VARIANT-1
0.1.1 previewDownload

DOWNLOAD / FREE PUBLIC PREVIEW

Download
VARIANT-1.

Free and open source, for Windows, macOS on Apple silicon, and Linux. Pick your system, install it, then connect a model you already use or one that runs on your own machine.

View the source on GitHub

PUBLIC PREVIEW

Choose your system.

Version
0.1.1-preview.3
Published
2026-10-08
Source
573f55c
Files
Release notes · SHA256SUMS

Windows x64

Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit

Download for Windows

InstallerVARIANT-1-0.1.1-preview.3-x64-Setup.exe783 MB

SHA-256ad9756a68bf913ffe32153a1909d1ec079fb460fc35b4bf0874500f3a42a040f

How to install

  1. Download the installer and open it as your usual Windows user.
  2. If SmartScreen says “Windows protected your PC”, choose More info, then Run anyway. Preview builds aren’t signed yet.
  3. Choose an install folder and finish. Open VARIANT-1 and connect a model in Settings → Providers.
Requirements, signing, and testing
Size
747.1 MiB (783,371,884 bytes)
Signing / publisher
Not signed yet. Windows finds no publisher certificate, so SmartScreen may say it doesn’t recognise the app and a permission prompt may name an unknown publisher. To be sure the file arrived intact, compare its SHA-256 with SHA256SUMS before running it.
System requirements
Windows 10 or 11, x64. There is no ARM64 or 32-bit installer. Python and Node.js are bundled, so you don’t need to install them; Git is only needed for the Git features in Review. You also need a model: one running on your computer, or an account with a provider.
Installation / updates
Quit VARIANT-1, then run the Setup file as your usual Windows user and choose where to install. Updates are manual: back up %APPDATA%\VARIANT-1 first, then run the new installer. Moving existing data from preview.2 to preview.3 wasn’t tested separately. When uninstalling, don’t choose to delete app data if you want to keep your settings and chats.
Validation
Qualified in CI run 37694872245 against the packaged installer on a clean Windows Server 2025 runner, built from the same commit as the other platforms. The job installs silently, checks the installed files and the bundled llama-server and cua-driver 0.28.2, starts the packaged app and runs a workbench smoke test (Files, browser tabs, Terminal, Settings), then runs the real uninstaller and confirms the install folder is gone. Backend suite: 3,230 passed, 10 skipped.
Known limitations (7)
  • Not signed yet, so Windows may warn about an unknown publisher.
  • Signing in with a Google AI subscription needs an authorised app identity set through the VARIANT1_GOOGLE_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID and VARIANT1_GOOGLE_OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET environment variables, and Nous Portal needs the separate Hermes Agent service and account. Every other model connection works without them.
  • Speech engines and model files aren’t included; voice needs a speech service of your own.
  • The checks ran on a CI machine with no real user accounts. They didn’t cover a physical PC, every CPU, graphics card, and model, moving data from an earlier version, or days of unattended work. They show that the app installs and starts, not that every workflow is production-ready.
  • A few known issues are still being fixed: detaching and re-docking the browser very quickly, and recovery if the engine stops abruptly while a helper’s work is finishing. A goal waiting on help that stopped can stay blocked until you look at it.
  • No automatic updates yet; back up your app data, then install new versions by hand.
  • Python runs with your Windows permissions and is deliberately not sandboxed.

