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Before you start

  • A Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or newer). To hear when Onlook comes to your computer, join the waitlist for Windows, Linux or an Intel Mac.
  • A Claude or ChatGPT account for the agent. See Connect your AI.
  • The tools your app needs to run. Onlook runs your app on your Mac, with your project’s own commands. If the app needs Node.js or another tool, install it first. If you’re not sure, ask an engineer what they installed to run the app, or ask an AI assistant like Claude or ChatGPT. Paste in your project’s README and ask: “What do I need to install to run this project on my Mac?”

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Install

1

Download

Download Onlook from onlook.com/install.
2

Move it to Applications

Open the downloaded file and drag Onlook into your Applications folder.If you open Onlook from the download instead, it asks Move Onlook to your Applications folder? To let Onlook update itself, choose Move to Applications. Your projects and settings come with it.
3

Open Onlook

Open Onlook from Applications. If macOS asks whether you’re sure you want to open it, choose Open.
4

Sign in

On Sign in to Onlook, enter your email address and choose Continue.
Next, Onlook asks you to connect an AI. Continue with the Quickstart.

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When macOS asks to install developer tools

Onlook uses git to make its copy of your code. If your Mac has never used git, macOS stops the first time Onlook needs it and asks:
The “git” command requires the command line developer tools. Would you like to install the tools now?
This is Apple’s own prompt, not Onlook’s, and you only see it once.
1

Choose Install

Choose Install, not Get Xcode. You don’t need Xcode.
2

Agree to the licence

Read Apple’s licence and choose Agree. The download usually takes a few minutes.
3

Try again in Onlook

When the installer says the tools are installed, go back to Onlook. If setup stopped, choose Retry, or choose your folder again.
This happens on Macs that have Xcode installed but have never opened it. Accepting Apple’s licence takes one line in Terminal, the Mac’s built-in app for typing commands. It only accepts the licence. It doesn’t change your files or your code.
1

Open Terminal

Press ⌘ Space to open Spotlight, type Terminal, and press Return. A window opens with a line of text and a blinking cursor. That’s normal: Terminal is waiting for you to type.
2

Copy the line

Click the copy button on the right of this box:
3

Paste it into Terminal

Click anywhere inside the Terminal window. Wherever you click, what you paste appears at the cursor. Press ⌘V to paste, then press Return.
4

Type your Mac's password

Terminal shows Password:. Type the password you use to unlock your Mac, then press Return.Nothing appears while you type, not even dots. That’s normal: Terminal hides passwords. Type it anyway, then press Return.If Terminal says Sorry, try again, the password was mistyped. Type it again and press Return.
5

Close Terminal

When the blinking cursor comes back on a new line, with no error, you’re done. Close Terminal: press ⌘Q, or choose Terminal → Quit Terminal. If it asks whether to close, choose Terminate.
6

Go back to Onlook

In Onlook, choose Retry.

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Updates

Onlook checks for updates on its own. When one is ready, the top bar shows Restart to update. To finish updating, click it. To check yourself, open the Onlook menu and choose Check for Updates…. You can also click the Beta badge on the projects screen.