Desktop app
The visualizer ships as a desktop app for macOS, Linux and Windows. The Viam CLI installs it for you and opens it connected to a machine part, using the login the CLI already holds. There is no machine picker and no API key to paste.
Open a machine
Section titled “Open a machine”Log in once, then name the part:
The first run downloads the app for your platform into ~/.viam/visualizer/ and verifies it against the release checksums. Later runs reuse it. The command stays in the foreground while the window is open, and Ctrl+C closes the app.
--part takes a part id or name. Add --machine, --location or --organization when the name is not unique across your account.
Update
Section titled “Update”This checks the latest release and installs it before launching. Without --update, the CLI checks at most once an hour and prints a hint when a newer version exists.
To run a specific release, pass --app-version:
Use your own build
Section titled “Use your own build”Point the CLI at an app you built or downloaded yourself with --app-path, or set VIAM_VISUALIZER_PATH. Either one wins over the cache. On macOS the path can be the .app bundle or the binary inside it, Viam Visualizer.app/Contents/MacOS/Viam Visualizer.
Releases are on the GitHub releases page. The macOS bundles are not notarized, so macOS blocks a downloaded bundle on first launch. Allow it under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway. The CLI’s own download is not affected.
What the app connects to
Section titled “What the app connects to”The app connects to the part’s cloud address through WebRTC, the same way the browser version does. It also bundles the Go draw server, which it starts on a free local port at launch and stops when it quits, so the draw-service panel works with nothing else running.