Linux x86_64

64-bit x86 Linux with an X11 session

Download for Linux AppImage for Linux

InstallerVARIANT-1-0.1.1-preview.3-linux-amd64.deb369 MB

SHA-256a3cf6ff1a2048649dd668d871708559c7a1c3236bfb9ac4d522d6436c7382ba0

Also available: AppImageVARIANT-1-0.1.1-preview.3-linux-x86_64.AppImage426 MB

SHA-256c53d656290ae1a43ab4bd126089fbf85793f8d624bee41f2c42708c0ae5171e7

How to install

  1. Ubuntu, Debian, and similar: install the deb with sudo apt install ./VARIANT-1-0.1.1-preview.3-linux-amd64.deb.
  2. Any distribution: download the AppImage, make it runnable with chmod +x VARIANT-1-0.1.1-preview.3-linux-x86_64.AppImage, then open it.
  3. If the AppImage won’t start because FUSE 2 is missing, run it with APPIMAGE_EXTRACT_AND_RUN=1 ./VARIANT-1-0.1.1-preview.3-linux-x86_64.AppImage.
Requirements, signing, and testing
Size
351.9 MiB (368,989,560 bytes)
Size: AppImage
406.2 MiB (425,884,910 bytes)
Signing / publisher
Not signed yet. No verified publisher is asserted, so your desktop may warn about an unidentified developer. To be sure the file arrived intact, compare its SHA-256 with SHA256SUMS before installing.
System requirements
x86_64 Linux with an X11 session, tested on Ubuntu 24.04. The app needs GTK 3, NSS, ALSA, notification, accessibility, and secret-service libraries that a minimal image may not have: libgtk-3-0, libnotify4, libnss3, libxss1, libxtst6, libxrandr2, libatspi2.0-0, libsecret-1-0, and ALSA. The deb installs them for you; the AppImage uses what your system already has. On Ubuntu 24.04 and later the ALSA package is libasound2t64. Python and Node.js are bundled; Git is only needed for the Git features in Review.
Installation / updates
Deb: sudo apt-get install ./VARIANT-1-0.1.1-preview.3-linux-amd64.deb installs the variant1 package under /opt/VARIANT-1; remove it with sudo apt-get purge variant1. AppImage: no installation, but make it executable first (chmod +x VARIANT-1-0.1.1-preview.3-linux-x86_64.AppImage), because a download doesn’t keep that permission. Without FUSE 2, put APPIMAGE_EXTRACT_AND_RUN=1 in front of the command that starts it. Updates are manual: quit the app, back up ~/.config/VARIANT-1, then install the new deb or replace the AppImage.
Validation
Qualified in CI run 37694872245 on a clean Ubuntu 24.04 runner, built from the same commit as the other platforms. The deb is installed and its files, bundled llama-server, and cua-driver 0.28.2 are checked; the workbench smoke test runs against the installed app under a virtual display; the AppImage is unpacked, checked, and started separately; then the package is purged and /opt/VARIANT-1 is confirmed gone. Backend suite: 3,186 passed, 54 skipped.
Known limitations (10)
  • Not signed yet, so your desktop may warn about an unidentified developer.
  • A downloaded AppImage can’t run until you make it executable with chmod +x.
  • Tested on Ubuntu 24.04 with X11 only. Other distributions and native Wayland weren’t tested; the AppImage is the more portable choice.
  • Signing in with a Google AI subscription needs an authorised app identity set through the VARIANT1_GOOGLE_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID and VARIANT1_GOOGLE_OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET environment variables, and Nous Portal needs the separate Hermes Agent service and account. Every other model connection works without them.
  • Speech engines and model files aren’t included; voice needs a speech service of your own.
  • Controlling other desktop apps isn’t available on Linux yet; the app says so when a task needs it.
  • The checks ran on a CI machine with no real user accounts. They didn’t cover a physical PC, every CPU, graphics card, and model, moving data from an earlier version, or days of unattended work. They show that the app installs and starts, not that every workflow is production-ready.
  • A few known issues are still being fixed: detaching and re-docking the browser very quickly, and recovery if the engine stops abruptly while a helper’s work is finishing. A goal waiting on help that stopped can stay blocked until you look at it.
  • No automatic updates yet; back up your app data, then install new versions by hand.
  • Python runs with your Linux permissions and is deliberately not sandboxed.

