Installation

SSM Dojo ships as a desktop app for macOS, Linux, and Windows. Get it from the releases page (macOS, Linux, and Windows) or the Microsoft Store (Windows).

Prerequisites

These are required at runtime. SSM Dojo uses the official AWS tooling:

Requirement	Why	Install
AWS CLI v2	Starts and manages SSM sessions	AWS CLI v2 install guide
AWS Session Manager Plugin	Runs port-forwarding and terminal sessions	Session Manager Plugin install guide
AWS credentials	Resolves your profiles, regions, and permissions	Configure ~/.aws/config + ~/.aws/credentials (named profiles, SSO, or assume-role)

SSM Dojo checks for the AWS CLI and Session Manager Plugin on startup and warns you if either is missing. Tunnels can't start without them. The app also looks in common install locations and honors your login shell's PATH, so tools installed in non-default places are usually found.

IAM permissions

Your AWS credentials need permission to call Systems Manager and EC2. For example: ssm:StartSession, ssm:DescribeInstanceInformation, and ec2:DescribeInstances. You also need to use the SSM port-forwarding documents. Target instances must have the SSM Agent running and an instance profile that allows Session Manager.

Parameter Store permissions

To use the Parameters view, add the relevant Parameter Store permissions to the selected profile: ssm:DescribeParameters, ssm:GetParameter, ssm:PutParameter, ssm:DeleteParameter, and the tag operations it needs. Reading a SecureString requires kms:Decrypt; writing one requires KMS encrypt or data-key permission for its key. See Parameter Store for the full action list.

macOS

1. Download the .dmg from the releases page.
2. Open the DMG and drag SSM Dojo to Applications.
3. Launch it.

Signed and notarized builds open with no extra steps, and the app keeps itself up to date automatically.

Unsigned pre-release builds only

If you receive an unsigned pre-release DMG (over Slack/AirDrop/direct download), macOS quarantines it and Apple Silicon may show "SSM Dojo is damaged and can't be opened." The app is not damaged. It's an unsigned build, and macOS offers no "Open Anyway" button for this case. Drag the app to /Applications, then run once:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/SSM Dojo.app"

Signed/notarized releases don't need this step.

Linux

Download the AppImage (portable) or the .deb package from the releases page. For the AppImage, mark it executable and run it:

chmod +x SSM-Dojo-*.AppImage
./SSM-Dojo-*.AppImage

Windows

There are two ways to install on Windows. They update differently, so pick based on how you want updates to arrive.

Standalone installer (recommended)

Download SSM-Dojo-<version>-x64.exe from the releases page and run it. Like the macOS app, it updates itself in the background from each new release, so you stay current without reinstalling.

This build is currently unsigned, so Windows SmartScreen warns on first launch: click More info → Run anyway.

Microsoft Store

Install from the Microsoft Store, or with winget:

winget install --id 9PGKTS2R9K95 --source msstore

The Store build is signed, so there is no SmartScreen prompt. Its updates come through the Microsoft Store rather than the in-app updater, so new versions arrive when they are published to the Store, which can trail the standalone releases.

Automatic updates

The standalone and macOS builds check for new releases on launch and periodically after that, download them in the background, and prompt you to restart. See Updating for the full behavior, including how patch and larger releases differ and how to check on demand.

Microsoft Store installs are the exception: they update through the Store, not the in-app updater.

Next: Quickstart.