Install & first launch

Welcome, and thank you for trying MUSE during its earliest testing phase. You’re one of a small group of writers helping shape this app before it reaches the wider public.

A promise

Every tester who participates in the alpha or beta receives a generous one-time discount at the 1.0 launch, applied to your first purchase. You’ll be emailed your code when the public release ships.

Download

Download the current alpha build for your operating system:

• macOS Apple Silicon: MUSE_0.1.0_aarch64.dmg
• macOS Intel: MUSE_0.1.0_x64.dmg
• Windows: MUSE_0.1.0_x64-setup.exe
• Ubuntu / Debian: MUSE_0.1.0_amd64.deb
• Fedora / RHEL: MUSE-0.1.0-1.x86_64.rpm

You can also view the full MUSE v0.1.0 Alpha 1 release and download SHA256SUMS.txt if you want to verify the installers.

Because MUSE is in private alpha, builds are signed on some platforms and unsigned on others. If your operating system shows a warning, the steps below explain exactly what to click.

macOS

1. Download the .dmg file for your Mac:
   • Apple Silicon Macs: MUSE_0.1.0_aarch64.dmg
   • Intel Macs: MUSE_0.1.0_x64.dmg
2. Double-click the .dmg to open it.
3. Drag the MUSE icon into your Applications folder.
4. Eject the disk image.
5. Open Applications and double-click MUSE.

If you see “MUSE cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified”:

This build isn’t yet signed with an Apple Developer ID. To open it once:

1. Right-click (or Control-click) the MUSE app in Applications.
2. Choose Open from the menu.
3. In the dialog that appears, click Open.

After opening it this way the first time, macOS remembers your choice and launches it normally afterward.

Windows

1. Download the -setup.exe installer.
2. Double-click it to run the installer.

If you see a blue “Windows protected your PC” dialog from SmartScreen:

This build isn’t yet signed with a Windows code-signing certificate. To proceed:

1. Click More info.
2. Click Run anyway.
3. Follow the installer prompts.

This warning is expected for unsigned alpha builds and will go away once the Windows certificate is in place.

Linux

MUSE ships as a .deb package for Ubuntu/Debian and an .rpm package for Fedora/RHEL. Download the one that matches your distribution.

Ubuntu / Debian (.deb)

Download MUSE_0.1.0_amd64.deb, then open a terminal in the folder where you downloaded it. On most Ubuntu and Debian systems, install it with:

sudo apt install ./MUSE_0.1.0_amd64.deb

The leading ./ matters — it tells apt to install the local file and pull in any dependencies it needs. Once it finishes, launch MUSE from your applications menu or by running muse in a terminal.

If your browser saved the file with a slightly different name, you can use:

sudo apt install ./MUSE_*.deb

If apt is not available or the install reports missing dependencies, run:

sudo dpkg -i ./MUSE_0.1.0_amd64.deb
sudo apt install -f

• To update later: download the newer .deb and run the same command.
• To uninstall: sudo apt remove muse-writer

Fedora / RHEL (.rpm)

Download MUSE-0.1.0-1.x86_64.rpm, then open a terminal in the folder where you downloaded it. On Fedora and modern RHEL-compatible systems, install it with:

sudo dnf install ./MUSE-0.1.0-1.x86_64.rpm

If your browser saved the file with a slightly different name, you can use:

sudo dnf install ./MUSE-*.rpm

On older systems that don’t have dnf, use:

sudo yum install ./MUSE-0.1.0-1.x86_64.rpm

Once it finishes, launch MUSE from your applications menu or by running muse in a terminal.

• To update later: download the newer .rpm and run the same command.
• To uninstall: sudo dnf remove muse-writer

First launch

When MUSE opens for the first time:

1. You’ll see the welcome screen.
2. Create a new project from the welcome screen and pick a location for the .muse file.
3. Start writing. The binder on the left organizes your documents, the editor is in the middle, and the inspector on the right holds metadata and statistics.

If anything feels confusing or unexpected on first launch, that’s itself valuable feedback — please tell us.

Next: Getting started.