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Yardmaster Guide

Install Yardmaster

Download Yardmaster, open it for the first time, and check that your computer can run several agents at once.

Beginner3 minutes
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Yardmaster runs on a Mac or a Windows computer. You download it once, open it, sign in, and it sets up the tools your agents need for you.

Install it#

  1. Download the .dmg file for your Mac from the link you were given. The file with arm64 in its name is for Apple silicon Macs; the one without it is for Intel Macs.

  2. Open the .dmg and drag Yardmaster into your Applications folder.

  3. Open Yardmaster from Applications.

  1. Download one of the Windows files from the link you were given (see below for which to pick).

  2. Open it (unzip the .zip first). The installer asks where to install; the other two need no installing.

  3. If Windows shows a blue "Windows protected your PC" box, click More info, then Run anyway.

The first time you open it#

  1. Click Sign in with Google. Signing in creates your Yardmaster account. Sign in to Yardmaster covers this screen.

  2. Read the terms and click I Agree & Continue.

  3. Click Sign In with Anthropic to connect your Claude account, or Skip for now. Connect your Claude account explains the choices.

  4. On Anthropic API Key, click Skip for now. You do not need a key to run your agents; it only adds extras such as AI-written session titles, and you can add one later.

  5. On Let's set up your tools, click Install selected & continue. Yardmaster installs what your agents need, such as the Claude Code CLI and Git.

  6. Follow the short tour.

  7. On How much can agents do on their own?, choose how much your agents may do before they stop and ask you, then click Continue. Guarded is picked for you and is the recommended choice; you can change it later in Settings.

  8. Pick a theme and your first project.

Is my computer powerful enough?#

Yardmaster runs several AI agents at the same time, so it needs more memory than most apps. You need:

  • Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit), or macOS 12 (Monterey) or later on a Mac with Apple silicon or an Intel chip.

  • 16 GB of memory (RAM) or more. This makes the biggest difference. With less, several busy sessions feel slow.

  • More than 4 processor cores.

  • An internet connection. Your agents talk to Anthropic's servers.

If your computer has less than this, Yardmaster puts a card in your Inbox the first time it starts, saying what is low. It shows the card once. Click Enable Low Power Mode on the card to turn off the heavier visual effects.

Make it lighter on a slower computer#

Low Power Mode turns off the heavier visual effects, such as background blur and big animations. Lite mode (optimize for a less powerful computer) goes further: it turns on Low Power Mode, holds new sessions when memory runs low and loads sessions more gently. Both are in Settings > Performance.

Low Power ModeSettings, Performance · Default: OffDisables GPU-expensive visual effects (background blur, heavy animations, decorative shadows) for smoother rendering on integrated graphics and low-power laptops. Takes effect immediately, no restart required.Open in YardmasterOpens Yardmaster. Don't have it? Download
Lite mode (optimize for a less powerful computer)Settings, Performance · Default: OffOne switch to make Yardmaster lighter on low-spec machines: turns on Low Power Mode, holds new sessions when memory is low, reclaims RAM from idle sessions (Windows), staggers session loading, and stops keeping extra chats pre-built in the background. Turn it off to restore your previous settings. Startup-related changes take effect on the next launch.Open in YardmasterOpens Yardmaster. Don't have it? Download

It also helps to close other memory-hungry apps and keep the number of sessions running at once modest.

Update Yardmaster#

When an update installs, Yardmaster puts a "What's new" card in your Inbox. To see what changed before that, week by week, read What's New in this Guide.

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