Desktop App Installation and Setup

Overview

The Desktop App is a lightweight application that:

  • Automates Setup - Automatically detects and configures local package managers
  • Enables Agentic Workflows - Integrates Fly MCP with your favorite IDE for AI-powered automation
  • Provides Status - Gives at-a-glance visibility into your environment connection
  • Handles Authentication - Manages secure connections to the Fly Registry

Installation Process

Step 1: Download

  1. In the Fly Web App, click on the Desktop icon
  2. Click Connect to download the Desktop App
  3. Currently supported: macOS (Windows and Linux support coming soon)

Step 2: Install

  1. Run the downloaded installer
  2. Follow the installation wizard
  3. Grant necessary system permissions when prompted

Step 3: Login & Configure

  1. Launch the App - Open the JFrog Fly Desktop App

  2. Sign In - Log in with the same credentials used for the Fly Web App

  3. Auto-Detection - The app automatically detects:

    • All installed package managers (npm, pip, docker, maven, etc.)
    • Agentic IDEs (Cursor, VS Code Copilot, etc.)

  4. Configure - The app will suggest configuration for detected tools:

    • Click Configure to set up all detected package managers and IDEs
    • This configures them to work with the JFrog Fly Registry and installs the JFrog Fly MCP for AI integration
    • You can also configure specific tools later by opening the Desktop App and enabling the relevant package managers and IDEs

What Gets Configured

Package Managers

The app automatically detects and configures all supported package managers on your system.

View all supported package managers and registry paths →

Agentic IDEs

The app integrates with these development environments:

  • Cursor
  • VS Code Copilot

The integration installs the JFrog Fly MCP (Messaging Control Plane), enabling AI-driven workflows directly from your IDE.

You can select a default IDE in the Desktop App. This IDE will be used for Fly workflows, such as configuring CI directly through your IDE.

Using the App

Zero-Friction Artifact Management

Once configured, the Desktop App seamlessly syncs your local environment with the Fly Registry. You can upload and download artifacts using your existing development workflow - no changes required.

The Fly Desktop App works in the background to:

  • Handle all authentication automatically
  • Route packages to/from the Fly Registry
  • Maintain your connection to Fly
  • Enable the same commands you’re used to

You have two ways to work:

Option A: Using Terminal Commands

For Standard Package Managers (npm, pip, maven, etc.):

Use your regular commands without any modifications:

# Upload
npm publish

# Download
npm install my-package

The Desktop App handles authentication and routing automatically.

For Docker:

Include your JFrog Fly subdomain in the image path:

# Upload
docker push <your-fly-subdomain>.jfrog.io/docker/my-image:latest

# Download
docker pull <your-fly-subdomain>.jfrog.io/docker/my-image:latest

The Desktop App handles secure authentication for you.

Option B: Using Your Agentic IDE

If your IDE has JFrog Fly MCP integrated, use natural language prompts to manage artifacts:

For Standard Package Managers:

  • “Publish this npm package to Fly”
  • “Install the latest version of my-private-package”

For Docker (no subdomain needed in prompts):

  • “Push this Docker image to Fly”
  • “Pull my-app:latest from Fly”

JFrog Fly MCP automatically handles everything, including authentication and adding the Fly subdomain for Docker images.

JFrog Fly MCP Integration

What is JFrog Fly MCP?

JFrog Fly MCP (Model Context Protocol) enables communication between:

  • Your IDE
  • The Desktop App
  • Your Fly Registry
  • The Fly Web interface

What You Can Do

With JFrog Fly MCP, you can use natural language prompts in your IDE to:

  • Configure CI/CD - Configure all workflows in your Git repository or configure a specific workflow to work with Fly
  • Search Releases - “Find the release where I fixed the login bug”
  • Deploy to Production - “Deploy the latest release in Fly to production”

Manual Configuration (Alternative)

If you prefer not to use the Desktop App, you can configure package managers manually:

  1. Generate a Token in the Fly Web App (see Token Management)
  2. Configure Each Package Manager with:
    • Your JFrog Fly registry subdomain
    • The generated token

See Package Managers for supported package managers and registry paths.

Troubleshooting

App Won’t Detect Package Managers

  • Ensure package managers are properly installed and accessible in your PATH
  • Try restarting the JFrog Fly Desktop App
  • Check app logs for specific errors

Connection Issues

  • Verify you’re logged in with the correct account
  • Check your internet connection
  • Ensure firewall settings allow the app to connect to *.jfrog.io

IDE Integration Not Working

  • Verify your IDE is supported (Cursor, VS Code Copilot)
  • Check that JFrog Fly MCP is enabled in your IDE settings
  • Restart your IDE after installing the JFrog Fly Desktop App
  • Check that the JFrog Fly MCP extension is installed in your IDE

Next Steps

Now that you’ve completed the setup, learn how to use Fly in your workflow: