Skip to Content
GuidesDesktop App

Desktop App

The INFER desktop app is a native macOS application for node operators. It provides system tray integration, native notifications, and automatic LLM runtime detection.

Installation

  1. Download the DMG from inferexchange.com/download 
    • Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4): Download the arm64 version
    • Intel: Download the x64 version
  2. Open the DMG and drag INFER to your Applications folder
  3. Launch INFER from Applications or Spotlight

System Requirements

  • macOS 12 Monterey or later
  • Apple Silicon or Intel processor
  • 4GB+ GPU VRAM (for node operators)

First Launch

  1. Sign in with your INFER account (email/password or Google)
  2. The app loads the INFER dashboard from inferexchange.com
  3. A menu bar icon appears showing your node status

Features

System Tray

The menu bar icon shows your node status:

  • 🟢 Online & Serving — Your node is actively handling requests
  • 🟡 Online, No Requests — Your node is online but idle
  • 🔴 Offline — Your node or LLM runtime is not responding
  • ⚪ Unknown — Status hasn’t been checked yet

Right-click (or click on macOS) the tray icon for quick navigation to Dashboard, Marketplace, Operator Dashboard, and Live Earnings.

LLM Auto-Detection

The app automatically detects LLM runtimes running on your machine:

  • Ollama on port 11434
  • Exo on port 52415

When detected, you can register your node with one click — the app pre-fills your GPU info, available models, and endpoint.

Native Notifications

Receive macOS notifications for:

  • New earnings received
  • Node went offline
  • LLM runtime stopped
  • Low balance warnings

Click any notification to navigate directly to the relevant dashboard.

Auto-Updates

The app checks for updates automatically and prompts you to install when a new version is available. Updates are downloaded in the background and applied on restart.

Keyboard Shortcuts

ShortcutAction
⌘1Dashboard
⌘2Marketplace
⌘3API Keys
⌘4Add Funds
⌘5Usage Logs
⌘6Operator Dashboard
⌘7Live Earnings
⌘[Back
⌘]Forward
⌘,Preferences

Deep Linking

The app registers the infer:// protocol. Links like infer://dashboard or infer://operator open the corresponding page in the desktop app.

Offline Mode

If your internet connection is unavailable, the app falls back to an embedded server with a cached version of the frontend. When connectivity returns, it automatically switches back to the live site.

Troubleshooting

”Unable to Connect” Screen

This means the app cannot reach inferexchange.com. Check:

  1. Your internet connection
  2. Whether inferexchange.com is accessible in your browser
  3. Any firewall or VPN that may be blocking the connection

Click Retry to try again, or the app will automatically reconnect when the server becomes reachable.

Google Sign-In Not Working

Ensure you’re using app version 1.1.0 or later. Earlier versions had an issue where Google OAuth would open in the system browser instead of completing within the app.

LLM Runtime Not Detected

  • Verify Ollama is running: ollama list should return your models
  • Verify Exo is running: check http://localhost:52415/health
  • The app checks every 15 seconds; wait for the next poll cycle
EarningsConcepts