Install & first run¶

Requirements¶

• macOS 26 or newer on Apple Silicon.
• Roughly 1–3 GB of disk for models, depending on which you choose.

Install¶

Download the latest release, open the disk image, and drag Rex into Applications.

The rex command-line tool ships inside the app. Onboarding offers to install it (a symlink at ~/.local/bin/rex), and Settings › General › Command line manages it later. Make sure ~/.local/bin is on your PATH.

First launch¶

The onboarding window walks through:

1. Microphone - standard macOS prompt.
2. System Audio Recording - macOS asks the first time Rex taps system audio. Without it the system track is silent (and there is no API to check the grant - Settings › Permissions › Run Test plays a tone and listens for it).
3. Accessibility - optional; lets Rex read meeting window titles to name recordings.
4. Your microphone and your name (shown as the You speaker).
5. Optionally installing the rex command-line tool to ~/.local/bin.

Then click Record in the menu bar, say something, click Stop. The transcript appears in the main window (menu bar › Open Rex) a little later; the first run downloads the models (Parakeet ≈ 500 MB, VAD and diarizer a few MB).

Check the setup¶

rex doctor          # config, models, permissions, mic, logs, workflows, rex:// registration
rex doctor --probe  # also plays a tone and checks the system-audio tap hears it
rex devices         # which mic Rex will use