Goose

Goose: Install and first job

This is page 2 of 8 for Goose. It installs the desktop app on Windows 11 or a Mac, turns on the safety switches before anything else, connects a free model, and gives Goose one small job in a folder made just for it.

Install on Windows 11

1. Download the installer

Open the official install page:

https://goose-docs.ai/docs/getting-started/installation

Choose the Windows desktop installer, which is the file named Goose-win32-x64-setup.exe. The direct link is:

https://github.com/aaif-goose/goose/releases/download/stable/Goose-win32-x64-setup.exe

The download buttons use files that Goose labels "stable," and those were updated on 10 November 2026. The newest numbered release on GitHub, v1.59.1 from 14 November, does not list these desktop files, so get them from the install page instead. This guide could not confirm which version number is inside the stable files.

What you should see a downloaded file named Goose-win32-x64-setup.exe.

2. Run the installer

Open the file and follow the setup wizard. Goose installs for your account only, so you do not need administrator rights, and if something asks you to run it as an administrator, say no.

The installer's name says x64, and this guide could not confirm whether the desktop app runs on Windows PCs with an ARM chip.

What you should see the wizard finishes, and Goose is in your Start menu. There may also be a shortcut on the desktop.

3. Open Goose

Open Goose from the Start menu or the desktop shortcut. The first screen asks you to choose a model, so stop there and read "Turn on the safety switches first" below.

What you should see a Goose welcome screen with choices such as Quick Setup with API Key and Other Providers.

To remove Goose later, use Installed apps in Windows Settings. The docs say your settings and chats are kept when you do, and Fixes explains how to remove those too.

Install on a Mac

1. Download the right file

Open the official install page:

https://goose-docs.ai/docs/getting-started/installation

There are two Mac files, so pick the one for your Mac's chip:

If you are not sure which you have, open the Apple menu and choose About This Mac. A line that says Chip with an Apple M name means Apple silicon, and a line that says Processor with Intel means Intel.

As on Windows, these are the "stable" files, updated 10 November 2026. The newest numbered release, v1.59.1, says its Mac desktop builds are "coming soon," so do not look for the Mac files there.

What you should see a downloaded file named Goose.zip or Goose_intel_mac.zip.

2. Unzip and move it

Double-click the zip file to unzip it, then drag the Goose.app that comes out into your Applications folder.

What you should see Goose in your Applications folder.

3. Open Goose

Open Goose from Applications. The first screen asks you to choose a model, so stop there and read the next section.

The docs list one known problem: on a Mac with an M3 chip, Goose can open with no window. That happens when Goose is not allowed to read and write a hidden folder called .config in your home folder. The docs point to their Known Issues page for the fix, and Fixes walks through it.

What you should see a Goose welcome screen with choices such as Quick Setup with API Key and Other Providers.

If you already use Homebrew, the docs also list brew install --cask block-goose. You do not need it, because the download above is the same app.

Turn on the safety switches first

Do this whole section before you give Goose any job.

Goose's welcome screen asks for a model first, and this guide could not confirm whether you can reach Settings before you pick one. If it will not let you through, do "Connect a free model" below, then come straight back here. Do not type a job until this section is done.

1. Switch to Manual Approval

  1. Click the button at the top left to open the sidebar.
  2. Click Settings.
  3. Click Chat.
  4. Under Default Mode, choose Manual Approval.

The four choices on that screen are Completely Autonomous, Manual Approval, Smart Approval, and Chat Only. Do not pick Completely Autonomous, which is where Goose starts. Do not pick Smart Approval either, because it lets Goose approve some actions for you.

This setting applies to new chats. A chat that is already open keeps its old mode, so close it and start a new chat after you change this setting. (The /mode approve command in the Goose docs is for the terminal version only.)

What you should see Manual Approval chosen under Default Mode. Later, when Goose wants to change something, it will show Allow and Deny buttons.

2. Make a new, empty folder

Make one new folder just for Goose, for example goose-tryout inside Documents. Put nothing personal in it, and copy in one harmless file, like a short note you typed yourself.

Goose has no folder lock: the docs do not describe any wall that keeps it inside one folder, and a command Goose runs can reach any file your account can reach. The new folder is where you ask Goose to work, but it does not stop Goose from going somewhere else, so read every request.

What you should see one new folder with one harmless file in it.

3. No email, bank, or Telegram in the first hour

Stay logged out of email, your bank, and online stores in any browser Goose can open.

Do not turn on the Telegram gateway, which lets you chat with Goose from your phone, because the docs do not name a way to block strangers from it.

What you should see no email, bank, or chat app connected to Goose.

4. Set a spend cap at the provider

Goose has no monthly dollar limit of its own, so the only money limit is the one at your provider.

A free Gemini key with no card on file has no bill to cap. If you ever add a paid key, set a monthly limit on that company's website first, before you paste the key into Goose. The screen names for OpenAI and Anthropic are in the safety chapter.

What you should see either a free key with no card, or a monthly limit saved at the paid company.

Connect a free model

1. Get a free Gemini key

Go to Google AI Studio and create an API key, which does not need a card. Keep the key private, and do not paste it into the chat.

What you should see a long key you can copy.

2. Add it to Goose

The path the docs give is:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Click Models.
  3. Click Configure Providers.
  4. Choose Google Gemini and paste your key where it asks.

If you are still on the welcome screen, it lists choices such as Quick Setup with API Key and Other Providers. This guide could not confirm which one leads straight to Google Gemini, so use the documented Settings path above.

This guide also could not confirm which Gemini models are on the free tier today, so pick one of the Gemini models Goose shows you.

If Gemini does not work for you, Groq is also in the providers list. Get a key from Groq Console and add it the same way.

What you should see Google Gemini set up as your provider, and a chat box where you can type.

Or use a local model

First install Ollama and download a model that can call tools, using Run a local model with Ollama. A model that cannot call tools can only chat in Goose, and its docs say all extensions must then be off.

Open Settings, click Models, then Configure Providers, and choose Ollama. Goose looks for Ollama at localhost:11434 unless you set OLLAMA_HOST, so if it asks for a host, enter http://localhost:11434.

What you should see the models you downloaded in Ollama offered in Goose's model list, then a reply when you say hello.

Your first safe job

Start a new chat, and check that it is in Manual Approval.

Then tell Goose where your new folder is. On Windows 11, right-click the folder and choose Copy as path. On a Mac, right-click the folder, hold the Option key, and choose Copy as Pathname. Paste that path into your message.

You can type:

Work only in this folder: (paste the folder path here). Read the one file in it. Then write a new short note in the same folder that sums it up. Do not touch any other folder.

When Goose shows Allow and Deny, read what it wants to do before you click.

Goose decides which actions need your yes. The docs call that a "best effort," and the model makes the call, so some actions, like reading a file, may not ask at all.

When it is done, open the folder yourself to check.

What you should see your original file, plus one new note. Nothing else should have changed.

Sources

Checked 14 November 2026.

Next

Next: Files, the web, and memory.

Checked 14 November 2026 · prices, limits, and versions change