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Install the app

Open Glitr in a browser, or download a native, mobile, or terminal build from the table below. There is no store listing you must use, and no account you create with us.

This is an unaudited project. The downloads may not work yet. By using any version of the app, you agree to the terms.

Downloads​

PlatformFileNotes
Webglitr-web.zipPWA — unzip and serve
Linuxglitr-linux.AppImageamd64
Linuxglitr-linux.debamd64
macOSglitr-macos.dmgApple silicon
Windowsglitr-windows.exeinstaller
Androidglitr-android.apksideload APK, debug-signed nightly
iOSglitr-ios.zipunsigned — simulator / local signing
Terminalglitr-tui-linuxx86_64 musl
Terminalglitr-tui-macosmacOS binary
Terminalglitr-tui-windows.exeWindows binary

Use a current Chrome, Edge, Safari, or Firefox if you stay in the browser. The web app needs a secure context: https on the public web, or localhost while developing.

If a download is empty, a few bytes, or opens as HTML instead of a binary, that file is not published yet.

Web (glitr-web.zip)​

The zip is a static progressive web app. Unzip it and serve the folder over HTTPS, or over localhost while developing.

  1. Download glitr-web.zip.
  2. Unzip it.
  3. Serve the extracted directory as a static site. For a local check:
python3 -m http.server 8080 --directory path/to/unzipped
  1. Open http://localhost:8080 (or your HTTPS origin). You should see chats, contacts, and a profile — the messenger chrome.
  2. To chat, Start on this device and Pair now, or connect a repository for the mailbox track.

The hosted app is the same messenger: Open Glitr.

Install as a PWA (optional)​

After the first visit, the installed app can open offline for the interface. Live pairing and git sync still need a network (and a live peer, if you want the direct path without a mailbox).

Android (Chrome)

  1. Open Glitr in Chrome (hosted or your served zip).
  2. Use the browser menu → Install app / Add to Home screen.
  3. Launch it from the icon. It runs full screen, without the browser chrome.

iPhone / iPad (Safari)

  1. Open Glitr in Safari (not an in-app browser).
  2. Tap Share → Add to Home Screen.
  3. Open it from the home screen.

Desktop (Chrome or Edge)

The address bar offers an install icon after the app has loaded. Installing gives you a standalone window.

Troubleshooting​

  • Opening index.html as a file:// URL will fail. Serve it.
  • Extensions that block scripts or storage can break Start on this device.
  • If the UI loads but git on the web fails, see Troubleshooting (HTTPS remotes, token, CORS).

Linux AppImage (glitr-linux.AppImage)​

Nightly Linux GUI builds target amd64 on Ubuntu 22.04+ (glibc 2.35). Older distros may not run the binary.

  1. Download glitr-linux.AppImage.
  2. Make it executable and run it:
chmod +x glitr-linux.AppImage
./glitr-linux.AppImage

Troubleshooting​

  • If the window never appears, run the AppImage from a terminal. Linker or missing-library errors show up there.
  • cannot execute: required file not found or glibc errors usually mean the distro is older than Ubuntu 22.04. Use the web zip, or build locally.
  • FUSE errors: some systems need libfuse2 (or fuse3 compatibility) to run AppImages. The .deb is the packaged alternative.

Linux .deb (glitr-linux.deb)​

Same amd64 / Ubuntu 22.04+ floor as the AppImage. The package declares runtime Depends on WebKitGTK 4.1, GTK 3, libsoup 3, and libxdo.

  1. Download glitr-linux.deb.
  2. Install it (this pulls the runtime packages):
sudo apt install ./glitr-linux.deb
  1. Launch Glitr from the menu, or run /usr/bin/glitr. The menu entry uses that path, not a bare glitr on PATH.

Troubleshooting​

  • If launch still fails, run /usr/bin/glitr in a terminal so missing-library errors are visible. Install anything apt reports.
  • Do not unpack the .deb and run the binary by itself unless those WebKit/GTK packages are already on the machine.
  • If the icon does nothing, a terminal client named glitr earlier on PATH may be shadowing the GUI. See GUI and TUI on the same machine.

macOS (glitr-macos.dmg)​

Apple silicon only.

  1. Download glitr-macos.dmg.
  2. Open the disk image and drag Glitr to Applications (or run it from the mounted volume).
  3. On first launch, if Gatekeeper blocks an unsigned or unnotarized nightly: System Settings → Privacy & Security, then Open Anyway, or Control-click the app → Open.

