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Installation Guide

This document provides comprehensive installation instructions for Terminal Jarvis across different platforms and use cases.

For the best Terminal Jarvis experience, especially for development and testing AI tools:

GitHub Codespaces (Cloud Development)

# Click "Code" → "Codespaces" → "Create codespace" on the repository
# Or use the direct link: https://github.com/codespaces/new?template_repository=BA-CalderonMorales/terminal-jarvis

Advantages:

  • Instant Setup: Complete environment ready in 60 seconds
  • Zero Dependencies: No local software installation required
  • Consistent Experience: Same environment across all platforms
  • Pre-configured Tools: Rust 1.87+, Node.js 20+, GitHub CLI, AI tools ready
  • Built-in Debugging: Full debugging setup with LLDB and VS Code integration

VS Code Dev Containers (Local Docker)

Prerequisites: Docker Desktop + VS Code + Remote-Containers extension

  1. Clone the repository
  2. Open in VS Code
  3. Click "Reopen in Container" when prompted

Advantages:

  • Consistent environment across team members
  • All dependencies pre-installed
  • Isolated from host system

Quick Installation

Terminal Jarvis is available through three official distribution channels:

Try it instantly with npx (no installation required):

npx terminal-jarvis

Or install globally:

npm install -g terminal-jarvis

For production, use the stable version:

npm install -g terminal-jarvis@stable

For testing new features, use beta:

npm install -g terminal-jarvis@beta

2. Rust Crate Installation (For Rust Developers)

cargo install terminal-jarvis

Verify the installation:

terminal-jarvis --help

3. Homebrew Installation (macOS/Linux Package Manager)

brew tap ba-calderonmorales/terminal-jarvis
brew install terminal-jarvis
terminal-jarvis --version

Distribution Channel Comparison

Method Best For Pros Cons
NPM Node.js users, quick testing Instant with npx, multiple release channels Requires Node.js
Cargo Rust developers Native Rust toolchain integration Requires Rust toolchain
Homebrew macOS/Linux system package users System package manager integration Limited to macOS/Linux

NPM Distribution Channels

  • Latest (terminal-jarvis): Most recently published version
  • Stable (terminal-jarvis@stable): Production-ready, thoroughly tested releases
  • Beta (terminal-jarvis@beta): Preview versions with experimental features

Platform-Specific Instructions

macOS Prerequisites

Important

macOS users must install Rust before using Terminal Jarvis.

# 1. Install Rust via rustup
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

# 2. Reload your shell environment
source ~/.cargo/env

# 3. Install Terminal Jarvis
npm install -g terminal-jarvis

# 4. Verify installation
terminal-jarvis --help

Linux

# Most Linux distributions work out-of-the-box
npm install -g terminal-jarvis

# If you encounter issues, install Node.js first:
# Ubuntu/Debian:
sudo apt update && sudo apt install nodejs npm

# CentOS/RHEL/Fedora:
sudo dnf install nodejs npm

Windows

npm install -g terminal-jarvis

For WSL users, follow Linux instructions.

Building from Source

Prerequisites

  • Rust 1.87 or later (required for full feature support)
  • Node.js 20+ and NPM
  • Git

Steps

git clone https://github.com/BA-CalderonMorales/terminal-jarvis.git
cd terminal-jarvis
cargo build --release
cargo install --path .
terminal-jarvis --help

Requirements and Dependencies

Required

  • Node.js and NPM: Required for most AI coding tools
  • Internet connection: For package updates and installations

Optional

  • Rust toolchain: Only required for building from source or on macOS
  • gh CLI: Optional, for template management features
  • Modern terminal: For best visual experience (Unicode and color support)

Troubleshooting Installation

Common Issues

"command not found" after NPM install

npm config get prefix
export PATH="$(npm config get prefix)/bin:$PATH"
source ~/.bashrc

Permission errors on macOS/Linux

Option 1: Use npx instead: 

npx terminal-jarvis

Option 2: Configure NPM to use a different directory: 

mkdir ~/.npm-global
npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global'
echo 'export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc


rustc --version

If not found, reinstall Rust: 

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
source ~/.cargo/env

NVM Users: PATH Configuration

If you use NVM (Node Version Manager), npm global installs require additional PATH configuration:

# Add npm global bin to PATH (add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc)
export PATH="$(npm config get prefix)/bin:$PATH"
source ~/.bashrc

Known Issue

Fresh installs in NVM environments may encounter EACCES permission errors. Use npx terminal-jarvis as an alternative, or configure npm to use a user-writable directory (see Permission errors section above).

Verification Steps

terminal-jarvis --version
terminal-jarvis --help
terminal-jarvis

Uninstallation

NPM Installation

npm uninstall -g terminal-jarvis

Source Installation

cargo uninstall terminal-jarvis

Package Information

NPM Package Details:

  • Size: ~1.2MB compressed / ~2.9MB unpacked
  • Contents: Pre-compiled binaries, TypeScript wrapper
  • Dependencies: Zero runtime dependencies
  • Platforms: Cross-platform support (Windows, macOS, Linux)
  • Testing: All tools undergo comprehensive integration testing
  • Current Version: See the README badges or run terminal-jarvis --version
  • Known Issues: See Known Limitations for detailed information

Note

The current NPM version includes full binary functionality with the complete T.JARVIS interface. No additional installation required!

Next Steps

After installation, check out: