Getting started

Installing Chismoso

Download and install Chismoso on Windows, macOS or Linux, and get past the first-launch warnings.

Chismoso is a single small download (under 10 MB) with no other software to install first. Get the right file from the download page, which picks your system automatically, or from the GitHub releases page.

#What you need

• A Frigate server you can reach from this computer, on your network or over a VPN. Live view and exports work with current Frigate versions; recordings playback needs Frigate 0.17 or newer.
• A Frigate account if you connect on port 8971 (the normal, authenticated port). See Signing in.
• Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit), macOS 11 or newer (Apple Silicon or Intel), or a 64-bit Linux desktop with WebKitGTK 4.1 (for example Ubuntu 22.04 or newer).

#Windows

1. Download the Installer (.exe). There's also an MSI package for managed or scripted installs.
2. Run it. Windows may show a blue Windows protected your PC (SmartScreen) message, because the installer isn't code-signed yet. Choose More info, then Run anyway.
3. Start Chismoso from the Start menu.

Chismoso uses WebView2, the web view that's already part of Windows 10 and 11, so there's nothing else to install.

#macOS

There are two builds. Pick the one for your Mac:

Not sure? Apple menu → About This Mac: a Chip line means Apple Silicon, a Processor line means Intel.

1. Open the .dmg and drag Chismoso into Applications.
2. The first time, right-click (or Control-click) Chismoso in Applications and choose Open, then Open again. macOS asks because the app isn't notarized by Apple yet. You only need to do this once.

Tip

If macOS says the app "is damaged and can't be opened", it's the same quarantine check being stricter. Run this once in Terminal, then open the app normally:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/Chismoso.app"

To get notifications, allow them when asked, or later in System Settings → Notifications → Chismoso.

#Linux

Pick the package for your distribution:

The .deb and .rpm packages pull in the GStreamer plugins that video playback needs. If you use the AppImage and recordings or live MSE video stay black, install them yourself:

# Debian / Ubuntu
sudo apt install gstreamer1.0-plugins-good gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad gstreamer1.0-libav
# Fedora (gstreamer1-libav comes from RPM Fusion)
sudo dnf install gstreamer1-plugins-good gstreamer1-plugins-bad-free gstreamer1-libav

#Hardware video decoding

On Linux the web view decodes video through GStreamer, which uses the processor unless a hardware plugin is installed. With several cameras playing, hardware decoding cuts CPU use a lot. The Load screen tells you which one you have. To add it:

• Intel or AMD graphics: gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad (its va plugin) or gstreamer1.0-vaapi
• NVIDIA: gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad (its nvcodec plugin)

Restart Chismoso afterwards.

Note

On Linux, live video uses MSE rather than WebRTC, because WebKitGTK doesn't support WebRTC. It works over the same HTTPS port as everything else, so there's nothing to configure. See Getting the best live video.

#Updating and uninstalling

Chismoso checks GitHub for new versions and offers to update. You can also install a newer download over the old one; your settings are kept. See Updates.

To uninstall, use your system's usual way: Settings → Apps on Windows, drag to the Trash on macOS, or your package manager on Linux (sudo apt remove chismoso, sudo dnf remove chismoso). For the AppImage, delete the file.

#Next

Sign in to your Frigate server.