Getting started

Morrow is a native macOS menu bar app and CLI. Both use the same databases, development runtimes, settings, and data folders. This developer preview supports Apple silicon (M-series) Macs running macOS 14 and later.

Install the app

1. Download the latest signed app and open the ZIP archive.
2. Move Morrow.app into your Applications folder.
3. Open Morrow from Applications. Its icon appears in your menu bar.
4. Follow the setup assistant, or choose Finish Later to configure optional features when you need them.

The app includes its CLI. Database servers and runtimes download only when needed, with no package manager required. Compatible existing installations can also be reused. See Binary downloads for details.

Morrow supports Apple silicon Macs running macOS 14 or later. Some runtimes need a newer system; selectors filter incompatible packages. Building the application yourself is optional—see Contributing for source-build instructions.

First-launch setup

New workspaces open a setup assistant. Choose launch at login, the optional morrow command, and local project domains. Existing workspaces keep their settings and are not forced through onboarding. Reopen the assistant from General → Open Setup Assistant.

Choose Allow Morrow Setup to review a native in-app explanation, then continue to macOS approval. Local domains require one-time approval for Morrow in macOS System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions. The native helper handles only local DNS and standard-port setup; no sudo password is stored. Database and runtime management work without that helper. You can finish later and enable local domains when needed.

Settings and app updates

Settings uses one fixed-size window with native macOS window controls. Each page keeps its title above the scrolling content, with soft translucent backdrops at the header and bottom edge. Cards share the same warm-gray surface and text gutters in light and dark appearances. Inset actions derive their outside corners from the surrounding card, use matching border weights, and keep an even gap around the edges; paired actions round only their outside corners. The edge fades remain in place as content scrolls beneath them, so no delayed shadow appears or disappears. They introduce no animation, including with Reduce Motion enabled.

General groups startup permissions, Appearance, Menu Bar, Command Line, and iCloud Sync. Choose System, Light, or Dark from the visible theme choices. About contains app update controls and links to documentation, source code, and issue reporting.

In signed releases, choose About → Check for Updates…, or enable Automatically check for updates. Morrow uses Sparkle's native update window and verifies downloaded updates before installation. Updating the menu bar app does not upgrade your databases or runtimes. Development builds keep their local version and disable app updates. Builds predating the updater need one manual installation of a current signed release from GitHub Releases.

Create a database

General → Background access displays the native helper's current permission. Morrow refreshes it when returning from System Settings and while monitoring, so an already allowed helper is not shown as needing approval. Approval and successful routing are separate checks; a helper can be allowed while local domains still need setup.

In Settings, open Databases → New Instance. Choose the engine and version, enter a name, and click Create Instance. The default Start after creating option starts it immediately.

Morrow finds compatible existing binaries, including Homebrew, PATH, Herd, and Postgres.app installations. If the requested version is missing, creation downloads a compatible catalog distribution. If a release is not published, use an existing installation or choose a published version. Port conflicts and duplicate names are rejected before downloading or initializing data.

After installing the optional CLI below, the equivalent terminal command is:

Copymorrow db create postgresql my-app --version 17 --start
morrow db list

Install the morrow command

Open Settings → General → Command Line → Install CLI. Morrow links the command bundled in your installed app; no source checkout is needed.

Add your local bin directory to PATH in ~/.zshrc if needed:

Copyexport PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"

Open a new terminal and run morrow --help. An existing command at the destination is preserved rather than silently overwritten.

Connect your application

Copymorrow db connection my-app

Copy the returned address into your application’s database settings. For PostgreSQL, a typical address is postgresql://postgres@127.0.0.1:5432/postgres. The selected port may differ if the default was already occupied.

This preview is for local development. Instances bind to 127.0.0.1 and use passwordless local accounts. Remote hosting and authenticated instance configuration are planned separately.

Manage development runtimes

Open Settings → Runtimes to select PHP, Go, Flutter, Node.js, Python, or Ruby. Existing versions are reused. Morrow handles downloads automatically: Node and other missing releases use its bundled distribution source; Go can also use official archives. Installation and updates use complete native packages. Installation discovery is cached rather than repeated on each navigation. See Applications and runtimes for Terminal setup and companion commands.

Set up another Mac

Open Settings → General → iCloud Sync and choose a folder inside iCloud Drive on both Macs. Enable automatic setup on the Mac that should install missing services. Read iCloud workspace sync for setup, data boundaries, and retry controls.

Host local projects

Use the + menu beside Settings → Sites → Projects, then Project Directories to park PHP/static project folders. Use morrow site link --port 3000 from another web project’s folder to route its development server. Read Sites and project directories for local DNS, suffix selection, and HTTPS setup.

Add local S3 storage

Open Settings → Object Storage → Create S3 Server to run MinIO and configure buckets. The equivalent CLI command is morrow storage create local-s3 --start. Read Local S3 storage for application settings and credential access.

Find your preferences and logs

General is a single scrollable page with grouped headings for appearance, menu bar, command line, and iCloud sync. Shared cards and controls use subtle neutral surfaces that adapt to light and dark appearance. Service cards provide their own logs and configuration actions. The sidebar groups Projects, Services, and App for navigation; it has no separate Logs item.