Installing & first-run setup · Chrona — CPAAutomation Docs

This page is for staff setting up Chrona on their own machine. You'll download the app, open it, and walk through a short first-run wizard that adds a Gemini API key and — on macOS — grants screen-recording permission. Once that's done, Chrona is ready to track.

Download Chrona

Open the Chrona section of the home page (/#chrona-showcase) and click the download button for your system:

Download for Mac — a .dmg installer.
Download for Windows — a .exe installer.

The builds are published on Chrona's GitHub releases page. Install the app the same way you would any other: open the downloaded file and follow your operating system's prompts.

If macOS says the app is "damaged"

Because the app is distributed outside the Mac App Store, macOS may say Chrona "is damaged and can't be opened." This is the standard quarantine warning, not a real problem. To clear it:

Open Terminal.
Type the following, but don't press Enter yet (note the trailing space):
```
sudo xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine 
```
Drag the Chrona app into the Terminal window — this fills in its path. For example:
```
sudo xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Chrona.app
```
Press Enter, then launch Chrona again.

Finish the first-run setup

The first time you open Chrona, the Setup Chrona wizard walks you through a quick first-run setup. The number of steps depends on your platform (macOS adds a permission step). You can move with Back and Next, or choose Skip for now and finish later.

Step 1 — Welcome

Chrona explains that it captures periodic screenshots and turns them into a timeline of your activities, and reminds you that it's local-first (screenshots and your database live on your machine) and uses Gemini for analysis. Click Next.

Step 2 — Gemini API key

Chrona uses Google Gemini to analyze your activity, so it needs an API key. The key is stored securely in your operating system's credential store.

Click Get a key to open Google's API key page and create one (it starts with AIza…).
Paste it into the key field.
Click Test to confirm it works, then Save.

Note: You can record without a key, but analysis stays pending until a key is configured — so no timeline cards will be generated until you add one.

Step 3 — Screen Recording permission (macOS only)

Chrona needs macOS Screen Recording permission to capture your screen.

Click Open System Settings (this jumps to Privacy & Security → Screen Recording).
Turn on the toggle for Chrona.
Back in Chrona, click Check again. macOS sometimes requires a restart for capture to start working — use Relaunch Chrona if prompted.

Step 4 — Ready

The final step shows a checklist confirming your Gemini key is configured and (on macOS) capture permission is granted. From here you can:

Finish setup to close the wizard, or
Start recording to begin tracking right away.

Reminders after setup

If something still needs attention, Chrona shows a banner across the top of the app:

"Screen capture permission required" — recording is disabled until you enable the macOS permission. Click Finish setup to return to the permission step.
"Gemini API key missing" — recording works, but analysis stays pending until you add a key. Click Add key.

Getting around the app

A toolbar at the top of every screen switches between Chrona's main views: Timeline, Review, Ask, Dashboard, Journal, and Settings. You can reopen the setup wizard anytime from Setup, and open settings with Cmd/Ctrl + ,.

Tip: To have Chrona track from the moment you log in, open Settings → App and turn on Launch at login.

Next, learn how capture works and how to fine-tune it in Capturing your time.