Install

Conifer ships as a desktop app called Juniper: the runtime, the model catalog, and the studio in one install. For the runtime itself, see What is Conifer?

Grab the build from conifer.build/download; the page reads your OS and hands you the right file.

The macOS build is one universal binary, so the same file runs on Apple silicon and Intel Macs.

macOS#

The Mac build is signed and notarized, so Gatekeeper clears it on first launch: open the .dmg, drag Juniper into Applications, and launch it.

One line does the same install; read the script before you pipe it to a shell.

curl -fsSL https://www.conifer.build/install.sh | sh

Windows#

Run Juniper_x64-setup.exe. The build is signed via Azure Trusted Signing (as Conifer Solutions, Inc.); while download reputation builds, SmartScreen may still warn on first run — click More info, then Run anyway. Or in PowerShell:

irm https://www.conifer.build/install.ps1 | iex

Linux#

The Linux build is an AppImage: one self-contained file. Mark it executable and run it.

chmod +x Juniper_amd64.AppImage
./Juniper_amd64.AppImage

First launch and updates#

On first open the catalog is empty and no model is resident; there is no onboarding wizard. Pull a model next: Your first model, then Your first chat.

The in-app updater polls a signed release feed and refuses any build the release key didn’t sign; updates apply automatically, and nothing leaves your machine.

What gets collected#

A default, signed-out install sends nothing: your models, chats, and weights stay on your disk. Signing in adds a one-click consent step for routing signals and chat-content sharing (on by default there, switchable off anytime in Settings → Usage data).

Account

None needed; the free local tier runs without one.

API key

None.

Telemetry

Off signed-out; on by default (per-scope, switchable) once signed in.