macOS arm64

Apple silicon Macs with macOS 14 or newer

Download for macOS zip for macOS

InstallerVARIANT-1-0.1.1-preview.3-mac-arm64.dmg365 MB

SHA-25681bcec6609afd75865ac2fd51f0d50c78f1f94a7dd73939ea17d1a66d11f8e65

Also available: zipVARIANT-1-0.1.1-preview.3-mac-arm64.zip368 MB

SHA-2564ecf9d569b18e3d070ce8d58f072dfeb33ae09bd60c26dbcb195a229324ec78c

How to install

  1. Open the .dmg and drag VARIANT-1 into Applications. Rather not mount a disk image? Unzip the .zip and move the app to Applications instead.
  2. Open VARIANT-1. If macOS says it can’t be opened, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down, and choose Open Anyway.
  3. On macOS 14 you can also Control-click the app and choose Open. After the first launch it opens normally.
Requirements, signing, and testing
Size
348.6 MiB (365,497,314 bytes)
Size: zip
350.8 MiB (367,846,643 bytes)
Signing / publisher
Not signed or notarised yet. No verified publisher is asserted, so macOS blocks the first launch until you allow it in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway (on macOS 14 you can also Control-click the app and choose Open). To be sure the file arrived intact, compare its SHA-256 with SHA256SUMS first.
System requirements
An Apple silicon (arm64) Mac with macOS 14 or newer. The app’s own settings say 12.0, but bundled parts need macOS 14, as they already did in preview.2. There is no Intel build. Python and Node.js are bundled; Git is only needed for the Git features in Review.
Installation / updates
Open the .dmg and drag VARIANT-1 into Applications, or unzip the .zip and move the app there. Allow the first launch as described under signing; after that it opens normally. Updates are manual: quit VARIANT-1, back up ~/Library/Application Support/VARIANT-1, then replace the app in Applications.
Validation
Qualified in CI run 37694872245 on a macOS 26 runner, built from the same commit as the other platforms. The job unpacks the shipped zip, checks the app, engine, Python, and native parts inside it, starts the packaged app and runs the workbench smoke test, then removes it. The .dmg holds the same app but wasn’t separately mounted and installed, and the full backend test suite doesn’t run on macOS.
Known limitations (9)
  • Not signed or notarised, so macOS asks you to allow the first launch (System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway).
  • Apple silicon with macOS 14 or newer only. Tested on macOS 26, not on a clean macOS 14 Mac; there is no Intel build.
  • Signing in with a Google AI subscription needs an authorised app identity set through the VARIANT1_GOOGLE_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID and VARIANT1_GOOGLE_OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET environment variables, and Nous Portal needs the separate Hermes Agent service and account. Every other model connection works without them.
  • Speech engines and model files aren’t included; voice needs a speech service of your own.
  • Controlling other desktop apps isn’t available on macOS yet; the app says so when a task needs it.
  • The checks ran on a CI build machine with no real user accounts. They didn’t cover a physical Mac, every model, moving data from an earlier version, or days of unattended work. They show that the app installs and starts, not that every workflow is production-ready.
  • A few known issues are still being fixed: detaching and re-docking the browser very quickly, and recovery if the engine stops abruptly while a helper’s work is finishing. A goal waiting on help that stopped can stay blocked until you look at it.
  • No automatic updates yet; back up your app data, then install new versions by hand.
  • Python runs with your macOS permissions and is deliberately not sandboxed.
PUBLIC PREVIEW 0.1.1

Good to know.

  • Preview builds aren’t signed yet, so your system asks you to confirm the first launch. Each card above shows how.
  • VARIANT-1 doesn’t include a model. Sign in with a plan you have, add an API key, or run one locally: compare the options.
  • It acts with your own permissions and isn’t a sandbox, so start with copies of important files.
  • There are no automatic updates yet. To update, quit the app, back up its data folder, and install the new version.
  • No VARIANT account or subscription is needed. Your model provider may charge for usage.
Read the setup guide