# Using the Desktop App

The desktop app is the graphical version of Morphy. It bundles the full engine, so you do
**not** need the CLI installed separately — install one or both, your choice.

> **CLI and Desktop are different Homebrew packages.**
> - CLI (terminal): `brew install deadraid/morphy/morphy`
> - Desktop (app): `brew install --cask deadraid/morphy/morphy-desktop`
>
> See [Installation](installation.md) for every method.

## First launch

1. Open **Morphy** from Applications / Start menu (or run the AppImage on Linux).
2. Open **Settings** and go to **Providers**.
3. Add an account for your provider (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, …) and paste your API key.
   Keys are stored in the same encrypted vault the CLI uses.
4. Pick a model.
5. Start a new session and type your request.

See [LLM Providers](providers.md) for details and supported providers.

## The window

- **Sidebar** — your sessions; create, switch, search, rename, delete.
- **Chat** — streaming replies with full markdown, code highlighting, and diffs.
- **Activity panel** — live view of what the agent is doing: TODOs, running agents/loops,
  and file changes (with a built‑in diff viewer).
- **Status bar** — model, mode, and usage.
- **Settings** — Providers, Models, Channels, MCP tools, Skills, Secrets, Appearance, and General.

## Sessions and data

The desktop app shares the same data as the CLI:

| What | Location |
| --- | --- |
| Sessions | `~/.morphy/sessions` |
| Settings | `~/.morphy/config/global.json` |
| Encrypted vault | `~/.morphy/secrets/vault.v1` |

So you can start a task in the terminal and pick it up in the desktop app, and vice versa.

## Permission modes

Just like the CLI, the desktop app guards risky actions according to a permission mode
(`safe` / `normal` / `auto` / `yolo`). Change it from Settings. See
[Permission modes](cli.md#permission-modes).

## Updating

- `brew upgrade --cask morphy-desktop`, or
- re‑run `curl -fsSL https://morphy.fyi/install-desktop.sh | bash`, or
- download the latest installer from the
  [releases page](https://github.com/deadraid/morphy-releases/releases/latest).

If macOS blocks the first launch, see
[Troubleshooting](troubleshooting.md#macos-says-the-app-cannot-be-opened).