ANTHRACODE

installation

Get Anthracode running.

Pick your platform. One command. Anthracode is a single TUI binary — no daemons, no background services, no cloud account required.

compatibilityWindows x64Linux x64macOS — Apple Silicon & Intel

curl

fast path

macOS / Linux x64 / WSL shell installer. It uses Node 18+ if present, otherwise installs a local Node.js runtime, then installs Anthracode with the right platform binary included.

~/install & run
$ curl -fsSL https://www.anthracode.com/install | bash $ anthracode

npm

recommended

Windows x64, Linux x64, and macOS (Apple Silicon & Intel) — the correct per-platform binary is fetched automatically. Requires Node 18+. If npm skips the optional binary, re-run with --include=optional.

~/install & run
$ npm i -g anthracode-ai $ anthracode

Windows · x64

native

Runs natively in PowerShell and Windows Terminal — no WSL, no Docker. The PowerShell one-liner installs a local Node.js runtime first if you don't already have Node 18+, so it works on a fresh machine. If Node is already installed, npm i -g anthracode-ai works too.

~/install & run
PS> irm https://www.anthracode.com/install.ps1 | iex PS> anthracode

macOS

Apple Silicon & Intel

Now supported on both Apple Silicon (M-series) and Intel Macs. Install with npm or the curl one-liner — the correct darwin binary is fetched automatically. Requires Node 18+.

~/install & run
$ npm i -g anthracode-ai $ anthracode

Linux · x64

supported

x64 only for now (arm64 follows). If npm skips the optional binary, re-run with --include=optional — postinstall also self-heals by downloading the right binary.

~/install & run
$ npm i -g anthracode-ai $ anthracode
after install

01 Run anthracode in any project directory. It creates .anthracode/ with local memory and config.

02 Set your model with /model. Bring your own key: Anthropic, OpenAI, or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint.

03 Type /help inside the TUI to discover commands, memory tiers, skills, and processes.

faq

Quick answers to install-time questions. Open an issue on GitHub if yours isn't here.

  • Can I install with curl?
    Yes on macOS, Linux x64, or WSL: curl -fsSL https://www.anthracode.com/install | bash. The script uses your existing Node 18+ and npm if available; otherwise it installs a local Node.js runtime under ~/.local/share/anthracode/node, persists PATH, then installs anthracode-ai globally with the right binary included. If the global npm directory isn't writable, it installs into a user-owned prefix — so it never needs sudo. On Windows PowerShell, run: irm https://www.anthracode.com/install.ps1 | iex (it installs Node.js for you if it's missing).
  • Which platforms are supported?
    Windows x64, Linux x64, and macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel) are all supported — install with npm i -g anthracode-ai on any of them, or use the curl/PowerShell one-liner. On Linux only x64 is built for now; arm64 follows.
  • Does Anthracode need a cloud account to run?
    No. The TUI runs fully offline against any model you point it at — Anthropic, OpenAI, or any OpenAI-compatible local LLM. A free anthracode.com account is only needed for optional extras like the managed gateway or cloud sync.
  • Why a native Windows binary instead of WSL?
    WSL adds a Linux dependency, slow filesystem bridges, and a different process model than the rest of your dev tools. Anthracode ships a real Win32 binary so PowerShell, paths, and process management all behave the way Windows users expect.
  • The Linux binary didn't install — npm skipped the optional dependency.
    Re-run with npm i -g anthracode-ai --include=optional. The postinstall step also self-heals: it downloads and extracts the correct anthracode-linux-x64 binary from the npm registry if the optional dependency was skipped (common on WSL/nvm).
  • How do I update?
    Re-run npm i -g anthracode-ai. Anthracode also prints a one-line nag inside the TUI when a newer version is available, and can install the update for you.
  • Can I pin a specific version?
    Yes. npm i -g anthracode-ai@<version>. The CLI version format is <opencode-base>-anthra<N> — for example 1.15.12-anthra194.
Stuck? Open an issue or email hi@anthracode.com.
Installation · Anthracode