Dock or Launchpad like any other app, and you never need to do this again for that specific build.