Install and run Cutlass

Download the alpha

Download Cutlass from the website downloads page. Builds are tagged alpha releases and are served from Cutlass release assets.

Use the newest release unless you are testing a specific regression:

# source build alternative
git clone https://github.com/1Mr-Newton/cutlass
cd cutlass
cargo run -p cutlass-desktop

macOS first launch

macOS is the primary working desktop media target today.

1. Download the macOS Apple Silicon zip.
2. Unzip it.
3. Drag Cutlass.app into Applications.
4. On first launch, right-click the app and choose Open.

Alpha builds are not notarized yet, so Gatekeeper can block a normal double-click launch until you approve the app once through the context menu.

Windows and Linux

Windows and Linux builds are preview packages. The editor UI runs, but native media decode and export are not implemented on those desktop backends yet. Imported media will not play there until those media stacks land.

Use these packages only if you are testing UI behavior, packaging, or future platform work.

Open a media file

On macOS, launch Cutlass and import footage from the media library or open a file directly from source builds:

cargo run -p cutlass-desktop -- path/to/video.mp4

Media is referenced from its current disk location. If you move a project between machines, Cutlass may ask you to relink missing media.