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Platforms and integrations

Caude Clode on desktop

The desktop app is the recommended daily driver. It runs locally, reads your files directly, executes shell commands with permission, and connects to MCP servers on your machine. It is the surface with the fewest limitations and the most responsibility.

Install

macOS, Linux, and Windows are supported. The installer is the one you are probably already looking at.

bash
# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install caude

# Linux (apt)
curl -fsSL https://caudeclode.com/install.sh | bash

# Windows
# Download the .exe from caudeclode.com/download
# Run it. Agree to things.

First launch

On first launch, Caude Clode will ask permission to access your projects directory. Grant this. It will ask permission to run shell commands. Grant this, with the understanding that you will still approve each one individually unless you change the forgiveness mode.

The layout

The desktop app has three panes:

  • Left: project tree, sessions, MCP servers.
  • Center: the conversation. This is where you talk to Caude Clode.
  • Right: the active file or diff. You can edit directly. Caude Clode will see the edits.

The right pane can be hidden. Most engineers who work primarily in the terminal hide it. Most engineers who came from VS Code keep it. Neither is wrong.

Terminal mode

If you prefer a pure CLI, run caude from any terminal. The desktop app is not required. The CLI shares configuration with the app. If you install both, they will argue about which one owns ~/.caude/sessions/. They will resolve it. You do not have to mediate.

bash
cd ~/Projects/something
caude

Performance

The desktop app is the fastest surface. Responses begin streaming in under a second for most queries. Large file reads add latency, as do slow MCP servers. If Caude Clode feels sluggish, check:

  • How full the context porthole is. Try /compact.
  • Whether an MCP server is hanging.
  • Whether the project has a node_modules/ that's been indexed by accident.

Tip: Add node_modules/, .git/, dist/, and .next/ to your project's .caudeignore. Indexing them slows everything down and teaches Caude Clode nothing it can use.

Updates

The desktop app auto-updates by default. Updates are released on Tuesdays unless something is on fire. You can pin a version:

bash
caude config set auto-update false
caude version pin 2.14.3

See also

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