Deneb guide

Deneb brings tasks and project memory together. People use the Mac app, while AI sessions work with the same tasks and decisions through Deneb tools.

Install and sign in

You need a Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later) and macOS 14 or later. The home page has an installation command and a .dmg download.

Terminal: copy the command from the page, paste it into Terminal and press Return. The script downloads the latest release, checks its SHA-256 checksum and opens the app. It does not use sudo. If the shared Applications folder is not writable, it uses Applications in your home folder.
A .dmg file: open the disk image and drag Deneb to Applications. If macOS blocks the first launch, open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway and confirm.
Sign in: your server administrator provides an account. Enter your login and password. If two-factor authentication is enabled, enter the code from your authenticator. Check your time zone in profile settings.

After sign-in, Deneb keeps a local copy of the projects you can access. Offline changes are sent when the connection returns; the app shows the sync status.

Projects and folders

A project brings tasks, members, milestones and memory together. Open one from the sidebar or create a new project. Its short key is part of each task number, such as DEN-12.

To link a folder on your Mac to a project, explicitly ask a connected AI session: “This folder also belongs to project DEN. Link it.” The session uses the Deneb tool project_link_folder. Other sessions can then identify the project by the folder or Git repository address. Folders are not added without your request.

Open in on a task opens Claude Code or Codex and inserts a short prompt with the key, title and beginning of the description. You choose the working folder yourself, review the text and press Return. The task moves to In progress. The session reads the full description and relations from Deneb. If the app is unavailable, use Copy as prompt. The selected client must be connected to Deneb.

Tasks and the order of work

Use New issue to create a task. Give it a clear title, a description and acceptance criteria. Descriptions support lists, checklists, links and code blocks.

Status shows the stage: backlog, to do, in progress, in review, done or canceled. Each project can configure its statuses.
Assignee and priority show who is responsible and how important the task is. A due date helps track deadlines.
Subtasks break work into parts. A milestone groups tasks for a stage or release.
Relations express the order of work. If one task depends on another, add a blocking relation; mentioning it in the description does not create a dependency.
Comments and history preserve discussions and field changes. A reference such as DEN-12 links to another task.

Switch between list and board views, filter tasks and choose how to group them. A saved view keeps a useful selection at hand. Inbox collects events that need your attention, and My tasks shows work assigned to you.

Project roadmap

Open a project and choose Roadmap. The canvas shows the same tasks and relations as the list, board and task panel. Use filters to focus on part of the plan.

Add a task: choose New issue, or right-click empty space on the canvas and choose Create issue here.
Arrange nodes: drag a card by its free space. Its position is saved when the drag ends and becomes shared with project members on other devices. Offline changes wait to be sent from this Mac.
Connect tasks: drag from the right handle of one card to the left handle of another. Map relations lets you choose both tasks and the relation type without dragging, and change or remove an existing relation.
Set the order: a Blocks relation shows what must be finished first. A task becomes unblocked when it has no remaining open blockers.
Edit a task: click its title to open the panel, or change its status, assignee or priority directly on the node. The card menu provides the other task actions.

Scroll to zoom, and drag empty space to pan the canvas. Fit to view restores the overview. Auto layout resets manual positions: it changes the shared layout, not just your window. Moving a task to another project also resets its old position.

With the keyboard, Tab to a node, press Return to open its task or Space for a preview. Arrow keys move selected nodes; Shift increases the step. Project viewers can inspect the canvas, find tasks and zoom, but cannot edit tasks, relations or shared positions.

Search and keyboard

Press ⌘K to open the command palette. Type a project, task or action. Use the arrow keys to choose, Return to open and Escape to close.

Search finds tasks by key or words. Filters narrow a list by project, status, assignee, priority and other fields. Available keyboard shortcuts are shown next to commands and in the app menu.

AI sessions

Connect the AI client you want to use in Deneb settings. Claude Code, Codex and other clients use MCP to work with the project. A connection exposes tools; it does not make a session read every note automatically.

At the start of a conversation, ask the session to identify the project for its working folder and read the memory context. Then assign work by task key. A session can take a task, update its state, add comments and leave a result for review.

The main session coordinates a project. Ask it to take this role and maintain a project-state note: what is done, what is in progress and what comes next. This helps a new session continue where the previous one stopped.

AI acts on behalf of the person who connected it. That person's permissions limit access to projects and memory. Deneb does not silently inject instructions or replace an AI client's own memory: sessions read context through explicit tool calls.

Project memory

Keep decisions, working rules and useful facts for future sessions in project memory. Use one note per topic and a short, clear title.

Ask a session to save a specific decision. Update the existing note when a rule changes.
Pinned notes are included in the project's starting context. Pin only what most conversations need.
Version history shows what changed. Archive outdated notes to keep the current context useful while preserving history.
Never save passwords, private keys or tokens in memory.

Memory is available in the app and through Deneb tools. Deneb does not automatically create copies of notes in project folders.

Click Share in your project, choose an existing person and select a role. Sharing your own project does not require server administrator rights. You can share tasks with or without memory. A person without memory access can work with tasks but cannot read the project's notes.

The project appears on that person's devices after syncing. Change or revoke access in the same dialog. Remember that a person may already have read or copied materials they could access.

Account and devices

Review active devices in account settings. Revoke access for a lost Mac or one you no longer use. Enable two-factor authentication if it is not set up. Deneb does not have recovery codes: if you lose the phone with your authenticator, contact the server administrator to reset two-factor authentication.

Only the server administrator can access Accounts, create people or reset someone else's password. You do not need these rights to work on your own projects or share them.

Choose a light theme, a dark theme or the system appearance in settings. The interface is available in Russian and English.

Updates

Deneb checks for updates in the background during the day. When a new version is available, it shows a short list of changes and Update and restart. Sync continues as usual; finish typing any open comment before restarting.

To check manually, open Settings → General → Check for updates. The installed version is shown there too. Updating the app also replaces its bundled local service.

You can also run the installation command from the home page again. It installs the latest version over the previous one. If the downloaded file fails verification, the existing app stays in place.

Troubleshooting

Cannot sign in: check your login, password and the time on your Mac. Contact the server administrator for an account or help restoring access.
Changes are missing on another device: check the network and sync status. Keep local data until you know that pending changes have been sent.
AI cannot see the project: check the client connection, account permissions and linked working folder. Ask the session to identify the project for the folder again.
macOS blocks a .dmg installation: open Privacy & Security and allow Deneb only if you downloaded it from your server.

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