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Install the CommandChain app

One command installs the CommandChain app, connects it to your account and keeps it running in the background. You approve the connection in your browser and you are done.

Before you start

Section titled “Before you start”
  • An account. If you do not have one yet, create your account.
  • A supported computer:
    • macOS on Apple Silicon or Intel.
    • Linux on x86-64 or ARM64.
    • Windows 10 version 1809 or later, Windows 11, or Windows Server 2019 or later, on x64. Windows on Arm is not supported.
  • At least one coding agent, installed and signed in with its own login: Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot, OpenCode or Cursor. If you have none yet, CommandChain can install Claude Code or Codex for you and walk you through signing in; see No coding agent found. See Supported agents.

On Windows, CommandChain is not signed by a known publisher yet. If Smart App Control is on, the installer stops and says “Smart App Control is on for this computer.”, and CommandChain cannot run on that computer. If Windows Security blocks or removes the program, see Troubleshooting.

You do not need administrator rights. Everything installs for your own user account. On Windows, if PowerShell is running as administrator, the installer says “PowerShell is running as administrator. CommandChain installs for your account (<user>) only.” and carries on.

Step 1: Run one command

Section titled “Step 1: Run one command”

Run this on the computer you want to connect. If CommandChain is already installed there, run commandchain-runner instead and follow its prompt.

Open Terminal and run:

Terminal window
curl -fsSL https://github.com/commandchain-ai/commandchain-runner-dist/releases/latest/download/install.sh | sh

The installer works through numbered steps:

  1. Downloads CommandChain for your computer.
  2. Verifies the download against its published SHA256 checksum.
  3. Installs it: to ~/.local/bin/commandchain-runner on macOS and Linux, or to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\CommandChain\ on Windows, which it adds to your Path. On macOS and Linux, if ~/.local/bin is not on your PATH, the installer warns and prints the full path in every command it shows. Use that path, or add the folder to your PATH.
  4. Lists the coding agents it found on this computer.
  5. Shows a pairing code and a link, and opens the link in your browser where it can.
  6. Starts CommandChain in the background, set to start again when you sign in to the computer.

Text in angle brackets is filled in by your computer. The pairing code looks like this:

Terminal window
  Approve this computer in the CommandChain app:


     Code: <code>
     Open: <link>


  Check that the code matches, then approve it.
  This code works for 10 minutes. If it runs out, a new one appears here.
  Waiting for approval...

Step 2: Approve it in your browser

Section titled “Step 2: Approve it in your browser”

The link opens Connect a computer with your code already filled in. Sign in if you are asked to. Check that the code and the Computer name match what your computer shows, then select Approve. Connect your computer covers this page in detail.

Done

Section titled “Done”

Back in the terminal, the installer finishes with:

Terminal window
Done
  ✔ CommandChain is running on this computer and connected as <name>.
  It keeps running after you close this terminal, and starts when you log in.


  Open CommandChain:  <link>
  Check on it:        commandchain-runner
  Logs:               <log file>

The block also prints the uninstall command. The CommandChain app now runs in the background on this computer. You can close the terminal.

From now on, CommandChain keeps itself up to date: it installs new versions by itself when nothing is in progress. See Update or uninstall.

On Windows the background app is a Task Scheduler task named CommandChain-<your Windows user name>. It runs with no visible window.

If it says it will run in this terminal

Section titled “If it says it will run in this terminal”

Some computers cannot run background apps for your account: a Linux computer without a systemd user service manager, a Linux login reached through su, sudo or some SSH sessions, a Mac with nobody logged in to the desktop, or Windows when Task Scheduler is not available to you. The installer says why, then:

Terminal window
CommandChain will run in this terminal instead.

After you approve, it tells you: “Keep this terminal open. Closing it disconnects this computer. Press Ctrl-C to stop.” (on Windows, “this window”). Keep it open while you use CommandChain. To start it again later, run commandchain-runner. See Keep the CommandChain app running.

If you ran it without a terminal

Section titled “If you ran it without a terminal”

On macOS and Linux, when the installer runs from a script with no terminal attached and cannot use a background app, it pairs, then prints “CommandChain is installed and this computer is paired.” and “Start it with: commandchain-runner”, and exits. Run commandchain-runner in a terminal to connect.

If you closed the terminal before approving

Section titled “If you closed the terminal before approving”

The computer is not connected yet. Run the same install command again. It shows a new code.

No coding agent found

Section titled “No coding agent found”

If step 4 finds no agent, the installer warns: “No coding agent found. Install Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot, OpenCode or Cursor and sign in to it. CommandChain finds it automatically within 2 minutes.” The install carries on. You do not need to run the installer again. Either:

  • Let CommandChain set one up. Run commandchain-runner in a terminal. It shows a numbered menu to install Claude Code, Codex or both, each with the vendor’s own installer, as you. Codex needs npm. Then it asks you to sign in to each one with that agent’s own sign-in, in your browser (or with a device code for Codex), and checks that it worked. This setup is required before CommandChain connects the computer; press Ctrl+C to quit. If an agent is installed but not signed in, it goes straight to signing in. See First-run setup.
  • Install one yourself. Install an agent and sign in to it. GitHub Copilot, OpenCode and Cursor you always install yourself. CommandChain finds it within 2 minutes. See Supported agents.

On Windows, the installer also warns if Git for Windows is missing. CommandChain uses Git to show changes in your projects, and Claude Code on Windows uses Git Bash. Install Git for Windows, then start a new session.

Next steps

Section titled “Next steps”