---
title: "Fix: Helicon cannot find the muse CLI"
url: https://helicon.sh/guides/muse-cli-not-found
description: "Helicon needs a working, logged in muse CLI. Here is how to check which install it is looking at on Windows, macOS, Linux and WSL2, and how to fix each case."
updated: 2026-09-19
site: Helicon
---

# When Helicon cannot find the muse CLI

Helicon drives the muse CLI and cannot work without one that is installed and logged in. Check muse --version in the shell that holds your install, run muse login there, and confirm which route Helicon took: native on Windows, inside WSL2, or the system PATH on macOS and Linux.

## Check the CLI first

```sh
muse --version
muse login
```

Run both in the shell where you installed Muse Code. Helicon stores no credentials, so a CLI that is installed but not signed in will fail in exactly the same way as one that is missing.

## Per platform

| Platform | Where to check | Common cause |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Windows, native | PowerShell | Installed for a different user, or not on PATH |
| Windows, WSL2 | The WSL2 shell | Logged in on Windows but not inside the distribution |
| macOS | Terminal | Installed under a version manager the app does not see |
| Linux | Your shell | Installed for root, running as your user |

## If the version answers but Helicon still complains

- Confirm you are signed in: `muse login` in that same shell.
- On Windows, check whether you have both a native and a WSL2 install. Helicon prefers native.
- Restart the app so it re runs detection after you change an install.
- Check that the project directory you added actually exists on the machine running the daemon.

## Fix Helicon not finding the muse CLI

1. **Ask the CLI directly** Run this in the shell where you installed Muse Code. On Windows that is PowerShell for a native install, or the WSL2 shell for a WSL2 one.
   ```sh
   muse --version
   ```
2. **Sign in from that same shell** An installed but signed-out CLI fails in exactly the same way as a missing one, because Helicon stores no credentials.
   ```sh
   muse login
   ```
3. **Check which route Helicon took** On Windows, Helicon prefers a native install over WSL2. If you have both, it is talking to the native one.
4. **Restart the app** Detection runs at startup, so restart after changing an install.
5. **Check the project path exists** The directory you added has to exist on the machine running the daemon, which is not your laptop when you are using a remote daemon.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does Helicon install the muse CLI for me?

No. It drives an install you own, using your own login. That is deliberate: it keeps credentials out of Helicon entirely.

### Can I point Helicon at a specific muse binary?

Detection prefers a native install and falls back to WSL2 on Windows. Making the right binary reachable on PATH in the shell Helicon starts from is the reliable fix.

### Do I need Node.js?

Not for the desktop app, which bundles its own. Running the daemon from source needs Node 22 or newer, and on Windows that means on the Windows host.

## Related

- [Windows](https://helicon.sh/install/windows): A signed Windows installer for a Muse Code desktop app, with auto update. Runs Muse Code natively on Windows, or inside WSL2 with path translation both ways.
- [WSL2](https://helicon.sh/install/wsl2): If your muse CLI lives in WSL2 Ubuntu, Helicon routes to it from the Windows desktop app and translates paths both ways, so the agent and the UI agree on where files are.
- [macOS](https://helicon.sh/install/macos): One universal DMG for Apple Silicon and Intel, with auto update. Install the muse CLI, sign in, drag Helicon to Applications, and open it the first time with right click.

---

Helicon is a free, MIT licensed, unofficial community client for Meta's Muse Code CLI. Not made, sponsored or endorsed by Meta. Source: https://helicon.sh/. Machine readable index: https://helicon.sh/llms.txt