The desktop app runs Indent on your own computer instead of in a cloud sandbox — so it can work with local files and tools such as spreadsheets, PDFs, and images.
Install the app
The desktop app requires macOS with Apple Silicon.
From the web app menu, choose Download desktop app, or download it directly from app.indent.com/download/mac. Open the installer and launch the app. The desktop app updates itself when a new version is released.
Sign in
Open the app and select Sign in. Indent opens your browser to complete sign-in.
Keep the app up to date
Settings → Desktop shows the Version running on this device. Select Check for updates to look for a newer one; when an update has downloaded, Restart to update installs it. Leave Automatic updates on to have new versions downloaded and installed in the background.
Open a session in the app
In the web app, any session’s menu in the sidebar has Open in desktop app. An indent:// link
opens and focuses the app the same way. Inside the app, Cmd+N starts a new session.
Choose local or cloud
The desktop app adds a Local / Cloud switch next to the message box:
- Cloud — Indent works in a cloud sandbox within a given environment, like in the web app.
- Local — Indent works on your computer, within a folder you choose.
Set this before you start a session. A session’s compute is fixed once it starts.
Work on your computer
In Local mode, ask Indent to do anything you’d do at a terminal in that folder: run the application, run tests, edit files, use git. Indent acts on your real computer, so treat a local session the way you’d treat running those commands yourself. To run commands yourself alongside it, open the Terminal.
A session that runs on your computer in the desktop app is always a private session.