Install DiffGuardian
Requirements, downloading and installing the desktop app on macOS, Windows or Linux, how updates work, and where DiffGuardian stores things locally.
DiffGuardian is a native desktop application for macOS, Windows and Linux. There is no browser version and no CLI to install alongside it.
#Requirements
- A supported desktop OS — macOS, Windows or Linux
- Git — DiffGuardian reads diffs from your local git checkouts
- A code host account — connect your repositories with your own access token
- An AI backend — either a locally hosted model (Ollama or LM Studio), or your own cloud provider key: Anthropic, OpenAI, Google Gemini or Kimi (Pro)
#Download and install
Download the build for your platform from the download section on the homepage, then install it the way your operating system expects — drag it into Applications on macOS, run the installer on Windows, or use the Linux package for your distribution.
On macOS the app is signed and notarized by Apple, so Gatekeeper opens it without the "unidentified developer" warning. If macOS blocks the first launch anyway, see Troubleshooting.
#Updates
DiffGuardian updates itself. When a new build is available the app downloads it and prompts you to restart into it.
Updates are treated as mandatory: once one is ready, the app asks you to install it before you continue. That is deliberate — it is how a bad build gets pulled out of circulation quickly, so there is no "skip this version" option.
#Where your data lives
Everything DiffGuardian stores locally stays on your own machine:
- API keys and code-host tokens — encrypted in your operating system's credential store (the Keychain on macOS)
- Repository index and knowledge-base embeddings — a local database on disk
- Knowledge base and MCP server definitions — configuration, held on this device only
- Preferences — a local key-value store, including your interface language
None of it is synced to DiffGuardian's servers.