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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).

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.

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

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

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:

  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:

alis version

<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.

Shell
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -fsSL https://cli.alis.build/alis-darwin-arm64-latest.sha256
shasum -a 256 ~/.alis/bin/alis
Shell
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -fsSL https://cli.alis.build/alis-linux-amd64-latest.sha256
sha256sum ~/.alis/bin/alis
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

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:

alis whoami

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

5. Check the machine is ready

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

alis doctor

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

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:

alis docs --list

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 to see the same binary as a full-screen interface, or Work with a coding agent. To understand why the CLI is shaped for agents, read Agents, skills and the CLI.