Installation

Download

The easiest way to install Tabby is to download the pre-built .dmg from GitHub Releases.

Download Latest Release

Choose Your Architecture

Build	For	File
Apple Silicon	M1, M2, M3, M4 Macs	Tabby_x.x.x_aarch64.dmg
Intel	Intel-based Macs	Tabby_x.x.x_x64.dmg

Not sure which one? Click the Apple menu → About This Mac. If the chip says "Apple M1" (or M2, M3, M4), download the Apple Silicon build. If it says "Intel", download the Intel build.

Install Steps

1. Open the downloaded .dmg file
2. Drag Tabby into the Applications folder
3. Open Tabby from your Applications folder or Spotlight

Bypass Gatekeeper (First Launch)

Tabby is currently unsigned. macOS will block the first launch with a warning like "Tabby can't be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software."

To bypass this:

1. Right-click (or Control-click) the Tabby app in Finder
2. Choose Open from the context menu
3. Click Open in the confirmation dialog

You only need to do this once. After the first launch, macOS remembers your choice.

Alternatively, run this in Terminal:

xattr -cr /Applications/Tabby.app

System Requirements

• macOS 13 (Ventura) or later
• Apple Silicon or Intel x64 processor
• ~100 MB disk space

Build from Source

For developers who want to contribute or run the latest unreleased code.

Prerequisites

Tool	Version	Install
macOS	13+	—
Xcode CLI Tools	Latest	xcode-select --install
Rust	Latest stable	rustup.rs
Bun	1.x+	bun.sh

Clone and Install

git clone https://github.com/markbrutx/Tabby.git
cd Tabby
bun install

Run the Desktop App

Launch the full Tauri app with real PTY integration and hot reload:

bun run tauri dev

This compiles the Rust backend, starts the Vite dev server, and opens the Tabby window. First build takes a few minutes; subsequent runs are fast.

Run Frontend Only

If you're working on UI and don't need real terminal sessions, run the frontend in the browser with a mock transport layer:

bun run dev

This simulates terminal behavior so you can iterate on the interface without compiling Rust. Useful for styling, layout work, and component development.

Build a Release Binary

# Frontend bundle only
bun run build

# Full desktop app (.app + .dmg)
bun run tauri build

The built .dmg appears in src-tauri/target/release/bundle/dmg/.

Single-Instance Safety

Tabby is designed to run as a single instance. Running multiple copies from the same checkout can cause port conflicts and PTY issues. For long-running dev sessions, use tmux:

tmux new-session -d -s tabby-dev 'cd ~/path/to/Tabby && bun run tauri dev'
tmux attach -t tabby-dev

Verification

Run all checks to confirm a healthy development setup:

# Everything at once
bun run verify:all

Or run checks individually:

Frontend:

bun run lint       # ESLint + DTO boundary check
bun run typecheck  # TypeScript strict mode
bun run test       # Vitest unit/integration tests
bun run test:e2e   # Playwright E2E tests

Rust backend:

cd src-tauri
cargo check --workspace
cargo fmt --all --check
cargo clippy --workspace --all-targets --all-features -- -D warnings
cargo test --workspace

Updating

From .dmg

Download the latest .dmg from the releases page and drag the new Tabby app into Applications, replacing the old one. Your settings are preserved.

From source

cd Tabby
git pull
bun install
bun run tauri dev

Uninstalling

1. Quit Tabby if it's running
2. Drag Tabby from Applications to the Trash
3. Optionally, remove stored preferences:

rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/com.tabby.app