Set up Melta on Windows

Melta signs in to Windows itself and runs its commands where your agents are: Ubuntu in WSL, or a Docker container. Without either, you still get a Windows terminal and Notes.

Last updated October 12, 2026

1. Get Ubuntu (WSL), if you don't have it

Herdr, and with it panes and chat, runs in Linux. Open PowerShell as administrator (right-click Start › Terminal (Admin)) and run:

PS> wsl --install

Restart when it asks, then open Ubuntu from the Start menu once and choose a user name. Your agents run here too: install Claude Code or Codex inside Ubuntu.

2. Run the setup line

In the Melta app, tap Add Host, choose Tailscale, then Windows above the command, and copy it. Paste it into PowerShell (or Command Prompt) opened as administrator, and press Enter. It:

  • turns on Windows' own SSH server and lets it through the firewall,
  • allows your phone's key,
  • installs Tailscale and signs the PC in (use the same account as your phone),
  • installs Herdr and the notification plugin in Ubuntu.

It's safe to run again. Every step that's done already is skipped.

3. Enter what it prints

Type the Tailscale IP and the user it printed into Melta. The user is your Windows account name.

When Melta connects, it finds Herdr in Ubuntu by itself. To choose a different WSL distro, open the host in Melta, tap Edit, and set Run Commands In to WSL with the distro's name (as wsl -l shows it).

Agents in a Docker container

If Claude Code runs inside a container (Docker Desktop, or Docker in Ubuntu), install Herdr in that container too, start it there, and keep the container running. Then in Melta: Edit the host, set Run Commands In to Docker, and enter the container's name as docker ps shows it. Melta runs everything through docker exec. It uses Docker Desktop's command on Windows, or the one in Ubuntu if that's the only one. The same works for a container on a Mac or Linux computer.

No WSL? Terminal and Notes still work

Without Herdr in Linux there are no panes or chat, but Melta opens a Windows terminal (Command Prompt or PowerShell) over SSH, and Notes work as they are. Tap Open Terminal on the host's screen. From there, wsl or docker exec -it <name> bash gets you into Linux by hand.

Keep it reachable

  • Leave Herdr running in Ubuntu. Start it with herdr in an Ubuntu window. Closing every Ubuntu window can stop WSL, and Herdr with it.
  • Stop the PC from sleeping. A sleeping PC can't be reached. In Settings › System › Power, set sleep to Never when plugged in.

If something doesn't work

  • “This needs an administrator window”: open Terminal (Admin) from the Start button's right-click menu and paste the line again.
  • 'sh' is not recognized: that's the Mac and Linux line. Choose Windows above the command in the app.
  • Connected, but “Panes and chat need Herdr in WSL”: Herdr isn't installed in Ubuntu, or a different distro is the default. Run the setup line again, or pick the distro under Run Commands In.
  • Melta's host log (View Log on the host's screen) says where commands run and why a connection failed.

Questions: support@getmelta.app.