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Install

Install with your AI agent

Already use a coding agent such as Claude Code or Codex? Give it one sentence and it installs and starts DeskWink for you. You confirm the pairing yourself.

Give your agent this sentence

Install DeskWink on this computer by following https://deskwink.com/install.md. When it prints a pairing link, show it to me and wait for me to confirm.

Paste it into a coding agent that can run commands on this computer, for example Claude Code, Codex, Antigravity or Cursor. The agent reads https://deskwink.com/install.md, checks Node.js, installs the DeskWink CLI and starts it.

What you do

  1. Approve any request from your agent to install Node.js, if it is missing.
  2. When the agent shows you a pairing link and code, open the link in your browser, sign in, and confirm the code. Only you can do this step.
  3. Add DeskWink to your AI app: see Connect your AI.

What your agent does, and what it must not do

It will

  • check that you are on Windows 10 or 11, or macOS 13 or later;
  • check for Node.js 22 or newer, and ask you before installing it;
  • run npm install -g @deskwink/cli;
  • run deskwink launch --json and show you the pairing link and code;
  • wait until the computer shows as connected, then tell you which folder is open.

It must not

  • ask for, type or store your DeskWink or Google password;
  • open any folder except the empty default ~/DeskWink, unless you name the folder;
  • add your home folder or a whole drive;
  • turn on running commands, desktop or browser control, or start-up at login;
  • use any other installer, or pipe a script from the internet into a shell.
Enforced by DeskWink

These rules are not left to the agent. Non-interactive runs of deskwink launch only ever open the empty ~/DeskWink folder, and the commands that widen access refuse to run without a person at an interactive terminal. Pairing needs you to be signed in in a browser.

The exact instructions your agent reads

The file is plain Markdown at /install.md. You can read it before you hand it to an agent.

Show /install.md 
# Install DeskWink (instructions for coding agents)

DeskWink lets the user's web AI app (Claude, ChatGPT and other remote MCP clients) work with folders on this computer, with the user's approval for every change. You are a coding agent helping the user install it. Follow these steps in order.

## Rules (read these first)

- Never ask for, type, or store the user's DeskWink or Google password. Pairing this computer is done by the user, in their own browser. You cannot do it for them.
- Open up only the default `~/DeskWink` folder. Run `deskwink folders add <path>` only when the user names the exact folder. Never add the user's home directory or a drive root.
- Do not turn on shell, desktop or browser access (`deskwink capabilities enable ...`) and do not set up autostart.
- Install only the npm package `@deskwink/cli`. Do not use install scripts from any other source and never run `curl | bash`.
- If something fails, run `deskwink doctor --json`, tell the user the message, and stop. Do not work around an error by changing system settings.

## 1. Check this computer

DeskWink supports Windows 10 and 11, and macOS 13 or later. On any other system, tell the user it is not supported yet and stop.

## 2. Check Node.js

Run `node --version`. DeskWink needs Node.js 22 or newer.

If Node.js is missing or older, ask the user for permission before installing it. Then use one of:

- Windows: `winget install OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS`
- macOS: `brew install node`
- Either system: the installer from https://nodejs.org

If `node` is not found right after installing, open a new terminal and check again.

## 3. Install the CLI

```
npm install -g @deskwink/cli
```

- Windows PowerShell may say "running scripts is disabled". Use `npm.cmd` and `deskwink.cmd` instead. Do not change the execution policy.
- macOS may fail with `EACCES`. Do not use `sudo`. Set a user-level npm prefix with `npm config set prefix ~/.npm-global`, and add `~/.npm-global/bin` to the PATH.

## 4. Start DeskWink

```
deskwink launch --json
```

Read `state` in the JSON output:

- `awaiting_pairing`: show the user `pairing.verification_uri_complete` and `pairing.user_code` exactly as printed. Ask them to sign in and confirm this computer in their browser, and wait for them to say they did.
- `connected`: go to step 6.
- anything else: run `deskwink doctor --json`, then tell the user `error.message` and what the doctor suggests.

## 5. Wait for the connection

```
deskwink status --wait connected --timeout 600 --json
```

Exit code `0` means the computer is connected. Exit code `4` means it timed out: ask the user whether they still want to continue, and if so run `deskwink launch --json` again to get a new pairing link.

## 6. Finish

Tell the user:

- which folder is open to their AI (see `folders` in the JSON output, or run `deskwink folders list`);
- that to use DeskWink in their AI app they add https://mcp.deskwink.com/mcp as a custom connector, with steps at https://deskwink.com/docs/connect;
- that DeskWink does not start by itself: after a restart they run `deskwink launch` again, with no new pairing needed;
- that `deskwink stop` stops DeskWink on this computer immediately.

Prefer to do it yourself?

It is two commands: npm install -g @deskwink/cli and deskwink launch.

Read Getting started