Install Cove on macOS

macOS 11 or later · Apple silicon or Intel · Last updated October 30, 2026

Two steps, about a minute: pick the build that matches your Mac, then clear Gatekeeper's one-time ask on first launch. Your hosts and keys live in an encrypted vault on your machine — nothing to configure before the first run.

1 · Pick your build

Not sure which Mac you have? Click the Apple menu () → About This Mac: anApple M-series chip means Apple Silicon; anIntel processor means Intel. Both builds run on macOS 11 Ventura or later.

Apple SiliconM1, M2, M3, M4 and laterCove-aarch64.dmgIntelIntel-based MacsCove-x86_64.dmg

2 · First launch — the one-time Gatekeeper ask

Cove isn't notarized with an Apple Developer signature yet, so Gatekeeper stops the very first launch. That is a generic gate for unsigned apps — not a malware finding. Here is the 30-second way through.

  1. 01

    Install the app

    Open the downloaded DMG and drag Cove into Applications. The first double-click is stopped by Gatekeeper — dismiss the dialog it shows; there is nothing to confirm in it yet.

  2. 02

    Open Anyway in System Settings

    Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and scroll to the Security section. Under “Allow applications from”, macOS notes that “Cove” was blocked — click Open Anyway.

  3. 03

    Confirm — not Move to Trash

    Authenticate with Touch ID or your login password, then click Open Anyway in the Open “Cove”? sheet. Cove starts, and macOS remembers the decision: the warning never appears again.

System Settings → Privacy & Security showing “Cove” was blocked to protect your Mac, with the Open Anyway button
Step 2 — the Open Anyway button in Privacy & Security
The Open “Cove” confirmation sheet with Move to Trash and Open Anyway buttons
Step 3 — confirm Open Anyway, not Move to Trash

Terminal alternative

On macOS 15+ the old right-click → Open shortcut no longer bypasses Gatekeeper. Terminal users can skip the dialogs by clearing the download quarantine flag instead — only for apps from a source you trust:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Cove.app

Updating

Cove checks for updates in the background and applies them in-app — you don't need to revisit this page for new versions. Prefer manual updates? Download the new DMG and drag it over the old app in Applications: the vault and its data live separately and survive every update untouched.

Uninstalling

Drag Cove from Applications to the Trash — that removes the app itself. Your encrypted vault file stays behind in~/Library/Application Support until you delete it there, so an accidental uninstall never costs you your hosts and keys.

Why the warning at all?

Signed-and-notarized builds are on the roadmap — notarization requires an Apple Developer Program membership, and we're a small project funding itself through licenses. Until then, Gatekeeper treats Cove exactly like every unsigned app: it asks once, you confirm, and it never asks again for that install. Nothing about the warning suggests the app is dangerous — it means macOS simply hasn't seen an Apple-stamped signature.