Six Degrees GitHub

Download

Get Six Degrees

Free for Mac today. Apps for Linux and Windows are on the way, and on Linux it already runs from the Terminal.

macOS 13.5 or later · Linux from the Terminal · Windows coming soon

Linux

Coming soon

Or run it today from the Terminal, with Node 22.13 or later:

npx six-degrees

Linux guide · On npm

Windows

Coming soon

There's no Windows version yet, and npx six-degrees doesn't run on Windows either.

Watch releases on GitHub (Watch → Custom → Releases) to hear when it's out.

Every release is on GitHub Releases with a SHA256SUMS file, and the Terminal install checks the download against it before opening anything.

macOS

Install it in a minute

Installing on a Mac, step by step (about a minute): the download, the one-time macOS warning and Open Anyway, or the one-line Terminal install, then a first look.
Which download? Apple menu → About This Mac. "Chip: Apple M…" means Apple Silicon. "Processor: …Intel…" means Intel.

  1. Drag it into Applications

    Open the file you downloaded (Six-Degrees-Mac-….dmg, in your Downloads folder). In the window that opens, drag Six Degrees onto the Applications folder.

  2. Open it once, and close the warning

    Open Six Degrees from Applications. macOS says it can't check the app for malware, because it isn't signed with a paid Apple certificate yet. Close that message with Done (on macOS 13 or 14: OK or Cancel). Anything except Move to Trash.

  3. Allow it in System Settings

    Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down to "Six Degrees" was blocked, and click Open Anyway. Confirm with Open Anyway again (on macOS 13 or 14: Open), and your password if asked. That's once per download; after that it opens like any app.

Or skip those steps with Terminal

Press ⌘ Space, type Terminal and press Return. Paste this line and press Return:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/blakeb056/six-degrees/main/install.sh | bash

It downloads the right version for your Mac, checks the file is exactly the one published, puts Six Degrees in Applications and opens it. Running it again updates the app. Read the script.

Every release has a SHA256SUMS file (latest). To check a download yourself: shasum -a 256 ~/Downloads/Six-Degrees-Mac-*.dmg, and compare.

Linux

Run it on Linux today

A Linux app to download is coming soon. Until then, Six Degrees runs from the Terminal with npx, which comes with Node.js: it downloads Six Degrees from npm, the public library of Node.js programs, and runs it in your browser.

Running it on Linux (half a minute): one command, then the same app in your browser.

One command

Install Node 22.13 or later (from nodejs.org or nvm; Ubuntu's own nodejs package is too old), then run:

npx six-degrees

It opens http://127.0.0.1:6363 in your browser and keeps your data in ~/.six-degrees (--data-dir puts it elsewhere; --no-open on a machine without a desktop). Stop it with Ctrl-C; update it with npx six-degrees@latest. Scanning also needs Google Chrome (not Chromium), and Python 3.10 to 3.14 with venv, or the Scan page's Set up the scanner, which downloads a private copy with one click. It's tested on Ubuntu, and works on a Mac too.

Windows

Coming soon

There's no Windows version yet, and npx six-degrees doesn't run on Windows either; npm says so if you try. A Windows app is on the roadmap. To hear when it's out, watch the repository's releases on GitHub (Watch → Custom → Releases), or follow the releases feed.

Requirements

What it needs

Mac appLinux (npx)
SystemmacOS 13.5 (Ventura) or later, Apple Silicon or IntelNode 22.13 or later; tested on Ubuntu
DownloadAbout 200 MB, with everything insideFrom npm, the first time you run it
To explore the sample or import LinkedIn's CSVNothing elseNothing else
To scan your own LinkedIn (optional)Google Chrome; the scanner's Python comes inside the appGoogle Chrome, and Python 3.10–3.14 or the one-click private copy
Account, server, sign-upNoneNone

Updating

Updates in one click

Choose Six Degrees → Check for Updates… (or open Settings with ⌘,). Nothing checks by itself. If there's a newer version, click Install and restart: the app downloads it from GitHub, checks it against the release's published checksums and its code signature, puts it in place and opens it again. If the new version won't open, your old one is put back.

Your network isn't stored in the app, so updates never touch it, and each new version copies your data into a backups folder before it first opens it. On Linux, stop it and run npx six-degrees@latest.

Troubleshooting

If something's not right

macOS says it can't check the app for malware
The app isn't signed with Apple's paid developer certificate yet. Close the message (not Move to Trash), then allow it once in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway, as in step 3. Or use the Terminal line, which checks the download against the published checksums first.
I'm not sure whether I have Apple Silicon or Intel
Apple menu → About This Mac. "Chip: Apple M…" is Apple Silicon; "Processor: …Intel…" is Intel. The Terminal line picks the right one for you.
On Linux, npx says my Node is too old
Six Degrees needs Node 22.13 or later. Ubuntu's own nodejs package is older; install Node from nodejs.org or with nvm instead.
The Scan page says Chrome is missing
Scanning drives Google Chrome, installed in Applications (on Linux, Google Chrome rather than Chromium). Everything else works without it: the sample network and LinkedIn's CSV export need nothing.
How do I remove it completely?
Quit the app and drag Six Degrees from Applications to the Trash. Then in Finder choose Go → Go to Folder…, paste ~/.six-degrees and move that folder to the Trash, and do the same for ~/Library/Application Support/Six Degrees.

Still stuck? Open an issue, and redact any names before attaching anything.

Installed? Bring your network in.

Explore the sample, import LinkedIn's own export, or scan: three ways in.