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How can we help?

Installing, permissions, startup behaviour, and uninstalling — for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Can't find your answer? Contact us.

Getting started

Install the desktop app

Download Nexus from the download page and install it on every computer you want to reach. The app includes a small background agent that starts when you log in and keeps your terminals, AI sessions, and remote desktop available even when the Nexus window is closed.

First launch

A short setup installs the background agent, then asks you to sign in or skip. Signing in links this computer to your other devices; skipping keeps Nexus local to this machine. You'll name the device and you're done.

There are no permission prompts during setup. Nexus asks for screen recording, accessibility (remote keyboard and mouse), or the microphone the first time you use a feature that needs it. To grant everything at once, open Settings → Permissions and choose Set up all.

Connecting from another device

Sign in with the same account on the device you're connecting from. Your computers appear in the sidebar; choose one to open its terminals, AI sessions, files, and desktop. Devices on the same network connect to each other directly.

macOS

Requirements

macOS 13 Ventura or later on a Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 or later). Intel Macs aren't supported.

Installing

Open the downloaded .dmg and drag Nexus into Applications, then open it from Applications. The app is notarized by Apple, so it opens without a security warning. Nexus lives in the menu bar; the agent keeps running after you close the window.

Remote desktop is stuck on “Negotiating…” or shows a black screen

The Mac you're connecting to needs Screen Recording permission. On that Mac:

Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording.
Turn on Nexus.
If Nexus still shows the permission card, click Relaunch on it — or quit Nexus from the menu bar and open it again. macOS only applies this permission after a restart of the app.

To control the Mac's keyboard and mouse remotely, also turn on Nexus under Privacy & Security → Accessibility.

Windows

Requirements

Windows 10 (version 1809) or later, or Windows 11, on x64. No administrator rights needed.

“Windows protected your PC”

Microsoft Defender SmartScreen warns about apps it hasn't seen many people install yet — which includes every new release of a new app. If you downloaded the installer from this site, choose More info, then Run anyway.

To be sure the file is genuine, compare its SHA-256 with the one shown under Verify your download on the download page:

certutil -hashfile Nexus-Setup-<version>.exe SHA256

Installing

The installer is one click: no install-location prompt and no administrator (UAC) prompt. Nexus installs into your own user profile at %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\nexus-electron and appears in Settings → Apps → Installed apps.

Where's the Nexus icon?

Nexus runs in the notification area. If you don't see it, click the ^ arrow next to the clock and drag the Nexus icon onto the taskbar. The tray icon opens the dashboard and shows AI approvals when the main window is closed.

Starting at sign-in

Nexus starts when you sign in to Windows. You can turn that off like any other app in Task Manager → Startup apps (or Settings → Apps → Startup). When it's off, the agent starts the next time you open Nexus.

Windows Firewall prompt

After you sign in, Nexus listens on your local network so your other devices can connect to it directly — that's when Windows Firewall asks for permission. Allowing it on private networks gives the fastest connections; Nexus still works through its relay if you don't.

Linux

Requirements

64-bit x86 with glibc 2.35 or newer — Ubuntu 22.04, Debian 12, Fedora 36, or anything more recent.

Installing

Make the AppImage executable and run it:

chmod +x ~/Downloads/Nexus-*.AppImage
~/Downloads/Nexus-*.AppImage

During first-run setup Nexus installs itself into ~/.local/share/nexus/app, adds itself to your app menu, and installs the nexus command-line tool. On Debian or Ubuntu you can install the .deb instead.

Is the agent running?

The agent and tray run as systemd --user services — never as root. Check them with:

systemctl --user status nexus-agent nexus-tray

If is-enabled reports a problem, here's the fix:

`systemctl --user is-enabled nexus-agent`	Fix
disabled	systemctl --user enable --now nexus-agent
masked	systemctl --user unmask nexus-agent systemctl --user enable --now nexus-agent

Nexus repairs a disabled service itself each time you open it, but it never unmasks one — a mask is your explicit choice. The app shows a card with a one-click fix if you'd like it undone.

Keep Nexus reachable after you log out

Lingering lets the agent start at boot and keep running after you log out — useful for a headless machine or a home server. Nexus turns it on during install; to check or enable it:

loginctl show-user "$USER" -p Linger
loginctl enable-linger "$USER"

No tray icon

Nexus uses the AppIndicator tray. On GNOME, install and enable the AppIndicator and KStatusNotifierItem Support extension (Ubuntu ships it enabled).

Updates

Nexus checks for updates in the background and installs them the next time you quit the app. Your open terminals keep running through the update — they live outside the app.

If you installed the Linux .deb, update it with your package manager instead.

Uninstalling

The simplest way on every platform is from inside the app: Settings → About → Uninstall Nexus. It stops the background agent, removes the startup entry, and removes the app. Your settings, workspaces, and history are kept unless you tick the box to delete them too.

macOS — if the app won't open, drag Nexus from Applications to the Trash, then log out and back in to stop the background agent.
Windows — Settings → Apps → Installed apps → Nexus → Uninstall.
Linux (.deb) — after the in-app uninstall, finish with sudo apt remove nexus-electron. Nexus never asks for root on its own.

Where your data lives

Settings, workspaces, and terminal history stay on your computer:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/com.nexus.NexusAgent/stable/
Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\nexus\NexusAgent\stable\
Linux: ~/.local/share/nexus/stable/

Still stuck?

Email josh@nexusworkspace.app with your operating system, the Nexus version (Settings → About), and what you were doing when the problem happened.