v5.0.0-alpha.3.1 — cross-platform companion (Linux + macOS)

What this is

v5.0.0-alpha.3.1 is the cross-platform companion to v5.0.0-alpha.3. Same codebase, plus Linux + macOS (Apple Silicon + Intel) binaries that weren't ready when alpha.3 first shipped.

If you're already on Windows alpha.3 via the in-app updater, you'll be offered this as a tiny delta package — nothing changes for you behaviourally.

What's new for Linux / macOS users — first-ever native Genie client

🐧 Linux x64

• Genie5.AppImage — single-file executable. Run chmod +x Genie5.AppImage && ./Genie5.AppImage. Works on Ubuntu / Fedora / Debian / Arch / etc.
• In-app auto-update works via the integrated updater on subsequent releases.

🍎 macOS Apple Silicon (M1+)

• Genie5-osx-Setup.pkg — Apple .pkg installer.
• Genie5-osx-Portable.zip — drag-the-app-to-Applications portable bundle.

🍎 macOS Intel (pre-2020 Macs)

• Genie5-osx-x64-Setup.pkg / Genie5-osx-x64-Portable.zip — same as above, x86_64 binary.

Downloads — pick one

Windows:

• Genie5-win-Setup.exe (recommended) — installs, registers for auto-update
• Genie5-win-Portable.zip — portable / no-install

Linux:

• Genie5.AppImage — universal portable executable

macOS (Apple Silicon, M1 / M2 / M3+):

• Genie5-osx-Setup.pkg (recommended)
• Genie5-osx-Portable.zip — drag to Applications

macOS (Intel, pre-2020):

• Genie5-osx-x64-Setup.pkg (recommended)
• Genie5-osx-x64-Portable.zip

The other assets (*-full.nupkg, releases.{platform}.json, etc.) are the per-platform Velopack feed manifests that the in-app updater reads. You don't download these directly.

Important caveats — read before you run

macOS users — Gatekeeper warning expected.

This binary is unsigned (Apple Developer ID + notarization is on the post-alpha roadmap). First-time launch will be blocked by Gatekeeper. Two ways past it:

1. Right-click → Open (instead of double-click). Confirm "Open" in the dialog. macOS remembers and stops asking.
2. Or run in Terminal: xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Genie5.app (substitute the actual path)

Linux AppImage users — manual permissions.

AppImage needs execute permission and (often) FUSE support:

chmod +x Genie5.AppImage
./Genie5.AppImage

If you get a "FUSE not installed" error, on Debian/Ubuntu: sudo apt install libfuse2. On Fedora: it should work out of the box.

The AppImage doesn't auto-register in the apps menu. Use AppImageLauncher if you want desktop integration.

Minimal Linux distros may need fontconfig.

Avalonia uses the system's font configuration. Modern Ubuntu/Fedora handle this fine. On bare-bones distros, you may need sudo apt install fontconfig or equivalent for proper text rendering.

Windows users — SmartScreen warning unchanged from alpha.3.

This release is still unsigned for Windows too. Click "More info" → "Run anyway." SignPath Foundation onboarding is in progress; the next release is expected to be the first signed one.

What hasn't changed from alpha.3

Everything in the alpha.3 release notes — integrated updater, plugin system, per-profile layouts, the whole feature set. This release adds platforms; it doesn't add new features.

In-app upgrade path

From alpha.3 (Windows) → alpha.3.1 (Windows): in-app, via Help → Check for Updates. Tiny delta download (only the bytes that changed, which is just the Velopack manifests).

For first-time installs on Linux / macOS: download Setup.pkg or AppImage from this release page. After that, in-app updates handle subsequent releases.

Thanks

@dylb0t (Kzin) for documentation contributions and the Profiles issue diagnosis.

Reporting issues

Linux and macOS are alpha-tier brand-new platforms for this project. CI builds them cleanly but no live-app smoke test has happened on either OS yet. First-tester reports — what works, what's broken, what shows a weird font — are extremely welcome. File a GitHub issue or drop a note in Discord (shared community server with Genie 4).