Install on Linux
Install Helicon on Linux
Download the x86_64 AppImage from the latest GitHub release, make it executable, and run it. It works on most distributions, needs FUSE (libfuse2) on some of them, and updates itself from then on. Running from source is the alternative and needs Node 22 or newer.
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Before you start
- An x86_64 distribution. There is no ARM build yet.
- FUSE, usually the
libfuse2package, on distributions that do not ship it. - The muse CLI, signed in with your own
muse login. - Nothing else. The AppImage bundles its own Node.js.
Making the AppImage runnable
An AppImage arrives without the executable bit, which is the single most common reason a first launch does nothing at all. Set it once, from the shell or from your file manager's properties dialog.
chmod +x Helicon_*.AppImage
./Helicon_*.AppImageUpdates
The AppImage updates itself the same way the Windows and macOS builds do: it asks helicon.sh whether a newer version exists and replaces itself. There is no repository to add and nothing to subscribe to.
Running from source instead
Source is the route for ARM machines, for hacking on Helicon, and for running the daemon headless on a server. It needs Node 22 or newer, because you are not getting the runtime the AppImage bundles.
Linux as the daemon host
If the Linux box is a server rather than your desktop, run the daemon there and open the web UI from your laptop. Same sidebar, diffs, approvals and cost view, with the agent running next to the code.
Install Helicon on Linux from the AppImage
Sign in with the muse CLI. Helicon uses this login and stores no credentials of its own.
muse loginDownload the AppImage. Take Helicon_<version>_amd64.AppImage from the latest GitHub release.
Make it executable and run it. Or right click it in your file manager and allow running it as a program.
chmod +x Helicon_*.AppImage && ./Helicon_*.AppImageAdd a project. Point Helicon at a working directory to start a muse serve host and list its sessions.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an AppImage?
Yes, x86_64, attached to every GitHub release, with auto update. There is no deb or rpm, and no ARM build yet.
The AppImage does nothing when I double click it.
It needs the executable bit: chmod +x Helicon_*.AppImage. If it then exits with a FUSE error, install libfuse2 or your distribution's equivalent.
What Node version do I need?
None for the AppImage, which bundles its own. Running from source needs Node 22 or newer.
Can the daemon run headless on a server?
Yes. Run it from source there and open the web build in a browser.
Keep reading
- Remote daemon and web UIThe same Helicon UI ships as a web app pointed at a daemon on another machine, so a laptop can supervise Muse Code running on a workstation or a server.
- Remote daemonPut the Helicon daemon and the muse CLI on the machine that holds your code, then open the same UI in a browser from anywhere you trust the network.
- WindowsA 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.
Same Muse Code. Same subscription. Better interface.
Free and MIT licensed. Signed Windows installer, universal macOS DMG, and a web build against a daemon you run.