macOS

Download Reaper-<version>-macos-arm64.dmg from the releases page, open it, and drag Reaper to Applications. You'll need Apple Silicon and macOS 14 or newer. There's a zip of the same app next to it if you're doing scripted installs.

Which build

Download	Follows
the newest release	the stable channel. Use this.
dev-build	the dev branch, refreshed nightly, for testing what is coming.

Download the same DMG from the dev-build prerelease on the releases page to run the dev channel and install it the same way. Dev builds change often. Releases are the steadier channel.

First launch

Note

macOS warns the first time you open it. The app is not code-signed yet, so Gatekeeper cannot verify it. Open System Settings, Privacy & Security, and choose Open Anyway; on macOS 14 you can instead right-click the app and choose Open. Each update asks again.

Reaper stays in your menu bar without a Dock icon or a window. You'll see an icon that lets you Open Reaper or Quit Reaper. Once the server is ready, your browser opens to http://127.0.0.1:8420. You can close the tab and the server keeps running, so use Quit to stop it.

macOS will ask if Reaper can accept incoming connections. Allow it if you want other machines to reach Reaper. It might ask you again after an update until the app is code-signed.

Where the data lives

Your database, encryption keys, and launcher.conf are stored in ~/Library/Application Support/Reaper. Back up reaper.db, secret.key, and secret.salt as described in Back this up. Updates won't touch this folder.

Settings

Reaper reads launcher.conf from your data folder. On your first run, it writes a commented template with lines for the port, the listening address, the browser launch, the update check, the menu bar icon, the Dock icon, and recovery mode. You can find switches for those two icons in the app under Settings, General, Desktop app. Use recovery mode to get back in if you can't sign in, which is covered in Not getting locked out.

Reaching it from other machines

Reaper listens on every interface, just like the container. Open http://<host-ip>:8420 from your other machine. Use 127.0.0.1 only if your browser is on the same machine as Reaper.

Starting at login

Reaper runs while it's open and stops when you quit it. To start it with your Mac, add Reaper under System Settings, General, Login Items.

Updating

Drag the new app over the old one. Your data folder stays untouched. Settings, About tells you when a newer build exists.

Next

Follow the First run steps in order. The first account that signs in claims the install, so make sure you know who's doing it.