Install Craft Anything on macOS

Install path

1. 01

   1 · Open the disk image

   Download craft-anything-<version>-macos-universal.dmg from the latest release, open it, and move Craft Anything.app to Applications or another folder you choose.

2. 02

   2 · Open the app once

   If macOS asks on first launch, confirm you want to open the app you just downloaded. After that, launch it normally.

3. 03

   3 · Skip the CLI zip unless you need it

   Releases after 0.2.0 include the command-line tool inside the app. Download craft-anything-cli-<version>-macos-universal.zip only when you want the terminal tool without the app.

4. 04

   4 · If macOS blocks that zip

   A lone command-line program cannot carry its notarization ticket the way an app can. Prefer the project’s curl download, or clear quarantine on the copy you already have and allow it under Privacy & Security. Details are below.

Command-line zip

A browser download of the CLI zip can stop with a message that Apple could not verify craft-anything-cli. The project’s workaround is to download with curl, unpack with ditto, and move the binary to ~/.local/bin. Add that directory to PATH if you want to type craft-anything-cli. If you already have the blocked file, dismiss the dialog without moving it to the bin, then remove the quarantine attribute with xattr -d com.apple.quarantine on that file, or use System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway. Check the signature with codesign before you rely on a copy that did not come from the release.

• App disk image: signed and notarized universal build
• CLI zip: optional after version 0.2.0
• Verify with the codesign and spctl commands printed in the project README

What not to do

Do not install a re-uploaded disk image from a random mirror. This guide’s button goes to the GitHub release asset. If a signature check fails, do not run the file; report the command output and the release tag on the project’s issue tracker.

This site is not official. We do not host installers. Downloads go to GitHub Releases for storytold/craft-anything. Examine only software you own or are allowed to examine.

Gatekeeper on the app versus the zip

The .app inside the disk image is the path most people should use. It carries notarization the way Apple expects. The optional CLI zip is a single Mach-O binary; a Safari download often sets quarantine, and then macOS says it cannot verify craft-anything-cli. That message is about the zip, not about the desktop app failing to install. Prefer curl as the project README shows, or open the .app and skip the zip. Do not disable Gatekeeper globally to “make the zip work.” codesign and spctl on a copy from GitHub should match what the project prints. A mismatch means you have the wrong file.

Folders, permissions, and updates

Drag Craft Anything.app to Applications or keep it in Downloads if you insist; Applications is the usual place. Projects still default to Documents/Craft Anything. If macOS asks for Documents or Downloads access, allow it or change the project folder under Settings. Updating is a newer disk image from a later GitHub tag, then replace the .app. Time Machine copies of the app are not a supported install channel. Intel Macs and Apple silicon Macs share the universal image; there is no separate Intel-only download this guide recommends.

After the first open

Simple mode is the first window. Setup covers doctor, a coding agent, and Clean room. The disk image does not install Xcode, Homebrew, or Rosetta. You only need Rosetta if you later run an Intel-only helper you installed yourself; the universal app is native on both CPUs. If the window never appears, confirm you opened the .app from the mounted disk image or from Applications, not a partial download still in Safari’s list. Eject the disk image after you copy the app so you are not launching from a vanished volume. Time Machine, AirDrop, and iCloud copies of the .app are not a substitute for the GitHub asset. If Privacy & Security offers Open Anyway, that control is for the optional CLI zip you already checksummed, not a reason to fetch a second file from a random blog.

FAQ

Apple silicon or Intel for Craft Anything?

The macos-universal disk image is the one file for both.

Do I need Xcode?

Not to run the app. Xcode is unrelated to this install.

Where are Craft Anything settings stored?

The desktop app uses its own settings. New projects default to Documents/Craft Anything, which you can change under Settings → General.

Do I still need the CLI zip?

Not after 0.2.0 if you installed the app. Download the zip only when you want the terminal tool without the window.