Installation Guide

Installing Cuena on macOS

Cuena isn’t notarized by Apple yet, so a freshly downloaded copy is quarantined and macOS shows a warning on first launch. Here’s the quick install, plus the one-time fix.

Install in three steps

  1. Download the DMG

    Click Download for Mac (getcuena.com/download). The file is about 180 MB.

  2. Drag Cuena into Applications

    Open the DMG, then drag the Cuena icon into the Applications folder.

  3. Open Cuena

    Double-click Cuena. If macOS says it is damaged, use the one-time fix below — you only do it once.

If macOS says “Cuena is damaged and can’t be opened”

This is the most common first-launch prompt on downloaded builds. Don’t move it to the Trash — and right-clicking → Open won’t clear this one either. Run the command below once to remove the quarantine flag, then Cuena opens normally every time.

  1. Open Terminal

    Applications → Utilities → Terminal (or Spotlight, then type “Terminal”).

  2. Paste this command and press Return

    It clears the download quarantine (and any other extended attributes) so macOS stops blocking it.

    xattr -cr "/Applications/Cuena.app"
  3. Open Cuena again

    Double-click Cuena in Applications — it opens straight away now.

Other prompts & questions

I instead see “unidentified developer.”+

That softer prompt canbe cleared with a right-click: in Applications, Control-click Cuena, choose Open, then confirm. If it still won’t open, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway next to the Cuena notice. (The “is damaged” prompt above needs the Terminal command instead.)

Why does macOS block it at all?+

Cuena currently skips Apple’s notarization step. The build is still ad-hoc signed, so integrity is preserved — macOS just can’t verify an Apple-blessed identity. Notarization is on the roadmap.

Is this safe?+

Download Cuena from the official site or GitHub Release and verify the release version before opening it. Current DMGs are not notarized and do not carry a Developer ID signature.

I clicked Move to Trash by accident.+

Drag Cuena back out of the Trash into Applications, then run the one-time command above.

I’m on Windows.+

A Windows version is coming soon.

Still stuck? Contact usand we’ll help.