---
title: Desktop notifier
description: Native macOS / Linux notifications. Silent no-op on Windows.
---

<div style={{ display: "flex", alignItems: "center", gap: "0.75rem", margin: "0.5rem 0 1.25rem" }}>
  <Logo name="apple" size={28} color />
  <span style={{ fontSize: "0.8125rem", color: "var(--color-fd-muted-foreground)" }}>Slot: <code>notifier</code> · Name: <code>desktop</code></span>
</div>

<PlatformSupport macos="full" linux="full" windows="none" note="On Windows this notifier logs a warning and does nothing — use Discord, Slack, or webhook instead." />

## Setup

Run the setup command on macOS:

```bash
ao setup desktop
```

AO asks which desktop backend to use and which notification priorities desktop
should receive: `urgent-only`, `urgent-action`, or `all`. For scriptable setup,
pass `--routing-preset <preset>`.

## Use

```yaml title="agent-orchestrator.yaml"
notifiers:
  desktop:
    plugin: desktop
    backend: ao-app
    dashboardUrl: http://localhost:3000

notificationRouting:
  urgent: [desktop]
  action: [desktop]
```

| Config key | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| `backend` | `auto` | `ao-app`, `terminal-notifier`, `osascript`, or auto fallback |
| `dashboardUrl` | dashboard port | URL opened from desktop notification actions |
| `appPath` | macOS app install path | Custom AO Notifier.app path |

## How it works

- **macOS:** `osascript` runs a `display notification` AppleScript — shows in the Notification Center.
- **Linux:** `notify-send` from `libnotify-bin`. Most desktop environments ship this out of the box.
- **Windows:** logs a warning line and returns. No toast support (yet).

## Troubleshooting

- **macOS 14+ silence.** System Settings → Notifications → Terminal (or your terminal app) → Allow notifications.
- **Linux notify-send not found.** `sudo apt install libnotify-bin` (Debian/Ubuntu) or equivalent.
- **Windows shows no toast.** Expected — this notifier is a no-op on Windows. Add a Discord/Slack/webhook notifier in the same list.