Install Pivra Desk on a Mac or a Windows PC

Pivra Desk is a free app for Mac and Windows. Download it from pivra.ai/desk. The download is signed, and it checks for updates by itself afterwards.

Before you start

You do not need an account to use the free plan. You need one only to sign in to a paid plan (see Plans).

Mac

1. Download Pivra Desk for Mac from pivra.ai/desk. It is a .dmg file.
2. Open the file and drag Pivra Desk into Applications.
3. Open Pivra Desk from Applications. The app is signed and notarised by Apple, so macOS opens it without a warning.
4. The first run walks you through setup (below).

Pivra Desk stays in the menu bar as a small bird so routines keep working after you close the window. To quit, click the bird in the menu bar and choose Quit.

Windows

1. Download Pivra Desk for Windows from pivra.ai/desk. It is an installer (.exe).
2. Open the installer. Because the app is new, Windows may show a SmartScreen notice the first time. Choose More info, then Run anyway. The installer is signed; the notice fades as more people install the app.
3. Follow the installer, then open Pivra Desk from the Start menu.
4. The first run walks you through setup (below).

Pivra Desk stays in the system tray, by the clock, so routines keep working after you close the window. To quit, right-click the bird there and choose Quit.

On Windows, the programs an agent writes run in Docker for now. Setup offers For technical users: set up Docker Desktop; you can skip it. Without Docker the agent still reads, searches, drafts and asks; it cannot run programs unless you allow them to run directly on this computer in Settings → Safety, which is off by default and not isolated. A built-in Windows sandbox is planned.

The first run

Setup takes a few minutes and you can change every choice later in Settings.

1. Where the model runs. Pick Free and private: Runs on this computer (no account, nothing to pay, what you write never leaves this computer; slower, best for reading, summaries and short tasks) or Faster: With a Claude or OpenAI API key (better at long, multi-step work; a Claude Pro or ChatGPT Plus subscription does not include an API key). If you choose the model on this computer, it starts downloading; you can Continue while it downloads. You can also Continue without a model, in which case Pivra Desk gives demo replies: examples, not real answers, until you pick one in Settings → Model. See Choosing a model.
2. Where its programs run. On a Mac, commands run in the operating system's own sandbox by default. On Windows, Docker Desktop is the option for now.
3. Your agent's name and job, in your own words. You can change it later in Settings → This agent.
4. Morning brief (optional, part of Plus). A short briefing on weekdays at 7:30.
5. Share anonymous usage. Off unless you turn it on. When on, the app sends a short list of event counts, never content. See Privacy.

You can walk through setup again any time from Settings → General → First-run setup. Nothing you set up is lost.

Next

Give your first agent a job from a template.