Kadro
01Docs · Install

Install Kadro on macOS

Last updated · 2026-05-16

Kadro is a native macOS desktop app built with Tauri. There is no web version. This page walks through a clean first install, what to do if macOS Gatekeeper flags the build, where your data lives, and how updates arrive after that.

If you already have Kadro installed and something is wrong, jump to Troubleshooting. If you want a tour after install, read Getting started.

Requirements

  • macOS 13.0 or later.Kadro’s bundle declares a minimum system version of macOS 13 (Ventura).
  • Apple Silicon Mac (arm64). Pre-launch builds ship as Apple Silicon only. Universal builds covering Intel Macs return before the public 1.0 launch.
  • A Kadro account. The app opens to a sign-in gate on first launch and uses a system-browser PKCE flow against kadrotools.ai.

Download

Grab the latest signed macOS DMG from the download route:

The asset is named Kadro_x.y.z_aarch64.dmg and is published in the alexci04/kadro-releases GitHub repository alongside the updater manifest the app reads on launch.

Install steps

  1. Open the downloaded .dmg.
  2. Drag Kadro.app into the Applications folder.
  3. Eject the DMG.
  4. Open Kadro from Applications or Spotlight.

On a notarized build, that’s it — the app opens straight to the sign-in screen and you can skip the next section.

If Gatekeeper warns you

Kadro is in the middle of enrolling for an Apple Developer ID certificate. Builds released before notarization is enabled in the release pipeline can trigger one of two macOS warnings on first launch:

  • “Kadro” can’t be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software.
  • “Kadro” cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified.

Both messages mean the same thing: the build is unsigned (or signed but not yet notarized by Apple), and Gatekeeper is asking you to confirm you trust it. The app itself is identical to the file you downloaded; macOS is just gating the first launch.

The supported way to allow it is through System Settings:

  1. Click Done or Cancel on the warning dialog. Do not move the app to the Trash if macOS offers that option.
  2. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security.
  3. Scroll to the Security section. You should see a line that reads something like “Kadro” was blocked from use because it is not from an identified developer.
  4. Click Open Anyway. macOS will ask you to confirm with your password or Touch ID.
  5. Launch Kadro again from Applications or Spotlight. macOS will show one final confirmation dialog with an Open button. After that, Kadro launches normally on every subsequent run.

If you prefer the terminal, the same result is achieved with:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Kadro.app

This removes the quarantine flag macOS attached when your browser downloaded the DMG. It does not bypass any signature verification — there is none to bypass on an unsigned build — and it does not change anything inside the app.

Once notarization is live in the release pipeline, this whole section stops applying: new releases will launch on a clean Mac without any warning at all. If a future signed release still shows a Gatekeeper warning, treat that release as failed rather than working around it, and let us know at support@kadrotools.ai.

First launch

Once Kadro opens, the first screen is the sign-in gate, not an empty workspace. Click Sign in with Browser (or Create accountif you don’t have one) and Kadro opens your default browser at kadrotools.ai. After you finish there, the browser hands you back to the app via a kadro://auth/callback deep link and the gate clears.

If your account doesn’t have an active Pro subscription or Teams trial yet, you’ll land on a second gate that links you to pricing and a billing portal — see Getting started for the full first-run flow.

Where Kadro stores data

Kadro keeps its local state in the standard macOS application support directory:

~/Library/Application Support/ai.kadrotools.kadro/

This directory holds the persisted preferences file (theme, default shell, sidebar settings), the keybindings overrides, the desktop refresh token, and the telemetry consent file. Workspaces and panes are in-memory and do not persist across a full quit.

Updates

You don’t need to do anything to update Kadro. The app checks for new releases on launch and again about once an hour while running. When an update is published, an update pill appears in the sidebar above your profile row — click Restart and Kadro replaces itself in place and relaunches on the new version.

Updater artifacts are signed with a Tauri-specific private key whose public key is baked into every shipped build. You do not need to re-download from the website to update.

Next

  • Getting started — sign in, trial, first workspace, first pane, first prompt.
  • Troubleshooting— Gatekeeper, providers not detected, sign-in browser doesn’t return, crash diagnostics.