Installation

Install and set up NikCLI on your system

System Requirements

Before installing NikCLI, ensure your system meets these requirements:

Node.js 18+

NikCLI requires Node.js version 18 or higher for modern JavaScript features and optimal performance.

Git

Git is required for autonomous development features and version control operations.

Terminal

A modern terminal with color support and UTF-8 encoding for the best experience.

API Keys

At least one AI provider API key (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, or local Ollama).

Installation Methods

NPM Global Installation (Recommended)

The easiest way to install NikCLI is via npm:

npm install -g @cadcamfun/nikcli

Global installation allows you to use the nikcli command from anywhere in your terminal.

Yarn Global Installation

If you prefer Yarn:

yarn global add @cadcamfun/nikcli

Binary Installation

For users who prefer standalone binaries or don’t want to install Node.js globally:

macOS ARM64

# Download the latest release
curl -L https://github.com/cadcamfun/nikcli/releases/latest/download/nikcli-aarch64-apple-darwin -o nikcli

# Make executable
chmod +x nikcli

# Move to PATH
sudo mv nikcli /usr/local/bin/

Development Installation

For contributing to NikCLI or running from source:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/cadcamfun/nikcli.git
cd nikcli

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the project
npm run build

# Link globally for development
npm link

Verification

Verify your installation by checking the version:

nikcli --version

You should see output similar to:

@cadcamfun/nikcli v0.1.4-beta

API Key Configuration

NikCLI requires at least one AI provider API key. Choose your preferred provider:

Anthropic Claude (Recommended)

1. Get your API key from Anthropic Console
2. Set the environment variable:

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"

Add this to your shell profile (.bashrc, .zshrc, etc.) to persist across sessions.

Shell Profile Configuration

For persistent environment variables, add your API key to your shell profile:

Bash

echo 'export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

First Run

Start NikCLI for the first time:

nikcli

You should see the welcome screen with system checks and available features:

╭─────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮
│                                                     │
│                   🚀 NikCLI v0.1.4                  │
│          Context-Aware AI Development Assistant     │
│                                                     │
╰─────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯

✅ Node.js 18.17.0 (compatible)
✅ Git 2.42.0 (detected)
✅ Anthropic API (configured)
✅ Project context (auto-detected)

Ready for autonomous development! Type /help for commands.

>

Troubleshooting Installation

Permission Denied Errors

If you encounter permission errors during installation:

# For npm
sudo npm install -g @cadcamfun/nikcli

# Or 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

Node.js Version Issues

If you have an older Node.js version:

# Using Node Version Manager (nvm)
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.0/install.sh | bash
source ~/.bashrc
nvm install 18
nvm use 18

API Key Not Detected

If NikCLI doesn’t detect your API key:

1. Verify the environment variable is set:

echo $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY

2. Restart your terminal or source your profile:

source ~/.bashrc  # or ~/.zshrc

3. Use the configuration command:

nikcli config set anthropic-api-key "your-key"

Binary Execution Issues

If the binary doesn’t execute:

1. Check if it’s executable:

ls -la /usr/local/bin/nikcli

2. Make it executable if needed:

chmod +x /usr/local/bin/nikcli

3. Verify PATH includes the binary location:

echo $PATH | grep /usr/local/bin

Next Steps

First Steps

Learn the basics and try your first AI-assisted development task

Configuration

Customize NikCLI settings for your development workflow

Having trouble? Check our troubleshooting guide or open an issue on GitHub.