Getting Started
Install Vaner Desktop, connect your AI client, and start using Prepared Work.
The fastest path is the Vaner Desktop app. It gives you the human-facing installer, setup, status, and integration controls, picks a local Ollama model that fits your hardware, and wires Vaner into the AI clients it detects.
macOS, Windows, and Linux are the same Vaner Desktop product. The macOS app does not have a separate feature set today; it is a native shell around the same Vaner engine, MCP wiring, and Ollama-first runtime.
You normally do not install Vaner inside the AI client first. Desktop configures the integration, then your AI client uses Vaner through MCP.
How you interact with Vaner
| Surface | Primary user | Purpose | Default? | Where documented |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI client via MCP | AI agent | Pull Prepared Work and call vaner.* tools during a task. | Yes, for agents | MCP mode |
| Desktop tray/taskbar window | Human user | Install, start/stop Vaner, see status, and wire detected clients. | Yes, for humans | Install Vaner Desktop |
| Companion/settings thin client | Human user | Manage common settings, integrations, backend/runtime choices, and privacy posture. | Yes, through Desktop | Configuration |
| Cockpit / Web UI | Advanced user | Inspect engine state, priorities, Prepared Work, diagnostics, and live activity. | No, advanced | Prepared Work |
| CLI | Power users / CI | Script setup, daemon control, status, doctor, logs, and config. | No | Power users / CI |
| Primer/rules, skills, plugins/hooks | AI agent integration | Make MCP usage reliable and client-specific. | Yes, where supported | Client integration depth |
| Proxy/gateway | Compatibility users | OpenAI-compatible fallback for tools that cannot call MCP directly. | No | Proxy mode |
Install Vaner Desktop
macOS:
- Download Vaner Desktop for macOS.
- Open the
.dmgand drag Vaner into Applications. - Launch Vaner Desktop and let it install/start Ollama if needed.
If macOS blocks the first launch for an unsigned 0.x build, right-click Vaner and choose Open once.
Linux:
- Download Vaner for Linux.
- Install the
.deb, then launch Vaner from your app list.
The Linux desktop package is named vaner; the installed GUI command is
vaner-desktop. The power-user CLI remains the PyPI command vaner. If Vaner
ever ships the CLI through apt, that package should be named vaner-cli.
Windows:
- Download Vaner for Windows.
- Run the installer, then launch Vaner from the Start menu.
Power users / CI
Use the CLI path for CI, Docker, SSH-only machines, or scripted setup.
curl -fsSL --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 https://vaner.ai/install.sh | bashLinux and macOS. Detects uv or pipx, asks before installing prerequisites
(Python 3.11+), and installs vaner[mcp] so MCP is ready out of the box.
Windows:
pip install "vaner[mcp]"CI / Dockerfile:
VANER_YES=1 \
VANER_BACKEND_PRESET=openai \
VANER_BACKEND_MODEL=gpt-4o-mini \
VANER_BACKEND_API_KEY_ENV=OPENAI_API_KEY \
curl -fsSL https://vaner.ai/install.sh | bashFull env-var list and source: scripts/install.sh.
Initialize
vaner init --path .Probes your hardware, picks a sensible policy bundle, configures backend + compute defaults, and detects supported AI clients on your machine. You confirm the client list before anything is written.
If you want to override the auto-picked bundle, run
vaner setup apply <bundle-id> after init.
Start
vaner up --path .Starts the daemon and cockpit, opens the cockpit URL, supervises both.
Daemon PID: <pid>
Cockpit PID: <pid>
Cockpit URL: http://127.0.0.1:8473
Health: readyCtrl+C or vaner down when done.
Daily commands
vaner up # start
vaner status # health summary
vaner doctor # detailed diagnostic
vaner down # stopConnect an AI client
If vaner init didn't detect your client, see
Connect your client. One command per
client; manual MCP picker if you'd rather paste it yourself.