Install
The desktop app from GitHub Releases or Homebrew, and the CLI through npx.
Desktop app
The native app is a single binary per platform: a Tauri window around a Rust host that runs
your machine’s git. No JavaScript runtime is bundled and no local HTTP listener is opened.
| Platform | Artifact |
|---|---|
| macOS (Apple Silicon) | Refyard_<version>_aarch64.dmg |
| macOS (Intel) | Refyard_<version>_x64.dmg |
| Linux x64 and arm64 | .deb and .AppImage |
| Windows x64 | NSIS installer (.exe) |
Download from GitHub Releases, or install with Homebrew on macOS:
brew install --cask HuakunShen/tap/refyardxattr -cr /Applications/Refyard.appRight-clicking the app and choosing Open once, or approving it under System Settings → Privacy & Security, does the same thing. A Homebrew install is not affected — Homebrew does not quarantine casks.
The app updates itself from the release feed. Settings → Check for updates offers a new version, downloads it, verifies the minisign signature and restarts into it; nothing is installed without you asking.
Command line
The CLI is published to npm as refyard and is self-contained — it bundles the Git service
and the workbench UI, and declares no dependencies:
npx refyard@latest open /path/to/repositoryOr install it once:
npm install -g refyard
refyard doctor --json # what this machine can doThe CLI needs Node 22 or newer; development and CI are pinned to Node 26. See the command reference for every flag.
From source
Development uses Node 26.x and pnpm 11:
pnpm install
pnpm check
pnpm test
pnpm buildThe native desktop app and CLI build with Cargo (Rust 1.98):
pnpm desktop:build # Refyard.app under apps/desktop/src-tauri/target/release/bundle/macos
cargo build --release -p refyard-native # native CLI at target/release/refyard-native