Troubleshooting​

  • Intel Macs are not in this nightly. Use the web zip or the terminal binary.
  • If the app quits immediately, open Console or run the binary inside the .app from Terminal to see the crash.

Windows (glitr-windows.exe)​

  1. Download glitr-windows.exe.
  2. Run the installer.
  3. If SmartScreen warns (unsigned nightly): More info → Run anyway.

Troubleshooting​

  • WebView2 is required for the desktop GUI. Install the Evergreen WebView2 runtime if the window fails to open.
  • Antivirus may quarantine a debug/nightly installer. Unblock the file in Properties if Windows marked it.

Android (glitr-android.apk)​

Sideload only. Nightlies are debug-signed. Not a Play Store build. A successful two-device Android chat is still a spike.

  1. Download glitr-android.apk on the phone, or copy it over.
  2. Enable install from this source (Chrome / Files / your file manager).
  3. Open the APK and install.
  4. Or from a computer with USB debugging:
adb install glitr-android.apk

Troubleshooting​

  • Play Protect may warn because of the debug certificate. That is expected for this nightly.
  • You cannot update this APK with a later build signed by a different key. Uninstall first (local data in the app sandbox goes with it).
  • Camera / mic prompts come from the webview when you use QR scan or calls. Deny them and you still have upload-a-picture for QR.
  • Storage permission is not required for the mailbox; it lives in the app-private files directory.

iOS (glitr-ios.zip)​

Unsigned. For the simulator or local signing with your own Apple team. Not TestFlight, not the App Store, not a device install without signing.

  1. Download glitr-ios.zip on a Mac with Xcode.
  2. Unzip. You should get a .app bundle (the zip keeps the parent folder).
  3. Simulator
xcrun simctl boot "iPhone 16"   # pick a booted simulator from `xcrun simctl list`
xcrun simctl install booted path/to/Glitr.app
xcrun simctl launch booted <bundle-id>
  1. Physical device — open the .app (or the generated Xcode project if you rebuild) in Xcode, select your development team, sign it, and run. Apple’s developer tooling is required.

Troubleshooting​

  • Installing an unsigned .app on a phone will fail. Sign it with your team first.
  • Simulator CPU must match the nightly (typically Apple silicon host + arm64 simulator).
  • Camera / mic usage strings are branded into the nightly; the system prompt appears when the webview calls getUserMedia.

Terminal client​

Same messenger in a real terminal. Voice, video, camera QR, and real call media stay in the graphical app.

Linux and macOS (installer)​

curl -fsSL https://glitr.io/install.sh | bash

That downloads the platform binary from glitr.io/downloads, installs it to ~/.local/bin/glitr, and prints a PATH hint if needed. Then run:

glitr

Override the install directory with GLITR_INSTALL_DIR if you prefer somewhere else.

The installer supports Linux x86_64 (glitr-tui-linux, musl) and macOS (Apple silicon or Intel via glitr-tui-macos). Other Linux architectures are not in this nightly.

Windows​

Download glitr-tui-windows.exe and run it from a terminal. The curl installer is for Linux and macOS only.

You can also download glitr-tui-linux or glitr-tui-macos directly, chmod +x, and run them without the script.

Troubleshooting​

  • ~/.local/bin not on PATH: add export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH" and open a new shell.
  • Installer says the download was HTML: the TUI asset is not on the downloads bucket yet.
  • After a hidden password prompt you should see a connecting splash, then the mailbox UI.

GUI and TUI on the same machine​

The curl installer installs the TUI as ~/.local/bin/glitr. The Linux GUI .deb launches /usr/bin/glitr. If ~/.local/bin comes first on PATH, a desktop icon with Exec=glitr and Terminal=false can look like a no-op: the TUI starts with no window.

  • Launch the GUI as /usr/bin/glitr, or from the menu entry the .deb installed.
  • If you keep both, move or rename the TUI (for example ~/.local/bin/glitr-tui) so it does not steal the glitr name from the GUI.

What “installed” does and does not do​

You getYou do not get
An icon, standalone window, or a glitr commandA Glitr account
The messenger UI on the device (cached for the PWA after the first visit)Automatic backup of your encryption password
Offline chrome after the first PWA visitOffline send that reaches someone without a network (or without a live peer on Talk now)

Your messages live in the local workdir on the device, and — if you connected or attached remotes — in the git repository as well. Uninstalling the PWA or deleting a native app does not delete a remote repository. It may delete the local copy. Keep the encryption password (and any repo URL / token) somewhere you will not lose.

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