Download and install Cowork Island on macOS.

1. Open CoworkIsland-1.1-b143.dmg and drag Cowork Island into Applications.
2. Open Cowork Island from Applications. macOS may ask you to confirm that you want to open an app downloaded from the internet.
3. The Island appears at the top of your screen: beneath the notch, or at the top edge on a display without one, including an external monitor.
4. Cowork Island has no Dock icon. By default, it has no menu bar item either. Point at the Island to expand it, then click the gear to open Settings.

If macOS reports that the app is damaged or cannot verify its developer, stop and contact support with the exact message. You do not need to disable Gatekeeper to follow this guide.

Accessibility

Lets Cowork Island restore a minimized window during Jump (clicking a session to go back to its window, tab or pane) and switch to a session's tab in Warp. The actions available depend on the source app.

To grant access, or restore it after denying, open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility and turn on Cowork Island. If it is not in the list, click + and add Cowork Island from Applications.

Automation

Lets Cowork Island read window and tab titles from supported terminal apps and control them when you jump to a session. macOS asks separately for the app being controlled.

If you denied Automation for your terminal app, turn it back on in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Automation.

Hook-based status updates are separate from these window-control permissions. A session can report activity even when a particular Jump action is unavailable.

Apple's guides to Accessibility and Automation. Sources checked 20 September 2026.

Tools the app finds on your Mac now connect on their own. Codex, Cline and any tool you add yourself stay off until you switch them on. Turn those on in Settings > Agents. You can turn integrations off in Settings. Claude Cowork and Claude Chat have their switches under Cowork, Chat & Codex.

For integrations that use hooks or plugins, Cowork Island adds them to the tool's configuration so the Island can receive session updates. These entries sit alongside your existing hooks.

Reinstall repairs the integrations that are switched on. Uninstall removes Cowork Island's hooks and switches its integrations off.

Available actions vary by integration: seeing a session does not mean every approval or question can be answered from the Island.

A supported request that needs your attention appears in Needs you. You can see the current coverage in supported tools and the product FAQ.

An SSH session in a local terminal is not enough on its own to report a remote agent. Add the host or SSH alias in Settings > Remote and connect it. Cowork Island installs its remote hooks on that machine and forwards supported events over SSH to the Island on your Mac. This needs working non-interactive SSH authentication, Python 3 on the remote host and permission to install those hooks. The built-in remote installer covers Claude Code, Qoder, Codex, CodeBuddy, TraeCli and OpenCode. Jump and the button that opens a session's folder are not available for remote sessions.

Free is permanent and shows one session at a time. An optional 7-day Pro trial needs no payment details; afterwards the app returns to Free. Pro is a one-time purchase for 1, 2 or 3 Macs, and Early Bird takes €5 off each list price: 1 Mac €9.99 (list €14.99), 2 Macs €14.99 (list €19.99), 3 Macs €19.99 (list €24.99). Taxes are shown before purchase. See the full Free and Pro comparison.

1. While the app is still installed, open Settings > Agents > Management and choose Uninstall. Wait for Hooks uninstalled. If a configuration file is reported as a failure, resolve that error before removing any support files.
2. If you have a Pro license and want to free its seat, use Settings > License > Deactivate this Mac.
3. Quit Cowork Island, then move it from Applications to the Trash.

The app also keeps local support files in ~/.perch/. After removing the hooks and quitting, you can review that folder in Finder with Go > Go to Folder before deleting any remaining Cowork Island data you no longer need. Removing the app alone does not remove its hooks or this folder.

Remote hosts need separate cleanup. Removing a host from the app disconnects it; it does not uninstall the files already written on that remote machine. Contact support for help removing those entries without disturbing other hooks.

This guide is written by Cowork Island's maker. For installation problems or corrections, email support@coworkisland.com or open an issue on GitHub.