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Installation

Requirements​

  • macOS 12 or later, Windows 10 or later, or Ubuntu 20.04 LTS or later
  • Node.js 22 or later (for the CLI step)
  • A GitHub, GitLab, or Google account

Check your Node.js version by running node --version in a terminal. If you need to install it, download the LTS release from nodejs.org.

macOS​

Download and install​

  1. Go to postlane.dev and click Download for macOS, or download directly from the GitHub releases page
  2. Open the downloaded .dmg file
  3. Drag the Postlane icon into your Applications folder
  4. Open Postlane from your Applications folder or Spotlight

Unsigned app bypass​

If you see "Postlane can't be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software":

  1. Open System Settings (macOS 13 and later) or System Preferences (macOS 12)
  2. Go to Privacy & Security
  3. Scroll down to the Security section and click Open Anyway next to the Postlane message
  4. Click Open in the confirmation dialog that appears

"App is damaged and can't be opened"​

If you see this message, the quarantine flag needs to be cleared. Open Terminal and run:

xattr -cr /Applications/Postlane.app

Then try opening Postlane again.

Windows​

Download and install​

  1. Go to postlane.dev and click Download for Windows, or download directly from the GitHub releases page
  2. Run the downloaded .exe installer
  3. If Windows SmartScreen shows a warning, click More info, then Run anyway
  4. Follow the installer prompts

Linux​

Download the latest .AppImage from postlane.dev/download or the GitHub releases page, then:

chmod +x Postlane_*.AppImage
./Postlane_*.AppImage

No install step needed. Move the file anywhere convenient.

Sign in​

Open Postlane. The onboarding wizard appears. Click Get started, then choose Sign in with GitHub, GitLab, or Google.

Your browser opens to complete authentication. Once you sign in and authorise Postlane, the browser shows a confirmation and returns you to the app automatically.

Set up your first repository​

The wizard walks you through adding a repository. Before you add one, the repository needs a .postlane/ directory. If yours does not have one, open a terminal in the repo and run:

npx @postlane/cli init

This creates .postlane/config.json and .postlane/voice-guide.md. Commit these files:

git add .postlane
git commit -m "Add Postlane configuration"

Then continue in the wizard.

Scheduling providers​

To queue posts for a specific time, you need a scheduling provider. Postlane works with Zernio, Publer, Outstand, Buffer, Ayrshare, Substack Notes, and custom webhooks. You can set accounts up before or after installing Postlane -- the onboarding wizard walks you through connecting one.

If you plan to use a third-party provider, it is worth connecting your social media profiles in that provider's dashboard in advance. You will need the API key during the wizard.

If you manage multiple clients or projects with separate social accounts, each Postlane workspace has its own scheduler configuration. You can also assign a different provider to individual repositories. See Scheduling and Per-repo Scheduler for details.

Your credentials stay on your machine​

Postlane never stores your social media credentials or API keys on our servers. All keys are saved in your operating system's secure keyring -- they never leave your machine. See Security for the full breakdown.

Next steps​

  • Your First Post -- draft and send your first post end to end
  • Scheduling -- connect a provider and queue posts for a specific time