Installation Guide

Rapid Development Phase

Nimi is still in an extremely fast-moving stage. Installation and onboarding flows are usable today, but contracts, defaults, and CLI behavior may continue to change quickly between releases.

Download Desktop App

The desktop app is the fastest way to get started with Nimi.

Platform	Status
macOS (Apple Silicon)	Available on GitHub Releases — updater archive (.app.tar.gz)
macOS (Intel)	Available on GitHub Releases — updater archive (.app.tar.gz)
Windows	Available on GitHub Releases — NSIS installer (.exe)
Linux	Available on GitHub Releases — AppImage

If you prefer the command line or want automated installs, use the CLI install methods below. The curl installer supports macOS and Linux. npm install -g @nimiplatform/nimi covers supported macOS, Linux, and Windows targets. If a macOS desktop release is published in ad-hoc signing mode, Gatekeeper may require you to manually allow the extracted app before first launch.

System Requirements

• CLI via curl: macOS or Linux (x86_64, arm64)
• CLI via npm: supported macOS, Linux, and Windows targets with Node.js 18 or later
• Desktop app: macOS (Apple Silicon or Intel), Windows, or Linux
• Disk Space: At least 2 GB free for the runtime and a base local model
• Network: Required for initial install and cloud provider usage; local-only generation works offline after model download

Install Methods

curl Script (recommended)

curl -fsSL https://install.nimi.xyz | sh

The script detects your OS and architecture, downloads the appropriate binary, and places it on your PATH. By default it installs nimi into ~/.nimi/bin/nimi and appends ~/.nimi/bin to ~/.zshrc, ~/.bashrc, and ~/.profile if needed.

npm Global Install

npm install -g @nimiplatform/nimi

Requires Node.js 18 or later.

Verify the Installation

nimi version

This prints the installed CLI version.

Run a full environment check:

nimi doctor

nimi doctor reports:

• CLI version
• Config file path
• gRPC daemon health
• Runtime mode and process status
• Local engine status
• Provider status
• Installed model count

Starting the Runtime

Background Mode (default)

nimi start

Launches the runtime daemon in the background and returns control to your terminal. The runtime listens on gRPC at 127.0.0.1:46371 by default.

Foreground Mode

nimi serve

Starts the runtime in the foreground with logs streaming to stdout. Useful for debugging or watching runtime activity in real time. Press Ctrl+C to stop.

Verify the Runtime Is Running

nimi status

Confirms the daemon process is alive and reachable.

Default Endpoint

The runtime exposes a gRPC endpoint at:

127.0.0.1:46371

All CLI commands and SDK clients connect to this endpoint by default.

Updating Nimi

curl Script

Re-run the install script. It replaces the existing binary with the latest version:

curl -fsSL https://install.nimi.xyz | sh

npm

npm update -g @nimiplatform/nimi

After updating, restart the runtime to pick up changes:

nimi stop
nimi start

Uninstalling

curl Script Install

Remove the binary from the install root. The default location is:

rm -f ~/.nimi/bin/nimi

Remove the PATH line added by the installer from ~/.zshrc, ~/.bashrc, or ~/.profile if you no longer want ~/.nimi/bin on your shell PATH.

Remove the configuration directory:

rm -rf ~/.nimi

npm Install

npm uninstall -g @nimiplatform/nimi

Remove the configuration directory:

rm -rf ~/.nimi

Next Steps

• User Quickstart -- first generation in five minutes
• CLI Command Reference -- full list of commands
• Troubleshooting -- common install issues