Getting started

Install

Vinc runs as a desktop app or in your browser. Both show the same account graph, so start with whichever suits you.

Before you start

You need a Vinc account. The desktop app asks you to sign in the first time it opens, and local mode does too.

	Supported	File
macOS	Apple Silicon (M1 or later), macOS 15 or later	`.dmg`
Windows	Windows 10 or later, 64-bit	`.exe` installer
Linux	64-bit, glibc	AppImage, `.deb`. The `.rpm` is on GitHub Releases
Web	A current browser	Nothing to install

There is no build for Intel Macs yet.

Install the desktop app

Get the file for your system from the download page. Vinc is not code-signed yet, so your system may warn you the first time you open it. Open it like this.

macOS

Open the .dmg and drag Vinc into Applications.
Open Vinc. If it is blocked, go to System Settings > Privacy & Security and press Open Anyway. Right-clicking the app and choosing Open also works.

Windows

Run the installer. It installs for your user account and does not ask for administrator rights.
If SmartScreen shows Windows protected your PC, press More info, then Run anyway.

Linux

Make the AppImage executable and open it, or install the deb as a package.

chmod +x Vinc-amd64.AppImage && ./Vinc-amd64.AppImage
sudo apt install ./Vinc-amd64.deb

The install carries an engine beside the app. The app starts the engine and talks to it over an address inside this computer (127.0.0.1).

First run

The app opens on a full-window sign-in screen. Choose email or Google, and your browser opens to finish signing in, then hands you back to the app.

Once you are signed in you see the same account graph as on the web. Sign out is in Settings > Account · storage, and signing out deletes nothing.

If this computer already holds a graph from an earlier version, the app opens in local mode and tells you so once.

Local mode

To keep the graph on this computer and not in your account, turn on local mode. It is off by default.

In Settings > Account · storage, choose Keep the graph on this device.
Pick a folder for the graph. The app suggests ~/Documents/Vinc first.
Choose whether to copy your account graph down or start with an empty graph.

The move happens once, when you switch modes, and nothing syncs after that. If the counts do not match, the switch is cancelled and nothing is deleted on either side. The app warns you if you pick a cloud-synced or network folder.

In local mode the app goes online only to check for updates and to sign in. After the first sign-in you can read and write without a connection. Team graphs are not available.

Turn on the CLI

The vinc CLI installs with the app. To call it from a terminal, link it onto your PATH.

deb, rpm: the package installs /usr/bin/vinc, so there is nothing to do.
macOS, AppImage: press Set up in Settings > AI connections > CLI. It links into /usr/local/bin or ~/.local/bin and never asks for an administrator password.
Windows: linking onto PATH is not supported yet.

Once it is linked, check it with the command below. --target local selects this device's graph and --target account selects your account graph. The commands are on the CLI page.

vinc --help

Use it on the web

Open vincs.io/app and sign in. There is nothing to install, and a refresh always gives you the latest version.

Settings on the web has no AI connections or Advanced tab. To attach an AI assistant from the web, use the hosted MCP address on the MCP page.

Desktop and web compared

	Desktop	Web
Where the graph lives	Your account graph, or this computer in local mode	Your account graph
Works offline	In local mode, after the first sign-in	No
Account	Required. Local mode signs in too	Required
Team graphs	In account mode. Not in local mode	Yes
Choosing a team	Space in Settings > Account · storage
AI connections and Advanced tabs in Settings	Yes	No
CLI	Included	None
Updates	Checks at launch and asks before installing	Refresh and you are current
Title bar	Drawn by the app	The browser's

Updates

The desktop app checks for a new version when it opens. If there is one, a notice appears, and it installs only when you press Install & restart. Press Later to keep using the version you have. Downloads are signature-checked before they install.