Loam is free and open source for macOS. Your notes stay plain Markdown files on your disk. Download for macOS.[Download for macOS.]
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Install Loam

.md

Install Loam and the loam command line with one command, on macOS 26 with Apple silicon.

One command installs Loam in /Applications, links the loam command line into ~/.local/bin and opens the app. Run it in Terminal:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Azilone/loam-releases/main/install.sh | bash

What you need

  • A Mac with Apple silicon, running macOS 26 or later.

What the command does

  1. Reads the latest release from the releases repository.
  2. Downloads it and checks that it arrived intact (SHA-256).
  3. Puts Loam.app in /Applications, or in ~/Applications when /Applications is not writable.
  4. Links the command line: ~/.local/bin/loam.
  5. Opens Loam.

Options: --no-cli skips the command line, --no-open leaves the app closed, --beta takes the beta channel. Pass them after bash -s --.

If loam is not found, ~/.local/bin is not on your PATH. Add it: echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc, then open a new Terminal window.

Updates

Loam checks for a new version once a day and downloads it in the background. Every update is signed, and Loam installs only what the project signed. Settings > About shows the version, Restart to Update installs a downloaded one, and you can pick the stable or beta channel there. Running the install command again also updates Loam.

Check the install

List every command:

loam list
For AI agents: loam skill install installs the Loam skill, which tells an agent to read loam guide first.

Build from source

Contributors build Loam with Swift 6.2. Clone the repository, run make test-vault to make a demo vault, then make run to build the app and open it on that vault. Plugins from other people are compiled on your Mac too, so installing one needs Swift 6.2 (Xcode or the Command Line Tools).