How-to

How to install Outlier on a Mac

Last updated 2026-06-18 · Outlier v1.11.469

What you need first for “how to install outlier on a mac”

Apple Silicon Mac, macOS 12 or later, the unified-memory minimum that the chosen tier requires (6 GB for Nano, 12 GB for Lite, 24 GB for Core / Code / Vision, 32 GB for Plus). Internet is required only for the one-time model download.

Steps

1. Download the signed DMG. Pull the latest DMG from GitHub Releases. The download is signed by Developer ID and notarized by Apple.
2. Open the DMG. Double-click. macOS verifies the notarization ticket; the first-open prompt is normal for Developer ID apps.
3. Drag Outlier.app to Applications. The app is self-contained; no separate Python install is required.
4. Launch Outlier. First boot takes about 50 seconds while the bundled Python framework warms up.
5. Pick a tier. The model picker downloads from Hugging Face on first run; tiers range from 2.4 GB (Nano) to 209 GB (Plus).

What is the specific thing to know about this guide?

The DMG is signed by Developer ID 9N3Z6J63T4 and notarized via Apple’s notarytool service. spctl --assess reports accepted, source=Notarized Developer ID on a clean machine.

What can go wrong with this guide?

• Gatekeeper prompts on first launch surprise users; the DMG is Developer-ID-signed (cert 9N3Z6J63T4), so right-click + Open clears it permanently.
• Some macOS versions move the app to a quarantine folder; xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Outlier.app bypasses this.

How does this guide differ from the cloud equivalent?

The cloud equivalent of installing a coding assistant is creating an account and pasting an API key. Outlier’s install replaces both with a signed DMG.

The DMG is signed by Developer ID 9N3Z6J63T4 and notarized via Apple’s notarytool service. spctl --assess reports accepted, source=Notarized Developer ID on a clean machine.

What does this guide not claim about “how to install outlier on a mac”?

The DMG is signed by Developer ID 9N3Z6J63T4 and notarized via Apple’s notarytool service. spctl --assess reports accepted, source=Notarized Developer ID on a clean machine.

This guide does not claim feature parity with cloud-side workflows for “how to install outlier on a mac”. Specifically, the product surface in v1.11.469 covers chat, file attachment, the local agent loop, project scoping, and the model picker. Cross-device sync, team workspaces, and shared session history are out of scope and are not on the v1.9 backlog either.

How does the signed bundle differ from a pip install?

The DMG ships a frozen Python 3.11 framework, mlx_lm 0.31.3, the FastAPI sidecar, and the Tauri front end as a single self-contained app bundle. There is no separate Python installation step, no virtualenv, no pip dependency drift. The downside is the 50-second cold-boot warmup; the upside is reproducibility across Macs.

Where does this guide fit in the rest of the lineup?

After install, the model picker shows seven tiers in display order: Nano (2.37 GB), Lite (5.04 GB), Quick (15.61 GB), Core (15.13 GB), Code (15.13 GB, shares Core), Plus (209 GB), and Vision (19.0 GB). Tiers above the Mac’s unified-memory headroom appear greyed out.

One unique number

5 steps, zero network requests after the model is downloaded. The complete install touches three locations: /Applications/Outlier.app, ~/Library/Application Support/Outlier/, and ~/.outlier/.

Download Outlier for Mac

Requires Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, or M4) — Intel Macs are not supported. macOS 12+.