How to install goose and start a first session

goose is an extensible open source AI agent that enhances software development by automating coding tasks. Getting to a first Desktop session is a short, documented path: install the app, pick a provider, and complete the quickstart's Tetrate sign-in. The CLI is the docs' alternative. Building a small app and adding an MCP server come later on the quickstart.

Install goose Desktop

The installation guide says to choose the Desktop version, the CLI, or both. The welcome-screen flow below needs Desktop.

macOS

Download. On the install page, use the macOS Silicon or macOS Intel button. Unzip the downloaded zip file, then run the executable to launch goose Desktop. The quickstart repeats those three steps.

Homebrew. You can install the same app with Homebrew. The installation guide says Homebrew downloads the same app but can take care of updates too:

brew install --cask block-goose

If you are on an Apple Mac M3 and goose Desktop shows no window on launch, check that the ~/.config directory has read and write access. The install page says goose needs that access to create the log directory and file, and that the app should load correctly once permissions are granted. It points to the Known Issues Guide for the permission steps.

Linux

Install Desktop from the browser. The install page offers a DEB package for Ubuntu/Debian, an RPM package for RHEL/Fedora, and a Flatpak build labeled universal.

For Debian and Ubuntu-based distributions, download the DEB file, navigate to the directory where it is saved in a terminal, and run:

sudo dpkg -i (filename).deb

Substitute the downloaded filename, then launch goose from the app menu.

The installation guide does not print RPM or Flatpak commands. Use the package buttons on that page for those formats.

Windows

Download the Windows build from the install page, unzip the zip file, and run the executable to launch goose Desktop. The quickstart uses the same unzip-and-run steps.

Choose a provider on the welcome screen

The quickstart says goose works with supported LLM providers that give goose the AI intelligence it needs to understand your requests. On first use, you are prompted to configure a preferred provider.

The Desktop welcome screen lists these options:

Quick Setup with API Key. goose automatically configures your provider based on your API key.
ChatGPT Subscription. Sign in with your ChatGPT Plus/Pro credentials to access GPT-5 Codex models.
Agent Router by Tetrate. Access multiple AI models with automatic setup.
OpenRouter. Access 200+ models with one API using pay-per-use pricing.
Other Providers. Manually configure additional providers through settings.

For this quickstart, choose Agent Router by Tetrate. The page says to see Configure LLM Provider for more on the other options. That extra provider setup is not spelled out on the welcome screen.

Reach a first session with Tetrate

Tetrate, in the quickstart's words, provides access to multiple AI models with built-in rate limiting and automatic failover.

After you choose Agent Router by Tetrate, goose opens a browser so you can authenticate with Tetrate, or create a new account if you do not have one already. When you return to the goose desktop app, the quickstart says you are ready to begin your first session.

The quickstart also states a credits offer: you will receive $10 in free credits the first time you automatically authenticate with Tetrate through goose. The offer is available to both new and existing Tetrate users.

That is the end of the documented Desktop handoff into a session. The Tetrate section does not include a sample message or a named input control. The quickstart outline says the tutorial goes on to building a small app and adding an MCP server. Follow the quickstart for those steps.

Update the Desktop app

The installation guide says it is best to periodically update goose. It does not give a separate Desktop update command. If you installed with the Homebrew cask, the same page says Homebrew can take care of updates too.

CLI, the docs' other install

Install the CLI only if you want the terminal version. It is not required for the Desktop session above. On macOS or Linux, the documented script is:

curl -fsSL https://github.com/aaif-goose/goose/releases/download/stable/download_cli.sh | bash

The installation guide says this fetches the latest version and sets goose up on your system. To install without interactive configuration, disable CONFIGURE:

curl -fsSL https://github.com/aaif-goose/goose/releases/download/stable/download_cli.sh | CONFIGURE=false bash

On macOS, Homebrew can install a precompiled CLI and take care of updates:

brew install block-goose-cli

To configure a provider in the terminal, the quickstart says to run:

goose configure

Select Configure Providers from the menu and press Enter. For the quickstart example, select Tetrate Agent Router Service and press Enter. The menu labels it an enterprise router for AI models. You are then asked to enter TETRATE_API_KEY. Desktop does not show that prompt for this example; it opens a browser instead.

The $10 Tetrate credits note is repeated on the CLI side of the quickstart.

Windows CLI install is separate. The installation guide lists Git Bash, MSYS2, or PowerShell, plus an optional WSL path. The quickstart says to learn the prerequisites in the installation guide. If you see a PATH warning, add goose to your PATH before running goose configure. If prompted during configuration, choose to not store to keyring. Use the installation guide for those Windows steps.

On macOS and Linux, update the CLI with:

goose update

What to do next

Install Desktop from the download buttons or, on macOS, with brew install --cask block-goose. Launch the app and pick a welcome-screen provider. To follow the worked example, choose Agent Router by Tetrate, finish the browser sign-in, and return to the desktop app. That is when the quickstart says the first session can begin. Then read the official quickstart for the small-app and MCP-server steps, and use the installation guide when you update or when an M3 Mac shows no window.