Help/Getting started
Install on Mac
Orbit runs on any Mac with macOS 13 Ventura or later, on Apple silicon or Intel. It takes about two minutes.
Before you start
- macOS 13 Ventura or later. To check, open the Apple menu, then About This Mac.
- Which chip your Mac has. The same window shows Chip (Apple M1, M2, M3 and so on: that's Apple silicon) or Processor (an Intel chip).
- An AI plan. A Claude plan or a SuperGrok plan, or an OpenAI API key for Codex. You connect them after you install. See Connect Claude.
Download and install
- Go to the download page and choose Apple silicon or Intel. Apple silicon downloads
Orbit-arm64.dmg; Intel downloadsOrbit-x64.dmg. - Open the downloaded file. A window opens with the Orbit icon and your Applications folder.
- Drag Orbit onto Applications.
- Open Orbit from Applications or Launchpad. macOS checks a new app the first time, so the first launch can take a few seconds longer than later ones.
Orbit is signed and notarised with Apple, so it opens like any other app. If macOS asks whether you're sure you want to open an app downloaded from the internet, click Open.
What happens the first time
Orbit opens on its welcome screen and walks you through setup: your Orbit account, your AI plans, your Moon and the folders you keep your projects in. You can skip any step and come back to it in Settings.
Next: Sign in and start your trial.
Updates
Orbit updates itself. When a new version is ready it downloads in the background and installs when you quit Orbit, or straight away if you choose to restart, so you only ever download it once.
Permissions macOS may ask for
Orbit asks for a permission only when you use the feature that needs it:
| Permission | What for |
|---|---|
| Documents, Desktop, Downloads, external and network drives | Your Orbs work on the projects you keep in those places, and Orbit saves downloads and attachments to Downloads. |
| Microphone and speech recognition | Voice calls with your Moon or an Orb. With On this Mac chosen in Settings, speech is turned into text on your Mac; in Cloud mode (the default) call audio goes to AssemblyAI. See Security. |
| System audio recording | Hearing the other people on a call you've asked Orbit to transcribe. The transcript is kept on your Mac. |
| Automation (your browser) | Checking your browser's tab addresses to tell a Meet or Teams call apart from other sites using the microphone. Nothing else is read. |
| Notifications | Check-ins, approvals and finished jobs. |
Tip: give Orbit full access once. The models Orbit runs work inside your project folders, and without a grant macOS can ask about each folder again and again while an Orb works. Orbit shows a Give Orbit full access card when it would help: open System Settings, Privacy & Security, Full Disk Access, click +, choose Orbit and switch it on. If Orbit is already listed, remove it and add it again. The grant survives updates.
Say no and the rest of Orbit still works. You can change any of these later in macOS System Settings, Privacy & Security.
Uninstall
Quit Orbit, then drag it from Applications to the Bin. If you subscribe, cancel first in Settings, Orbit account, Manage billing. Deleting the app doesn't cancel your subscription. See Billing and cancelling.
Updated 24 October 2026 · Orbit 0.1.15