Install GitDB Desktop
Supported platforms, where to download the app, the agent CLIs you need to install, and the versions they must be.
Supported platforms
GitDB Desktop is available for Windows, macOS and Linux. On Linux it comes as an AppImage and as a .deb package.
Download
Download the installer for your platform from gitdb.co/download, then install it the way you install any desktop app.
Install the agent CLIs
GitDB Desktop runs the agent CLIs that you install on your computer. It does not include them, so install at least one:
- Claude Code (by Anthropic)
- Codex CLI (by OpenAI)
The app finds each CLI on your PATH (Claude Code is also found in the location its official installer uses).
If you only have the Claude Code or Codex VS Code extension, you still need to install the CLI itself. The extensions keep their own private copy of the CLI, which GitDB Desktop can't use.
Claude Code
These are Anthropic's official install commands.
macOS and Linux:
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bashWindows (PowerShell):
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iexThen sign in to Claude Code — see Agents.
Codex CLI
These are OpenAI's official install commands.
macOS and Linux:
curl -fsSL https://chatgpt.com/codex/install.sh | shWindows (PowerShell):
powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://chatgpt.com/codex/install.ps1 | iex"You sign in to Codex from inside GitDB Desktop — see Agents.
If a CLI isn't found
The app checks for both CLIs when you open the Code view. If one isn't installed:
- the status bar shows it as
claude · not installedorcodex · not installed, and - in the composer's Session settings, that CLI can't be picked, and its row shows the install command for your operating system, for example: "install Claude Code:
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash(or make it reachable on PATH)".
Install the CLI, then open the Code view again.
Version requirements
| Requirement | Minimum version | What happens with an older version |
|---|---|---|
| Codex CLI | 0.141.0 | GitDB Desktop won't use it and asks you to upgrade: run codex update, or re-run the official installer above. |
| Rewinding a Codex conversation | Codex CLI 0.148.0-alpha.13 | That rewind is refused; everything else works. |
| Forking a Codex thread | Codex CLI 0.146.0-alpha.7 | That fork is refused; everything else works. |
| The Skills dialog on Claude Code threads | Claude Code 2.1.280 | The dialog says: "The skills dialog needs Claude Code 2.1.280 or newer, and this thread's Claude Code is older." |
| Git features for local folders | git 2.31.0 | The Git view shows an error saying that local mode needs git 2.31.0 or newer (or that no git was found). |
GitDB repositories don't need git on your computer — git is only used for local folders.
GitDB Desktop is tested against one specific Claude Code release. If yours is a different version, the app still runs it; the Claude Code entry in the status bar and in Session settings just notes which version was tested.