> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.glassine.ink/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Install

> Three ways to get Glassine onto a Mac, and what to expect on first launch.

Glassine needs macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later. There is one app, built two ways: a sandboxed version for the Mac App Store, and a direct version that reads iCloud Drive itself. They look and behave the same; the differences are listed at the bottom of this page.

## Mac App Store

The App Store listing is called **Glassine Writer** — the name "Glassine" alone was already reserved there. The app itself, its window, its icon and its files are all still Glassine.

The first version, 0.2.3, was submitted to App Review on September 3, 2026. When it is live, the link will be here and in the [README](https://github.com/a-libre/glassine#install).

## Direct download

A notarized `.dmg` for the direct version will be published under [Releases](https://github.com/a-libre/glassine/releases) on GitHub. The direct version checks GitHub once a day for a newer release and tells you under Help → Check for Updates…; you can turn that off under Settings → General.

## Build from source

You need Xcode, free from the App Store. Its command-line tools are all the build uses; the Xcode app itself never has to open.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Clone the repository">
    ```bash theme={null}
    git clone https://github.com/a-libre/glassine.git
    cd glassine
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Build and install">
    ```bash theme={null}
    ./build.sh --install
    ```

    This compiles Glassine, copies `Glassine.app` into `/Applications`, and opens it. If a copy is already running it is asked to quit first.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Update later">
    ```bash theme={null}
    git pull && ./build.sh --install
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

Other options: `./build.sh` builds into `build/Glassine.app` without installing, `./build.sh --run` builds and opens it from there, `./build.sh --debug` compiles faster while you are changing the code, and `./build.sh --appstore` builds the sandboxed App Store flavor locally. Opening `Package.swift` in Xcode and pressing Run works too and is handy for debugging, but the assembled app from `build.sh` is the one to use day to day: it has the icon and a stable identity for macOS permissions.

## First launch

The direct version asks for permission to reach iCloud Drive. Say yes; that is where the library lives. A **Glassine** folder appears at the top level of iCloud Drive with a welcome document inside it, and you are in the editor.

The App Store version cannot read iCloud Drive directly, so it keeps its documents in an iCloud folder of its own. Finder shows that folder as **Glassine** in iCloud Drive as well, with the app's icon. If you would rather it used the same folder as the direct version, or any other folder, point it there under Settings → General; the permission is remembered.

<Note>
  If iCloud Drive is turned off on the Mac, documents stay local. Everything else works.
</Note>

## What differs between the two versions

|                 | App Store                                                                                                                                      | Direct                                                                  |
| --------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Sandbox         | Yes                                                                                                                                            | No                                                                      |
| Default library | The app's own iCloud folder, shown as "Glassine" in iCloud Drive                                                                               | `iCloud Drive/Glassine`                                                 |
| Other folders   | Chosen through a file dialog; remembered with a security-scoped bookmark                                                                       | Any path                                                                |
| Updates         | Through the App Store                                                                                                                          | Help → Check for Updates…, and a daily check you can turn off           |
| Network         | Holds the sandbox's outgoing-connection permission only because Review's web view cannot start without it; never opens a connection of its own | The daily update check asks GitHub for the latest release, nothing more |

The [privacy page](/about/privacy) says the same in more detail.