---
title: "Install the CLI"
url: "https://docs.alisx.com/tutorials/install-the-cli/"
---
# Install the CLI

In this tutorial you install the `alis` command line on your computer, verify the download, sign in, and confirm your machine is ready to build. At the end you have a working `alis` that answers `alis whoami` with your email address, and you know where its manual lives. It is for anyone who will use AlisX from a terminal or through a coding agent.

You need a terminal, a browser and an AlisX account ([Create your account](https://docs.alisx.com/tutorials/create-your-account.md)).

## 1. Run the installer

The installer downloads the right binary for your platform into `~/.alis/bin`, verifies its SHA-256 checksum before running it, and adds the folder to your PATH.

=== "macOS"

    ```bash title="Terminal"
    curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -fsSL https://cli.alis.build/install.sh | bash
    ```

=== "Linux"

    ```bash title="Terminal"
    curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -fsSL https://cli.alis.build/install.sh | bash
    ```

=== "Windows"

    ```powershell title="PowerShell"
    powershell -c "irm cli.alis.build/install.ps1|iex"
    ```

    Windows 10 1809 or newer, 64-bit. The binary is Authenticode-signed; the installer checks the signature before replacing anything. If Windows still blocks `alis.exe`, do not turn off Smart App Control. Run `Get-AuthenticodeSignature "$env:USERPROFILE\.alis\bin\alis.exe"` and report the result to your build specialist.

You should see:

```text
  alis Build CLI
  Stay in the flow.

  Download   darwin-arm64 ... done
  Verify     checksum ... done

  Installed  ~/.alis/bin/alis
  PATH       Configured "~/.alis/bin" in "~/.zshrc"

To get started, restart your terminal session and run 'alis'
```

## 2. Open a new terminal

The PATH change only reaches terminals, and apps such as your IDE or Claude Desktop, opened after the install. Open a new terminal window and check:

```bash title="Terminal"
alis version
```

```text
<version>
```

Your version number will differ. If the shell says `command not found: alis`, run `~/.alis/bin/alis setup path` and open another new terminal.

## 3. Verify the checksum yourself

The installer already verified the download, but you can check the published hash against the installed binary.

=== "macOS"

    ```bash title="Terminal"
    curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -fsSL https://cli.alis.build/alis-darwin-arm64-latest.sha256
    shasum -a 256 ~/.alis/bin/alis
    ```

=== "Linux"

    ```bash title="Terminal"
    curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -fsSL https://cli.alis.build/alis-linux-amd64-latest.sha256
    sha256sum ~/.alis/bin/alis
    ```

=== "Windows"

    ```powershell title="PowerShell"
    irm https://cli.alis.build/alis-windows-amd64-latest.sha256
    Get-FileHash "$env:USERPROFILE\.alis\bin\alis.exe" -Algorithm SHA256
    ```

The two hashes match. Pick the file name for your platform: `darwin-arm64`, `darwin-amd64`, `linux-amd64`, `linux-arm64` or `windows-amd64`.

## 4. Sign in

```bash title="Terminal"
alis login --open
```

Your browser opens the sign-in page. Sign in, copy the code it shows, and paste it into the terminal prompt. Then confirm:

```bash title="Terminal"
alis whoami
```

```text
ana@example.com (<user-id>)
```

## 5. Check the machine is ready

```bash title="Terminal"
alis setup status --json
```

```json
{
  "ready": true,
  "environment": "local",
  "path": "ok",
  "signed_in": true,
  "build_account": "accounts/<id>",
  "next": {"kind": "done", "command": "alis setup quickstart --json", "agent": "Setup is complete. …"}
}
```

If `ready` is `false`, `next` tells you the one thing to do. `"kind": "run"` means run `next.command`; `"kind": "ask_user"` means a choice is yours to make, for example which account your Build usage is measured against (`alis accounts list --json`, then `alis accounts select accounts/<id> --json`). Run `alis setup status --json` again after each step until `ready` is `true`. To install the missing tools listed under `steps` in one go, run `alis setup install --all --json`.

## 6. Run the doctor

```bash title="Terminal"
alis doctor
```

```text
alis diagnostics · <date> · cli <version>
Environment   darwin/arm64 · WezTerm … · zsh
Auth          authorized · account accounts/<id>
Components:
  cli                <version>      detected
  claude plugin      <version>       detected
  …
Setup steps   9/9 installed
```

`Auth authorized` and the `cli` row marked `detected` are what you want to see.

## 7. Find your way around

```bash title="Terminal"
alis --help
```

The list of commands appears. Every command answers `alis <command> --help` with its flags. The CLI also carries its own manual, written for coding agents and scripts:

```bash title="Terminal"
alis docs --list
```

```text
overview    division of labor (CLI vs MCP vs plugins), DBD in brief, command map
setup       install and repair a builder's machine: the agent-driven onboarding loop
dbd         define / build / deploy recipes with the exact flags
output      machine-readable output contract: --json, stdout/stderr, --async, operations wait
…
```

`alis docs output` prints one topic; `alis docs` prints them all.

## What you have

- `alis` installed at `~/.alis/bin/alis`, verified and on your PATH.
- A signed-in session tied to an active account.
- A machine that `alis setup status` reports as ready.

Next: [Tour the TUI](https://docs.alisx.com/tutorials/tour-the-tui.md) to see the same binary as a full-screen interface, or [Work with a coding agent](https://docs.alisx.com/tutorials/work-with-a-coding-agent.md). To understand why the CLI is shaped for agents, read [Agents, skills and the CLI](https://docs.alisx.com/explanation/agents-skills-cli.md).