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1. Install Aikito

By the end of this step, aikito --version will work in your terminal. Have a supported coding agent installed to follow the agent-assisted path. The tutorial uses ~/aikito for your workspace and ~/code/example for an existing code repository. Substitute your own paths throughout.

Ask your agent

Install Aikito for this machine. Inspect what is already installed and verify the CLI version. Stop before creating a workspace or adopting configuration.

If your agent needs setup instructions, point it to the Aikito skill.

Install manually

On macOS or Linux with Homebrew:

brew install lsaint/tap/aikito

On Windows, enable Developer Mode in Settings so Aikito can create symbolic links, then run the release installer in PowerShell:

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lsaint/aikito/main/install.ps1 | iex

Open a new terminal afterward to load the PATH update. Use native Windows paths such as D:/code/example in subsequent steps. See platform constraints for details.

Windows installer details

The installer checks for Python 3.12+ and symbolic-link support, downloads the latest release from GitHub, installs to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\aikito, and adds its bin directory to your User PATH. With Developer Mode enabled, no administrator privileges are required. Enable it in Settings → System → For developers → Developer Mode.

To choose a different installation directory:

& ([scriptblock]::Create((irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lsaint/aikito/main/install.ps1))) -InstallDir "D:\aikito"

The CLI installation directory is separate from your personal workspace. For example, after opening a new terminal, create the workspace with aikito init workspace $env:USERPROFILE\aikito, then follow workspace synchronization.

Shell completion

Homebrew installs Zsh, Bash, and Fish completions automatically. For manual installs, follow the shell completion reference, which includes PowerShell profile setup.

Verify

aikito --version
aikito --help

You should see a version and the command list. If the shell cannot find aikito, resolve the installation or PATH issue before continuing.

Next: Create a workspace.