Install. Open. Join.
Get Annex v0.1.1, open it once, then follow your invitation. You will choose whether to join the destination server; creating an identity alone does not accept an invitation.
1. Pick your installer
All downloads below are the published v0.1.1 assets. On a Mac, check Apple menu → About This Mac for Apple Silicon or Intel.
- Windows x64 .exe
- Windows x64 .msi
- macOS Apple Silicon .dmg
- macOS Intel .dmg
- Linux x64 .AppImage
- Debian / Ubuntu x64 .deb
Download SHA256SUMS alongside your installer. Compare its SHA-256 digest with the matching filename before opening it. Windows: Get-FileHash .\annex-desktop-windows-x86_64.exe -Algorithm SHA256. macOS: shasum -a 256 annex-desktop-macos-aarch64.dmg. Linux: sha256sum annex-desktop-linux-x86_64.AppImage.
2. Install for your platform
Windows
Run the EXE or MSI, then open Annex. An offline WebView2 runtime is included. These packages do not have an Authenticode publisher signature, so Windows may show a trust warning. Only approve a download whose origin and checksum you have checked, and follow your organization's device policy.
If Annex cannot initialize WebView2, repair or install Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime, restart, and try again. The complete native Windows invitation and messaging journey remains to be qualified; an earlier Windows Sandbox run was blocked at WebView2 startup.
macOS: signing and installation
Open the DMG for your processor and drag Annex into Applications. Version 0.1.1 repairs the bundle-signature defect: the full app and all embedded native tools pass strict signature verification on Apple Silicon and Intel.
The app is ad-hoc signed, without Apple Developer ID signing or notarization. macOS may block a browser-downloaded copy. Normal browser-download/Gatekeeper acceptance remains unverified; do not disable Gatekeeper globally. See the packaging and native-session evidence for the exact tested installers and qualification limits.
Linux: Debian / Ubuntu
Install from the directory containing the downloaded package:
sudo apt install ./annex-desktop-linux-x86_64.debThis installs the desktop entry and Annex link handler. Open Annex from your application launcher.
Linux: AppImage
Move the AppImage to a permanent folder before launching it. The app registers its current path as the invite handler on first launch, including paths with spaces.
chmod +x annex-desktop-linux-x86_64.AppImage
./annex-desktop-linux-x86_64.AppImageAppImage requires FUSE 2 compatibility. On Ubuntu 24.04 the package is libfuse2t64; other distributions may use libfuse2. If your system cannot run AppImages, use the DEB on a compatible distribution. After moving an AppImage, launch it at the new location to register that path again.
3. Open your invitation
- Open the shared
https://monolithannex.com/invite/…link. - Select Open in Annex and approve your browser's request to open the app.
- Create or import an identity, review the server, and explicitly choose Join.
- Open a channel and send your first message. Keep an identity backup somewhere safe.
Both published v0.1.1 Mac installers passed invitation, explicit join, and message-exchange tests. The Linux DEB message journey and AppImage launch/OS invitation checks were performed on v0.1.0; they do not qualify the newer Linux packages. A web invite routes a link; the server still needs working HTTPS and must be online.
If a link does not open
- Open Annex once and retry the link. Allow the browser's external-app prompt.
- On Windows, inspect Settings → Apps → Default apps for the ANNEX protocol association, or reinstall the matching installer.
- On macOS, run the copy in Applications and retry in your browser.
- On Linux, check
xdg-mime query default x-scheme-handler/annex. Reopen the installed app or the AppImage at its permanent location to register it. - If the app opens but joining fails, confirm the destination with the inviter. The invitation may have expired, been revoked, or reached an offline server.
Try opening the invitation in another browser if its external-app prompt was blocked. Never post a private invitation or identity key in a public issue.
Want to host instead?
Choose Host a Server in the desktop app to start locally. Internet access requires separately configured reachable HTTPS; automatic public tunneling is not a verified v0.1.1 service.
Getting started · Server deployment · Release evidence · Back to Annex
Do I need an account or a subscription?
You create a local cryptographic identity, without an email address or phone number. Annex has no required central account. Each server operator controls admission to their own server.
Can I use Annex commercially?
Yes. You can run and modify Annex for your own work, including inside a business. Selling Annex, a rebranded fork, or paid hosted access requires a separate reseller agreement. Copyright stays with its owners. Read the full license.
Is everything end-to-end encrypted?
No. End-to-end encryption is selected per channel. Ordinary messages are encrypted at rest, but the host can read them. Voice, video, metadata, and content shared with an admitted agent have their own trust boundaries. See the privacy model.
Does Annex include an AI assistant?
Annex provides the identity, permissions, messaging, and speech infrastructure for agents. You connect an external agent runtime; downloading Annex does not include a general-purpose language model or an AI subscription.
Where do I report a problem or contribute?
Report a reproducible issue with your operating system, version, and steps. To improve Annex, start with the contribution guide. Keep private keys, invitation codes, and personal messages out of public reports.