# Install and first run

Source: https://ryansam.com/agent-auto-continue/install/
Published: 2026-10-02 Updated: 2026-10-02

You've got `Agent-Auto-Continue.dmg` in Downloads.
Here's the short way from that to a Continue queued for 03:00.

It needs macOS 13 Ventura or later and runs natively on Apple silicon and Intel.
The app and the disk image are signed with a Developer ID and notarised by Apple.

## Install it

1. If you haven't got it yet, use the Download button at the bottom.
2. Open it and drag Agent Auto-Continue onto the Applications folder.
3. Open the app from Applications.
4. macOS asks whether to open an app downloaded from the internet; choose **Open**.
   It's [Gatekeeper's one-time question](https://support.apple.com/en-gb/102445), and it doesn't come back.

Because it's notarised, there's no "unidentified developer" or "damaged" warning.
Every [release](https://github.com/VelvetAcorn/agent-auto-continue/releases) also has a `SHA256SUMS.txt` attached if you'd like to check the download.

## Opened it from the disk image instead?

Easy mistake.
Opened from there or from Downloads, it offers to move itself.

- **Move to Applications** moves it and reopens it from there.
  A copy left behind in Downloads is safe to delete.
- **Not Now** keeps it running where it is.
  It asks again only from the disk image or macOS's temporary spot for fresh downloads, where a copy can't update itself.
- If an older version's already in Applications, it offers to replace it, quitting the old copy first if it's running.
  Your settings and schedules are kept either way.

## Updates

It checks GitHub a minute after launch, then every four hours, and downloads in the background.
When it's ready, an **Update ready** line appears at the top of the popover with **Restart** beside it.
Nothing restarts by itself.
It installs when you quit or press Restart, never mid-send.
Restart asks first if a send's in progress, an agent it started is still working, or a schedule's due within five minutes.

## First run: check your agents

The first launch opens Settings.
Under Settings > Agents, every agent has its status, a **Check** button and an info tip saying what it supports.
Untick **Show** for the ones you don't use (they won't be checked or listed) and use the arrows to put the rest in order.
The CLIs are found automatically; if one isn't, give its executable path there.

![Agent Auto-Continue Settings on first launch with the Agents section open and 6 shown, listing T3 Code, OpenCode, Claude Code, Claude Desktop and Codex, each with a Check button, an info icon, reorder arrows and a Show box. T3 Code is not reachable yet and its token field asks for a bearer token, while the others are connected or open.](https://ryansam.com/_astro/first-run-light.f_R8Ge-J.png)

*First launch opens Settings, so you can see which agents are ready before you schedule anything.*

| Agent | What it needs |
| --- | --- |
| T3 Code | Running, plus a bearer token in Settings |
| OpenCode | A server ([`opencode serve --port 4096`](https://opencode.ai/docs/server/)), its port in Settings, and the password if it sets one |
| Claude Code | [Installed and signed in](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/quickstart) |
| Codex CLI | [Installed and signed in](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/codex/cli) |
| Claude Desktop, ChatGPT app | Running, Accessibility permission for this app, and the Mac unlocked when a message is due |

For the T3 Code token, follow your installed version's auth instructions.
On versions with the session command, it's one line:

```sh
npx t3 auth session issue --token-only --label agent-auto-continue --ttl 365d
```

Accessibility lives in [System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility](https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/mac-help/mh43185/mac).
The app never asks for it with a pop-up, so grant it before you schedule.
Each agent's quirks are on the [supported agents page](https://ryansam.com/agent-auto-continue/agents/).

## Your first Continue

1. Click the menu-bar icon.
2. Pick a conversation; every shown agent's conversations are listed, newest first.
3. Pick when: 5 min, 30 min, 1 hour, Tomorrow 9:00, **When free** or a custom time.
4. For agents that report when a turn finishes, pick how far: **Once**, **Up to** a number of turns, or **Until done**.
5. Press **Continue**.
   The line under it says exactly what will happen, so read it before you go to bed.

The message is `Continue` unless you hover it and press Edit ([what else to say](https://ryansam.com/agent-auto-continue/what-to-say/)).
Right-click the icon for the menu, where **Launch at login** lives.

## Honest notes

- Only one copy runs at a time.
- Close the Claude Code session before its message is due.
  If it's still open, a one-off message waits and retries for up to six hours.
- The Mac has to be awake; [keep-awake](https://ryansam.com/agent-auto-continue/keep-mac-awake/) is off by default.
- No telemetry, analytics or crash reports.
  It only talks to your agents on this Mac and to GitHub for updates.