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Get Reliant up and running on your system.

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System Requirements

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Hardware

  • RAM: Minimum 8GB, recommended 16GB+
  • Storage: At least 4GB free
  • Processor: Intel x86-64, Apple Silicon, or ARM64

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Operating System

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Additional Requirements

  • Internet: Required for AI features
  • AI Provider Authentication: Required (API key or OAuth login, depending on provider — see Quick Start)
  • Git: Optional but recommended

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Install via Homebrew (macOS/Linux)

The easiest way to install Reliant on macOS and Linux is via Homebrew.
Or add the tap first, then install:
Homebrew automatically downloads the correct version for your Mac (Apple Silicon or Intel).
Homebrew must be installed first. Visit brew.sh if you don’t have it.

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Direct Download

Not sure which Mac? Check Apple menu → About This Mac → Chip
Linux users: After downloading, make the AppImage executable and run it:

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Build from Source

Reliant is open source on GitHub. You can build the full Electron desktop app or just the Go backend CLI.

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Prerequisites

  • Go 1.25+ (see go.mod)
  • Node.js 18+
  • Make

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Electron Desktop App

Clone and run the full desktop application with hot reload:
To create a production build:

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Go CLI Only

If you only need the backend CLI (no Electron/UI):
The binary is output to dist/reliant. Move it somewhere on your $PATH:
Or build directly with go install:
Either way the binary targets Reliant’s hosted platform by default, so it works with no flags and no environment:

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Pointing at your own stack

Self-hosting, or running against a local dev stack? Override the server, and the gateway when it isn’t on the same host:
Or set them once in your shell:
The gateway is a separate process from the API server — it is the only one that serves the daemon’s connection stream. On a cloud host the daemon derives the gateway from the server automatically; on localhost it cannot guess the port, so set --gateway (or RELIANT_GATEWAY_URL) explicitly. Without it the daemon dials the API server and fails with a 404.
See CONTRIBUTING.md for the full development setup guide.

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Post-Installation

  1. Launch Reliant from Applications (macOS), Start Menu (Windows), or run the AppImage (Linux)
  2. Open a project folder or create a new one
  3. Configure your API key — see Quick Start

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Updating

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Via Homebrew

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Via Source

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Manual

Go to Reliant → Check for Updates, or download and install the latest version over your existing installation.

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Uninstalling

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Homebrew

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macOS Manual

  1. Quit Reliant
  2. Drag from Applications to Trash
  3. Remove settings (optional):

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Windows

  1. Quit Reliant
  2. Settings → Apps → Installed Apps → Reliant → Uninstall
  3. Remove settings (optional): Delete %APPDATA%\Reliant

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Linux

  1. Quit Reliant
  2. Delete the AppImage file
  3. Remove settings (optional):
Your projects and code remain untouched.
Next: Quick Start — Configure your API key and start chatting