Install Beacon
The current package is named Beacon-AppleSilicon.zip. It requires an Apple Silicon Mac running macOS 15 or later. Intel Macs are unsupported. The app includes Node.js and the agent helpers; you do not need a separate Node.js, npm, Homebrew, or Swift installation.
Install the app bundle
- Extract the supplied
Beacon-AppleSilicon.zippackage. - Move
Beacon.appto/Applicationsor~/Applications. - Open the app once. It installs
~/.local/bin/beaconctlwithout administrator privileges. - In a terminal, check the connection:
beaconctl browser.info
The response describes the WebKit engine and available methods. Browser commands start the app automatically when needed and wait for its local API to become ready.
If the command is unavailable
Use the tool inside the app directly. For an installation in /Applications:
/Applications/Beacon.app/Contents/MacOS/beaconctl browser.info
For a user-local installation, use ~/Applications instead. You can also add ~/.local/bin to your shell's PATH using your normal shell configuration.
To install the shortcut in a different directory:
/Applications/Beacon.app/Contents/MacOS/beaconctl install-cli /your/bin
The installer preserves unrelated files and does not edit shell profiles. Keep the app bundle in place: the shortcut points into it. After moving the app, open it again or run install-cli from its new location.
Follow your first agent task to open and inspect a page.
Install the agent skill
beaconctl skill setup
beaconctl skill status
Setup installs a small pointer in ~/.agents/skills/beacon and
~/.claude/skills/beacon. The pointer tells agents to run beaconctl skill show
for the detailed guide bundled with the current app. Restart your agent session
after setup to refresh skill discovery. Use skill setup --dry-run to preview
changes. These commands work without starting the browser.