Installing Lumide

Lumide is distributed as a native desktop binary for macOS, Windows, and Linux.

Desktop Installation#

macOS#

Download Lumide-macOS-<version>.dmg (e.g. Lumide-macOS-0.21.0.dmg) from lumide.dev or GitHub Releases.
Open the .dmg file and drag Lumide.app into your /Applications folder.
Launch Lumide from Spotlight or Launchpad.

Windows#

Download Lumide-Windows-<version>.zip (e.g. Lumide-Windows-0.21.0.zip) from lumide.dev or GitHub Releases.
Extract the archive to your preferred directory (such as C:\Program Files\Lumide or your user folder).
Run Lumide.exe.

Linux#

Install Lumide using the official one-line setup script:

curl -fsSL https://lumide.dev/install.sh | sh

The script automatically:

Detects your system architecture (x86_64 or arm64).
Downloads and extracts the latest release to ~/.local/opt/lumide.
Creates a CLI symlink at ~/.local/bin/lumide.
Registers the desktop entry (io.sofluffy.lumide.desktop) and high-resolution icon in your desktop environment.

The desktop entry lists Lumide under Open With for text and code files and adds New Window to the launcher's menu. In-app updates rewrite it from the new release. Lumide doesn't register for folders, since a desktop without a default folder app could then open every folder in Lumide; open folders with lumide <folder>, Ctrl + O, or by dropping them on the window.

Alternatively, download Lumide-Linux-<version>-<arch>.tar.gz (e.g. Lumide-Linux-0.21.0-x86_64.tar.gz or Lumide-Linux-0.21.0-arm64.tar.gz) manually from GitHub Releases, extract it, and run Lumide.

Large projects: Lumide watches the project for file changes with inotify. If a big project (lots of node_modules, build output) uses up the system's watches, Lumide shows a notice and stops picking up outside changes. Raise the limit and reopen the project:

echo fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288 | sudo tee /etc/sysctl.d/90-lumide-inotify.conf
sudo sysctl --system

The notice covers folders on your own machine. In a Remote SSH window, or as a guest in a workspace shared from Linux, the watches count against the host's limit, and the window isn't told when the host runs out: it reloads the tree once, then misses later changes. On a large project, raise the limit on the host the same way.

Lumide CLI#

The cross-platform Lumide CLI allows launching, managing, and diagnosing Lumide from your terminal.

Installing the CLI#

Install globally using Dart:

dart pub global activate lumide

Alternatively, install it directly inside Lumide by selecting Lumide -> Install Lumide CLI from the menu bar (macOS) or running Install Lumide CLI into system PATH from the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P). Ensure your pub cache bin directory (~/.pub-cache/bin or %LOCALAPPDATA%\Pub\Cache\bin) is included in your PATH.

CLI Commands#

Command	Action
`lumide .`	Launch Lumide in the current working directory (offers to auto-install if missing).
`lumide <path>`	Open a file or folder, in the Lumide window already running when there is one.
`lumide <folder> <folder>...`	Open the folders in one window: the first as the project, the others added to it .
`lumide <file>.lumide-workspace`	Open a workspace file , in the window that has it open when there is one.
`lumide --add <folder>...`	Add folders to the Lumide window you used last. The Lumide CLI 1.1 and older pass the flag on only after `--` : `lumide -- --add <folder>...` .
`lumide doctor`	Verify installation status, system toolchains, and Dart SDK detection.
`lumide doctor --verbose`	Show executable resolution and test plugin startup processes.
`lumide install`	Download and set up the latest Lumide release.
`lumide install --silent`	Perform an unattended installation for scripts and CI.

In-App Updates#

Lumide checks for new releases on startup (general.check_for_updates):

When an update is detected, an Update Available badge appears in the bottom status bar.
Click the badge to download and apply the update.
Trigger manual update checks at any time via Help -> Check for Updates or the Command Palette (EditorAction.checkForUpdates).

Next Steps#

First-Run Setup — Walk through the onboarding wizard and configure keymaps, themes, and SDKs.
User Interface Tour — Explore the top bar, multi-pane docking system, and status bar.