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Installation

SwissArmyHammer can be installed in several ways depending on your needs and platform.

Pre-built Binaries

Currently, SwissArmyHammer does not provide pre-built binaries for download. This is a planned feature for future releases. For now, please use the Cargo installation method below.

To update SwissArmyHammer to the latest version:

# Update from git repository
cargo install --git https://github.com/wballard/swissarmyhammer.git swissarmyhammer-cli --force

The --force flag will overwrite the existing installation.

Clone and Build

If you are installing from source:

  • Rust 1.70 or later - Install from rustup.rs
  • Git - For cloning the repository

If you want to build from source or contribute to development:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/wballard/swissarmyhammer.git
cd swissarmyhammer

# Build the CLI (debug mode for development)
cargo build

# Build optimized release version
cargo build --release

# Install from the local source
cargo install --path swissarmyhammer-cli

# Or run directly without installing
cargo run --bin swissarmyhammer -- --help

Verification

After installation, verify that SwissArmyHammer is working correctly:

# Check version
swissarmyhammer --version

# Run diagnostics
swissarmyhammer doctor

# Show help
swissarmyhammer --help

The doctor command will check your installation and provide helpful diagnostics if anything needs attention.

Shell Completions

Generate and install shell completions for better CLI experience:

Bash

# Linux/macOS (user-specific)
swissarmyhammer completion bash > ~/.local/share/bash-completion/completions/swissarmyhammer

# macOS with Homebrew bash-completion
swissarmyhammer completion bash > $(brew --prefix)/etc/bash_completion.d/swissarmyhammer

# Alternative location (ensure directory exists)
mkdir -p ~/.bash_completion.d
swissarmyhammer completion bash > ~/.bash_completion.d/swissarmyhammer

Zsh

# User-specific (ensure ~/.zfunc is in your fpath)
mkdir -p ~/.zfunc
swissarmyhammer completion zsh > ~/.zfunc/_swissarmyhammer

# Add to ~/.zshrc if not already present:
# fpath=(~/.zfunc $fpath)
# autoload -U compinit && compinit

# System-wide (with appropriate permissions)
swissarmyhammer completion zsh > /usr/local/share/zsh/site-functions/_swissarmyhammer

Fish

# User-specific
swissarmyhammer completion fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/swissarmyhammer.fish

# Ensure the directory exists
mkdir -p ~/.config/fish/completions
swissarmyhammer completion fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/swissarmyhammer.fish

PowerShell

# Add to PowerShell profile
swissarmyhammer completion powershell >> $PROFILE

# Or create profile directory if it doesn't exist
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path (Split-Path $PROFILE) -Force
swissarmyhammer completion powershell >> $PROFILE

Remember to reload your shell or start a new terminal session for completions to take effect.

Next Steps

Once installed, continue to the Quick Start guide to set up SwissArmyHammer with Claude Code and create your first prompt.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Command not found: Make sure ~/.cargo/bin is in your PATH.

Build failures: Ensure you have Rust 1.70+ installed and try updating Rust:

rustup update

Permission errors: Don’t use sudo with cargo install - it installs to your user directory.

For more help, check the Troubleshooting guide or run:

swissarmyhammer doctor