Installation

TatsuCode is a portable application — no installation required. Download, extract, and run.

System Requirements

Download

Windows

Download from the TatsuCode website:

• Windows x64 — For most Windows PCs
• Windows ARM64 — For ARM-based devices (Surface Pro X, Snapdragon laptops)

First Launch

1. Extract the ZIP file to a folder (only contains tatsu.exe file)
2. Double-click tatsu.exe
3. If prompted about WebView2, install it (see below)
4. TatsuCode opens and you're ready to configure

tatsu.exe will not run from system or Windows folders to prevent damaging Operating System.

WebView2 Runtime

TatsuCode requires Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime.

• Windows 11: Included by default
• Windows 10: Usually pre-installed via Windows Update

If you see "WebView2 Runtime not found":

1. Download from Microsoft WebView2
2. Run the installer
3. Restart TatsuCode

Setting Up AI Access

After launching, configure AI access with:

/connect

/providers is still available as an alias.

Option 1: Use Your Existing Subscription (Recommended)

If you already use GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT Plus/Pro, or Gemini Advanced, connect them directly:

Pricing and model availability change over time. For Copilot details, see GitHub Copilot plans and supported models.

To connect:

1. Click "Connect" next to your provider
2. Sign in when the browser opens
3. Approve access
4. Done — your models appear in /models

Cost: $0 additional — uses your existing subscription's quota.

Option 2: OpenRouter API

Access 200+ models with pay-per-use pricing:

1. Create an account at openrouter.ai
2. Generate an API key
3. In TatsuCode, enter the key in the OpenRouter section
4. Add credits to your OpenRouter account

Option 3: Local Models (Offline)

Run AI completely offline with Ollama, LM Studio, or any OpenAI-compatible server:

1. Install and start your local model server
2. In /connect (or /providers), add a custom provider
3. Enter the server URL shown by your local model runtime

See Local Models setup for detailed guidance.

Running from Terminal

To launch TatsuCode from any terminal:

/add-tatsu

This adds TatsuCode to your system PATH. Then you can run:

# Open TatsuCode in current directory
tatsu

# Open TatsuCode in a specific project
tatsu /path/to/project

Updating

TatsuCode checks for updates automatically. When a new version is available, a banner appears.

To update manually:

1. Download the new version
2. Extract to a new folder (or replace existing files)
3. Run the new executable

Your settings and credentials (including credentials.enc) persist across updates in local user data storage.

Uninstalling

To completely remove TatsuCode:

Quick Removal

1. Delete the application folder
2. That's it — TatsuCode makes no registry changes

Full Removal (Including Settings and all Chat History)

Use the built-in removal command:

/remove-tatsu

This opens a dialog where you can:

• Remove from PATH (if added)
• Delete configuration files
• Delete session history
• Delete cached data

Or manually delete local TatsuCode app data according to your organization’s policy.

Troubleshooting

Application won't start

1. Ensure all files are extracted (don't run from inside the ZIP)
2. Try running as administrator
3. Check for antivirus blocking

Antivirus warnings

TatsuCode may be flagged as unknown software. It's safe to use:

• Add an exception for the TatsuCode folder
• Releases are signed with a trusted certificate

WebView2 issues

If WebView2 installation fails:

1. Try the standalone installer from Microsoft
2. Run Windows Update
3. Restart your computer

See Troubleshooting for more solutions.

Next Steps

• Quickstart — Your first coding session
• Providers — Detailed provider setup
• Commands — All slash commands