Getting started

Install

Sinclair ships from GitHub releases with a Homebrew cask for macOS and AppImage, deb, and tarball packages for Linux on both x86_64 and aarch64. You can also build it from source.

macOS

The Homebrew cask is the simplest path and keeps Sinclair up to date:

brew install --cask wess/packages/sinclair

Prefer a direct download? Grab the latest Sinclair.dmg from the releases page, open it, and drag Sinclair.app into /Applications.

Linux

Every release publishes packages for x86_64 and aarch64. Pick whichever fits your distro.

AppImage (no install)

chmod +x Sinclair-*-x86_64.AppImage
./Sinclair-*-x86_64.AppImage

Debian / Ubuntu (.deb)

sudo apt install ./sinclair_*_amd64.deb

Tarball

tar xzf sinclair-*-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
# run it directly…
./sinclair-*-linux-x86_64/usr/bin/sinclair
# …or install the tree under /usr/local

From source

Sinclair is a Cargo workspace. The GUI lives in the app crate and the shipped binary is sinclair. A recent stable Rust toolchain is required.

git clone https://github.com/wess/sinclair
cd sinclair
cargo run -p app --release

To assemble distributable packages locally:

First run

Launch Sinclair and you get a single tab running your login shell. From here:

• Open the in-app settings with ⌘,, or edit the config file directly — see Configuration.
• Split the pane with ⌘D (right) or ⌘⇧D (down) — see Tabs, splits & layouts.
• Press ⌘P to open the quick launcher and discover commands.

Keeping Sinclair up to date

Sinclair checks GitHub for a newer release on launch and once an hour, and offers to update when one is available. You can also check any time from Sinclair → Check for Updates…. Turn the automatic check off with "auto-update": false.

How the update is applied depends on how you installed Sinclair:

• macOS .app — Homebrew cask or manual .dmg alike: Sinclair downloads the notarized disk image, rewrites the app in place, and relaunches into the new version. (The bundle is updated where it sits, so a cask install stays where brew expects it.)
• AppImage — Sinclair downloads the new image, replaces the running one, and relaunches.
• Debian/Ubuntu (.deb) and other package installs — the install is root-owned, so Sinclair opens the release page instead of swapping files itself; update through your package flow.