Zyan on your desktop
Install the macOS or Windows desktop app, sign in, and understand what only runs on it — local blog drafts, fix agents and Builder Automations, with version minimums.
The Zyan desktop app is the admin portal as a native application for macOS and Windows. You sign in with your normal workspace email and password, and it stays current with the web portal on its own.
It is not only a convenience. Some Builder work is executed by the desktop app on your own machine rather than in the cloud, and that work does not run when the app is closed.
Before you start
Downloads live under SettingsDesktop app. Your own platform is listed first. No separate account is involved — the app signs in to the same workspace you already use.
Install it
Open the download panel
SettingsDesktop app.
Download your installer
macOS universal, or Windows x64.
Windows: get past SmartScreen
Windows installers are unsigned, so SmartScreen warns you. Choose More info, then Run anyway.
Sign in
Your usual workspace email and password.
Leave updates alone
New versions install themselves shortly after launch. You can also re-download from the same panel.
| Setting | What it changes | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Download | Downloads the macOS universal or Windows x64 installer. Your own platform's card is listed first. | — |
| See full changelog | Opens the desktop app changelog — the release history for the app. | — |
Inside the app you also get pills showing the installed version and, when there is one, Update available with the old and new version numbers.
What needs the desktop app
Heavy Builder work runs on your machine, on your own Claude subscription, rather than burning API credits in the cloud. For that the app has to be open, signed in, and bound to the project folder.
| Work | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Blog drafts claimed by your own machine | The app open with the project folder bound, at version 1.2.67 or newer |
| Builder Automations on an every-2-weeks schedule | Version 1.2.8 or newer |
| Local fix agents | The app open with the project folder bound |
An old desktop app never claims blog drafts
A desktop older than 1.2.67 used a retired image preflight and will not claim blog drafts at all. The post does not fail — the row waits, either for an updated runner or for the cloud lane. If drafts are stuck with nothing obviously wrong, check the version first.
Keeping it current
Updates install themselves shortly after launch, which is why the version pills are worth a glance rather than a routine.
An app that has been open for a long time does not pick up a new web deploy until something reloads the page. When a newer build is detected you get a Reload chip — take it.
If the panel says nothing has been published
"No desktop installer has been published yet." means exactly that. The panel adds "The first release lands here automatically once it ships — no update needed on your end." There is nowhere else to download it from.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Windows blocks the installer | Windows installers are unsigned, so SmartScreen warns | More info → Run anyway |
| Blog drafts sit waiting and never start | The desktop app is closed, has no project folder bound, or is older than 1.2.67 | Open the app, bind the folder, and update |
| A Builder Automation says it is waiting for desktop | Same cause — nothing is there to claim the run | Open the app with the folder bound; every-2-weeks schedules also need 1.2.8 or newer |
| The app shows an older UI than the web portal | A long-lived session has not reloaded since the last deploy | Use the Reload chip, or restart the app |
| "No desktop installer has been published yet." | Nothing has shipped for your platform | Wait — the panel updates itself when a release lands |
| Bill this client works here but not on your phone | The wizard is web and desktop only | Use the desktop app or a browser |