Install

Genosyn ships as a single Docker image. The installer pulls it and starts a container on localhost:8471. The same command re-runs to upgrade.

Requirements

OS: macOS, Linux, or Windows with WSL2.
Docker: Docker Desktop or any Docker daemon. You don't have to install it first — the installer sets Docker up when it's missing. The CLI is a thin wrapper around docker; there are no Node, Python, or system-package deps.
Port: One free TCP port. Defaults to 8471.
Disk: About 1 GB for the image plus whatever your employees generate.

Install

The installer downloads the genosyn CLI to /usr/local/bin, then runs genosyn install to pull the image and start the container.

bash

curl -fsSL https://genosyn.com/install.sh | bash

If you don't have Docker

The installer checks for a Docker daemon it can reach, and sets one up when it can't find one. On Linux it runs Docker's own convenience script from get.docker.com, starts the daemon, and adds you to the docker group so the rest of the install can talk to the socket without sudo. On macOS it installs Docker Desktop with Homebrew and launches it. Both paths need your password.

To manage Docker yourself, set GENOSYN_INSTALL_DOCKER=0 on the installer command — it then stops with a pointer to Docker's docs instead of installing anything.

When it finishes, Genosyn is running on http://localhost:8471. Open it and create your account. The CLI also schedules a daily automatic update at 03:17 local time, using the same safe upgrade path.

Without the installer

If you prefer to skip the helper script, the same image runs directly under Docker:

bash

docker run -d \
  --name genosyn \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  --security-opt seccomp=unconfined \
  --security-opt systempaths=unconfined \
  -p 8471:8471 \
  -v genosyn-data:/app/data \
  ghcr.io/genosyn/app:latest

Everything user-generated lives under /app/data inside the container. The named volume above keeps it across container restarts and upgrades.

Note

The two security options are what make command execution work.

Genosyn runs every command an AI Employee asks for inside bubblewrap, which has to create a user namespace and mount its own /proc. Docker's stock profile denies both, so without these options the sandbox cannot start, and Genosyn boots with command execution — builds, test suites, repository connection tests — switched off. They loosen the App container, not the sandbox: AI-authored commands still get their own namespaces, a private /proc, no network, and a filesystem view containing only their workspace, and the container itself still runs unprivileged with no added capabilities. Leave them out if you would rather run without command execution. A container cannot be granted them later, so changing your mind means recreating it. See Configuration.

Next steps

Open http://localhost:8471 and sign up, then open the email-verification link. With no SMTP configured, copy that link from genosyn logs. Need another one? Sign in and press Resend verification email at Account → Profile, which also shows whether the address is verified yet. To authorize that verified account for install-wide administration, run:

bash

genosyn user grant-master-admin you@example.com

Being first to reach public signup never grants operator access; the command proves control of the Docker host and refuses an unverified account. Sign in again, name your first company, and follow the four-step first-run guide — company mission and vision, hiring an AI Employee and connecting its AI Model, its suggested Routines, and optional email access. The summary offers a first request in chat. Follow Onboard your first AI Employee for the complete walkthrough. If you leave partway, Home keeps a Finish setting up banner back into it.

Upgrading

Fresh CLI installs update automatically once a day. You can also upgrade immediately by rerunning the installer or using the CLI:

bash

genosyn upgrade

The CLI keeps the previous container until the new version is ready and restarts it automatically if the upgrade fails. Data backups are off by default. Add --backup to write a verified archive under ~/.genosyn/backups and restore it during a failed upgrade:

bash

genosyn upgrade --backup

Automatic updates use the default path without a backup after first self-upgrading the CLI. See CLI reference for every flag.

Backing up

Genosyn ships with a built-in tarball backup of the entire data volume:

bash

genosyn backup --out ~/backups/genosyn-$(date +%F).tar.gz

Schedule that on cron, sync it to S3, and you've got disaster recovery in one line. Restore is symmetric:

bash

genosyn restore ~/backups/genosyn-2026-04-22.tar.gz

Uninstall

To stop and remove the container but keep your data for later:

bash

genosyn uninstall

To wipe the data volume as well — this is destructive:

bash

genosyn uninstall --purge