Installation

Install Knowns through package managers or from source.

Source fileb4192f7Updated Jun 26, 2026, 7:11 AM

Installation

Install the knowns CLI first. Installation only makes the command available; you still need to run knowns init inside each repository where you want Knowns-managed project context.

Requirements

  • a supported terminal environment on macOS, Linux, or Windows
  • Git if you want repository-aware init/setup behavior
  • optional local model downloads if you plan to use semantic search

Homebrew

bash
brew install knowns-dev/tap/knowns

Recommended on macOS and Linux when you want a packaged install.

npm

bash
npm install -g knowns

Useful when your environment already uses Node tooling.

Shell installer (macOS/Linux)

bash
curl -fsSL https://knowns.sh/script/install | sh

PowerShell installer (Windows)

PowerShell
irm https://knowns.sh/script/install.ps1 | iex

Build from source

bash
go build -o ./bin/knowns ./cmd/knowns

Best option when developing Knowns itself.

Verify

bash
knowns --version

If the command prints a version, the CLI is installed. Next, move into the repository you want to manage and run the quick start.

No-global-install option

If you do not want a global install, you can still run Knowns through npm:

bash
npx knowns init

Next step