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Windows

Native CLI (x64 and ARM64)

Open PowerShell 5.1 or newer and run:

& ([scriptblock]::Create((Invoke-RestMethod https://openalice.ai/install.ps1)))

This installs the stable CLI for your architecture. Windows must provide tar.exe. The installer does not require administrator access or a persistent execution-policy change. It can add its command directory to your user PATH; open a new terminal afterward.

Alternatively, use npm or Bun:

npm install -g openalice --allow-scripts=openalice

bun add -g --trust openalice

The npm flag approves OpenAlice's installation script for npm 12. Bun requires --trust for the same materialization step. Then start OpenAlice:

openalice

The native CLI does not require Node or Bun at runtime. Git/Bash and coding agents are separate dependencies. Existing Git/Bash installations are reused; missing tools require separate consent and may require elevation. Run openalice setup --check to inspect dependencies or openalice setup to retry setup. Choose and authenticate your preferred coding agent.

Add -Channel beta or -Channel dev to the PowerShell command to select a preview channel, or -Plan to review the installation plan. npm/Bun follow stable. For direct installs use openalice update; for package-manager installs update through that manager. Stop a running Runtime with openalice down, then restart with openalice up to activate an update.

Bun on Windows has a known uninstall issue: removing the package can leave a global openalice.exe entry. See issue #1347.

Other Windows paths

OpenAlice also provides:

  • the source install for development, debugging, and reporting failures; and
  • the self-contained desktop package bundles Electron Node, managed Pi, PortableGit, Bash, pinned fd/ripgrep, and the OpenAlice Workspace CLIs.

The desktop package is published in the stable release, but its .exe remains unsigned and may trigger SmartScreen. Use the source path below when you need detailed build and runtime logs.

Desktop installer

Download the unsigned Windows x64 .exe

The packaged default does not require Node, npm, pnpm, Git for Windows, WSL, or a separately installed agent CLI, but it is not the most debuggable Windows path yet. After installation, let managed Pi manage access through its own login/provider flow or choose Settings → AI Provider, then create a Chat Workspace using Pi. A saved vault credential can optionally become Pi's default for new Workspaces.

The app supplies the runtime, not the model account. You may also install Claude Code, Codex, Cursor Agent, Antigravity, Grok Build, Oh My Pi, OpenCode, or Pi yourself and use its normal login/config. Follow the selected runtime's upstream Windows instructions; the POSIX one-line install hints shown on other platforms are not Windows setup commands.

The app shows download progress, then named shutdown and installer-handoff stages. Restart and update stops managed services, releases the Runtime lock, runs the assisted NSIS replacement silently, and should reopen OpenAlice automatically. The app may remain closed for up to a minute; do not launch another copy during that handoff.

The 0.89 updater also takes over residual processes from older installations and bypasses legacy long-path uninstallers before replacement. If the handoff cannot start, OpenAlice keeps or relaunches the current version and reports the diagnostic log. If the old version returns after an incomplete update, the next launch identifies the target that failed and offers retry or manual installation. User data remains outside the app bundle under the selected OpenAlice home.

Source install

Requirements

Install these first:

Install pnpm with:

npm install -g pnpm

Or use Corepack if you already prefer it:

corepack enable
corepack prepare pnpm@latest --activate

Clone and install

Open PowerShell, then run:

git clone https://github.com/TraderAlice/OpenAlice.git
cd OpenAlice
pnpm install

Run OpenAlice

pnpm dev

The dev orchestrator prints the URLs it picked. Open the UI URL, usually:

http://localhost:5173

Trust the URL printed by the terminal if the port auto-bumps.

Runtime-managed access

OpenAlice does not run the model loop inside its own backend. It starts native agent CLIs inside workspaces.

For Claude Code:

claude

Complete the login flow once. If you use Codex:

codex login

You can also add API-key credentials later in Settings -> AI Provider.

Do you need WSL or Git Bash?

Usually, no.

Built-in workspace templates bootstrap on OpenAlice's Node process and bundled git path. They do not need bash, WSL, or system git at runtime. A source checkout discovers Git Bash from the Workspace-shell preference, PATH, or standard Git for Windows locations.

Install Git for Windows for source-based Workspace terminals and scheduled shell work. WSL2 is not required. A third-party template may still bring its own additional shell assumptions.

Troubleshooting

PowerShell cannot run pnpm — Check your execution policy or use a normal terminal profile that can run global npm binaries.

A port is already in use — pnpm dev probes and auto-bumps ports. Open the URL it prints.

SmartScreen blocks the .exe — Use the source path above. The package is self-contained, but the Windows installer remains unsigned.

The app fails after a desktop update — Read the native error's last Alice output and diagnostic log path. Retry from Settings or install the latest .exe again; use the source path when you need the clearest logs. Your workspaces and settings live outside the app bundle.

Agent authentication fails — Run claude or codex login directly in the same Windows user account, complete login, then restart pnpm dev.

A Workspace or scheduled run cannot find Bash — Open Settings → General → Workspace shell (Windows). Use Automatic with Git for Windows installed, or select an absolute bin\bash.exe path. An invalid custom path fails loudly instead of silently falling back.

Next Steps