remmina-mac/docs/INSTALL.md

Installation

Requirements

• macOS 14+
• Xcode 15+ (for GUI runs) or Swift toolchain 5.9+ (for CLI builds)

Dependencies (via Homebrew)

One command covers everything optional:

brew install sshpass freerdp

Tool	Purpose	Required?	Install
Xcode Command Line Tools	building (swift build, C helper)	build only	xcode-select --install
sshpass	password auto-login from Keychain (no typing)	optional	brew install sshpass
xfreerdp (FreeRDP)	native RDP sessions	optional	brew install freerdp
ssh, sftp, ssh-keyscan, ssh-keygen	SSH core, host-key fingerprints	built into macOS	—
SwiftTerm	terminal emulator	bundled via SPM	—
Microsoft Remote Desktop	RDP fallback without FreeRDP	optional	App Store

Without sshpass: passwords are asked interactively in the terminal tab. Without FreeRDP: RDP profiles open Microsoft Remote Desktop instead.

Option A: Xcode (recommended for GUI)

1. open Package.swift in RemminaMac/
2. Select target RemminaMac, destination My Mac
3. Cmd+R → app launches
4. First launch creates:
   • ~/Library/Application Support/RemminaMac/profiles.json
   • ~/Library/Application Support/RemminaMac/sshkeys.json

Option B: Swift CLI

cd RemminaMac
swift build
.build/debug/RemminaMac

Option C: Release binary (no Xcode)

./scripts/build-release.sh
unzip dist/RemminaMac-*-macos-arm64.zip -d /tmp/rmm
/tmp/rmm/RemminaMac

Option D: Installer DMG (recommended for end users)

1. Download RemminaMac-<version>-macos-arm64.dmg from a Gitea release (or build locally: ./scripts/build-app.sh <version> && ./scripts/build-dmg.sh <version>)
2. Double-click the DMG → Finder window with RemminaMac.app + Applications link
3. Drag RemminaMac.app onto Applications → /Applications/RemminaMac.app
4. Eject, launch from Applications. First launch: right-click → Open (ad-hoc signature, no Apple notarization).

# Verify:
spctl -a -vv dist/RemminaMac.app
hdiutil verify dist/RemminaMac-*-macos-arm64.dmg

RDP requirements

# For full RDP support (see dependency table above):
brew install freerdp
which xfreerdp
# Without FreeRDP: install Microsoft Remote Desktop from the App Store

SSH auto-login (optional)

brew install sshpass
# Enables password auto-login from Keychain (no typing).
# Without sshpass: the password prompt appears inside the terminal tab.
# Full list: dependencies table in [docs/INSTALL.md](docs/INSTALL.md#dependencies-via-homebrew).

Troubleshooting

• swift build fails → check swift --version (>= 5.9), Xcode Command Line Tools: xcode-select --install
• Keychain prompt → allow once, service RemminaMac
• xfreerdp not found → fallback uses rdc://, needs MS Remote Desktop