Install

Official one-command installers are hosted by Vireon Dynamics. They clone liminal-ai, build the monorepo, run setup, and open the web UI with persona bootstrap.

Stage: alpha (v0.0.10) — installers are onboarding helpers, not a GA release channel yet.

One command (recommended)

Linux / macOS / WSL:

curl -fsSL https://vireondynamics.com/install/install.sh | bash

Windows (PowerShell):

irm https://vireondynamics.com/install/install.ps1 | iex

The installer will:

1. Clone or update Liminal under a fixed directory
2. Run npm install and npm run build when needed
3. Walk you through API key + provider setup (writes .env)
4. Run liminal doctor preflight checks
5. Start the web UI with persona bootstrap and open your browser

Scripts are also in the repo at scripts/install.sh and scripts/install.ps1 if you prefer to inspect them before running.

Install locations

Platform	Default path	CLI shim
Linux / macOS / WSL	~/.liminal/liminal-ai	~/.liminal/bin/liminal
Windows	%LOCALAPPDATA%\liminal\liminal-ai	%LOCALAPPDATA%\liminal\bin\liminal.cmd

Override with environment variables:

Variable	Purpose
LIMINAL_INSTALL_DIR	Full path to the repo clone
LIMINAL_HOME	Parent dir ($LIMINAL_HOME/liminal-ai)
LIMINAL_SKIP_LAUNCH=1	Skip auto-start of web UI after install
AGENT_API_KEY	Non-interactive setup (CI / scripted install)
LIMINAL_REPO_URL	Alternate git remote (default: liminal-ai on GitHub)

liminal CLI

After install, use liminal from any terminal (new shell may be required for PATH):

liminal setup              # Re-run wizard (or first-run from cloned repo)
liminal doctor             # Verify Node, builds, API key, port
liminal web --bootstrap    # Production web UI
liminal web --bootstrap --open   # Web UI + open browser
liminal tui --bootstrap    # Terminal UI
liminal update             # git pull + npm install + build
liminal path               # Print install directory

From a cloned repo without global shim:

npm run setup
npm run doctor
node scripts/liminal.mjs web --bootstrap --open

Setup flags

liminal setup --skip-if-configured   # Skip prompts if API key exists
liminal setup --force                # Reconfigure even when configured
liminal setup --non-interactive      # Requires AGENT_API_KEY in environment
liminal setup --no-launch            # Do not start web after setup

Non-interactive / CI

export AGENT_API_KEY=sk-...
export AGENT_API_BASE_URL=https://openrouter.ai/api/v1   # optional
export AGENT_MODEL=deepseek/deepseek-v4-pro               # optional
liminal setup --non-interactive --skip-if-configured
liminal doctor

Manual install (contributors)

If you develop from a git checkout:

git clone https://github.com/traidy2222/liminal-ai.git
cd liminal-ai
npm install
npm run setup          # interactive wizard → .env + build
npm run web -- --bootstrap

Or copy .env.example manually and run npm run build.

See Quickstart for smoke tests and next steps.

Troubleshooting install

Run liminal doctor first — it checks Node 22+, npm 10+, .env API key, core/tools builds, and port availability.

Symptom	Fix
liminal: command not found	Open a new terminal, or export PATH="$HOME/.liminal/bin:$PATH"
Node too old	Install Node 22+ from nodejs.org or nvm/fnm
Doctor: core/tools missing	npm run build in install dir
Port in use	Set PORT=3002 in .env or stop the other process
Provider smoke test warning	Key or base URL wrong — re-run liminal setup --force

Full operator guide: Troubleshooting.

Platform notes

• Linux servers (SSH): use liminal web --bootstrap without --open; tunnel port 3001 if needed.
• WSL: same as Linux; browser open typically launches Windows default browser.
• Updates: liminal update from the install directory (requires git).

Not in v1: npm global publish, systemd/launchd services, Docker, .deb/.rpm packages.