Install on Windows
Install Helicon on Windows
Install the muse CLI, sign in with muse login, then run the Helicon installer from the latest GitHub release. Helicon drives Muse Code natively on Windows using your own Windows paths and PowerShell for shell commands, and falls back to Muse Code inside WSL2 with two way path translation when native Muse Code is not present.
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Before you start
- Windows 10 or 11 on x64.
- The muse CLI, either natively on Windows or inside WSL2 Ubuntu.
- A Muse Code subscription, signed in with your own
muse login. - Nothing else. The desktop app ships its own Node.js runtime.
Two supported setups
| Setup | How Helicon runs it | Paths |
|---|---|---|
| Native Windows Muse Code | Runs muse directly, PowerShell for shell commands | Your own Windows paths, unchanged |
| Muse Code inside WSL2 | Routes through the WSL2 distribution | Translated both ways automatically |
This is the part that usually costs Windows users an evening. Mixed Windows and WSL2 paths are the reason agent tooling breaks on Windows, and Helicon translates between them rather than asking you to.
About the installer
- Not code signed yet, so SmartScreen may show 'Windows protected your PC': click More info, then Run anyway. Updates are signature checked by the app itself.
- Auto update built in: the app checks helicon.sh for a newer version and updates itself.
- The file is named Helicon_<version>_x64-setup.exe on the release page.
- The release page lists a SHA-256 for every file. If you got the installer from another site, run
Get-FileHash .\Helicon_<version>_x64-setup.exein PowerShell and check that the hash matches.
If Helicon cannot find Muse Code
- Check
muse --versionin PowerShell for a native install. - Check
muse --versioninside your WSL2 shell for the WSL2 route. - Run
muse loginin whichever shell holds your install. Helicon never stores credentials, so it needs the CLI to be signed in.
Install Helicon, a Muse Code desktop app, on Windows
Install the muse CLI. Install Muse Code natively on Windows, or inside WSL2 Ubuntu if that is your setup.
Sign in. Authenticate the CLI in the shell that holds your install. Helicon uses this login and stores no credentials of its own.
muse loginDownload the installer. Take Helicon_<version>_x64-setup.exe from the latest GitHub release.
Run the installer. The installer sets up auto update, so future versions arrive without another download. It is not code signed yet, so SmartScreen may show 'Windows protected your PC': click More info, then Run anyway.
Add a project. Point Helicon at a working directory. It starts a muse serve host for that workspace and lists any sessions already on disk, including ones started in the terminal.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need WSL2 to run Muse Code on Windows?
No. Muse Code runs natively on Windows and Helicon drives it directly, using your Windows paths and PowerShell for shell commands. WSL2 still works, and Helicon uses it when native Muse Code is not installed.
Is the Windows installer signed?
Not yet. The installer is not Authenticode signed, so SmartScreen may show 'Windows protected your PC': click More info, then Run anyway. Updates are signed with Helicon's updater key and checked by the app before they install. Releases are published on GitHub.
How do I check an installer I downloaded from another site?
GitHub shows a SHA-256 for every file on the release page. Run Get-FileHash on the installer in PowerShell and compare the two. If they differ, delete the file and download it from the GitHub release instead.
Does Helicon work on Windows on ARM?
The published installer is x64. ARM users can run from source, which needs Node 22 or newer on the Windows host.
Where do my Muse Code credentials live on Windows?
With the muse CLI, from your own muse login, in whichever environment you installed it. Helicon never stores or handles them.
Keep reading
- Muse Code GUIYes, Muse Code has graphical interfaces. A standalone desktop and web app, VS Code extensions, ACP editor bridges and other open-source wrappers, compared honestly.
- WSL2If 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.
- Muse Code on Windows without WSLMuse Code runs natively on Windows. Here is how to check which route you are on, run it with Windows paths and PowerShell, and keep WSL2 as a fallback.
- The muse terminalHow a Muse Code GUI differs from the muse CLI terminal interface: session history, inline diffs, approvals and cost, side by side with what the TUI already does well.
- Windows developersAn auto-updating installer (not code-signed yet), native Windows Muse Code with PowerShell, and WSL2 path translation for when you need it.
Same Muse Code. Same subscription. Better interface.
Free and MIT licensed. Windows installer, Apple Silicon, Intel and universal macOS DMGs, and a web build against a daemon you run.