How to install Specter on macOS
Specter is a small native menu-bar app that keeps a folder of local markdown files in two-way sync with your Ghost blog. Installing it takes a couple of minutes: download a disk image, drag the app to your Applications folder, and launch it. This guide walks through each step, plus how to make it start automatically and what to do next.
System requirements
Specter is built for modern Macs. Before you start, check that you have:
- macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later.
- Apple Silicon (an M1, M2, M3, or later chip). Intel and universal builds are on the roadmap, but the current release is Apple Silicon only.
You can confirm your chip and macOS version under the Apple menu → About This Mac.
Step 1: Download the DMG
Head to the Specter download page and grab the free build:
The file is small and will land in your Downloads folder.
Step 2: Open the disk image
Double-click the downloaded .dmg file. macOS mounts it and opens a window showing the Specter app icon alongside a shortcut to your Applications folder.
Step 3: Drag Specter to Applications
In that window, drag the Specter icon onto the Applications folder shortcut. This copies the app into /Applications, where macOS expects installed apps to live. Once it finishes copying, you can close the window and eject the disk image (drag it to the Trash, or click the eject arrow in Finder).
Step 4: Launch Specter for the first time
Open your Applications folder and double-click Specter.
Specter is notarized by Apple, which means it should open normally on the first try. If Gatekeeper ever shows a warning instead, you don’t need to change any security settings — just right-click (or Control-click) the Specter app once and choose Open, then confirm. macOS remembers your choice, so every launch after that is a normal double-click.
Step 5: Find it in the menu bar
Specter is a menu-bar app, not a Dock app. After launching, look at the top-right of your screen near the clock — you’ll find its icon there. Click it to open the app’s window and access its controls. If you don’t see a Dock icon, that’s expected and correct.
Step 6: Launch Specter at startup (optional)
If you want Specter running and syncing whenever you log in, add it to your login items:
- Open System Settings → General → Login Items.
- Under Open at Login, click the + button.
- Select Specter from your Applications folder and add it.
Now Specter starts quietly in the menu bar each time you log in. You can remove it from the same screen whenever you like.
Next step: connect to your Ghost blog
Installation is the easy part. To actually sync, you’ll point Specter at your blog. The short version:
- Paste your Ghost site URL and your Admin API key.
- Click Test Connection.
- Pick a local folder for your markdown files.
- Run your first sync.
For the full walkthrough, see connecting Specter to Ghost. You’ll need an Admin API key from your Ghost settings first — here’s how to get your Ghost Admin API key.
A note on what Specter is (and isn’t)
Specter has no built-in AI. It’s the bridge between Ghost and plain markdown on your Mac; you bring your own tools — Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or any editor — to do the writing and editing. Everything stays local-first: your posts live as files on your machine, and changes flow back to Ghost through your own API key.
Specter is $49 one-time, with a free tier of 5 file syncs per month so you can try it before you buy. Curious who’s behind it? There’s a short about page.
That’s the whole install. Download, drag, launch — and you’re ready to connect Ghost.