1DesignTool ships as a signed desktop app for macOS and Windows. Grab the current build from the download page, run the installer, and you are in the studio — the app is local-first, so there is no account to create and no sign-in wall before your first project.
macOS
The download is a universal disk image — the same file for Apple silicon and
Intel Macs. Open the .dmg, drag 1DesignTool into Applications, and
launch it. The build is signed and notarized, so Gatekeeper opens it without a
warning. If you keep the app in a different folder, launch it once from
Applications anyway — the first run registers the preview server and the
project directory defaults.
Windows
The Windows download is a signed installer. Run it and follow the short wizard. On some machines SmartScreen still shows the blue "Windows protected your PC" screen for a new release — that is the reputation filter, not a signing problem. Click More info, confirm the publisher matches the release page, then Run anyway. The warning disappears once the build accrues reputation.
Tip: If your company machine is policy-locked, install per-user rather than machine-wide — the installer offers both. Per-user needs no admin rights.
What the first launch needs
1DesignTool itself is complete out of the box — the studio, the preview, the design kit, the exports. The one thing it does not bring is a coding agent: install at least one supported CLI (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor Agent, and the rest — see Supported coding agents) and sign it into your own account. On first launch the app asks which agent to use and walks you through connecting it.
After the agent is connected, everything else is optional: license activation for Pro, privacy toggles, and the update channel under Settings → Updates.
Updating
The app checks its update channel in the background and offers the new build in Settings → Updates. Point releases keep your projects, design systems and settings where they are.