Installation Guide

June 13, 2026 ยท View on GitHub

VT Code supports multiple installation methods. Choose the one that works best for you.

Quick Install

The default macOS/Linux native installer also attempts the recommended ripgrep + ast-grep bundle.

macOS & Linux

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vinhnx/vtcode/main/scripts/install.sh | bash

# Skip ripgrep + ast-grep if you only want VT Code
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vinhnx/vtcode/main/scripts/install.sh | bash -s -- --without-search-tools

Windows (PowerShell)

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vinhnx/vtcode/main/scripts/install.ps1 | iex

Windows release builds are currently best-effort and may lag behind macOS/Linux. The release pipeline still depends on cross, Docker, and GitHub Actions capacity for Windows packaging, and those build minutes can be costly, so Windows artifacts may not appear in every release.

Homebrew (macOS & Linux)

brew install vinhnx/tap/vtcode

# Optional after brew install
vtcode dependencies install search-tools

Cargo (Rust)

cargo install vtcode

# Optional after any install method
vtcode dependencies install search-tools

npm (Node.js)

npm install -g @vinhnx/vtcode --registry=https://npm.pkg.github.com

Installation Methods

MethodPlatformsCommandNotes
Native InstallermacOS, Linux, WSLSee Quick Install aboveRecommended, auto-detects platform
HomebrewmacOS, Linuxbrew install vinhnx/tap/vtcodePackage manager, easy updates
CargoAllcargo install vtcodeBuild from source, latest dev version
npmAllnpm install -g @vinhnx/vtcode --registry=https://npm.pkg.github.comJavaScript package manager
npxAllnpx @vinhnx/vtcodeNo installation, run directly

Windows release artifacts may lag behind macOS/Linux while the build pipeline is being finalized.

After Installation

1. Verify it works

vtcode --version

2. Set your API key

export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..."

3. Initialize your project

cd your-project
vtcode init    # scaffolds vtcode.toml, .vtcode/, and AGENTS.md

4. Launch VT Code

vtcode

Supported AI Providers

  • GitHub Copilot (requires copilot CLI; see GitHub Copilot Auth)
  • OpenAI (OPENAI_API_KEY)
  • Anthropic (ANTHROPIC_API_KEY)
  • Google Gemini (GEMINI_API_KEY)
  • xAI (XAI_API_KEY)
  • DeepSeek (DEEPSEEK_API_KEY)
  • OpenRouter (OPENROUTER_API_KEY)
  • Ollama (local, no API key)
  • LM Studio (local, no API key by default)

Set the corresponding environment variable for your chosen provider. For GitHub Copilot, install the copilot CLI and authenticate using copilot login.

Troubleshooting

Command not found after installation

macOS/Linux:

# Refresh your shell
source ~/.bashrc    # bash
source ~/.zshrc     # zsh

Windows: Restart PowerShell or Command Prompt.

Installation fails with "No such file or directory"

This typically indicates a network or CDN caching issue. Try one of:

# Force fresh download
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vinhnx/vtcode/main/scripts/install.sh | bash

# Or use GitHub API (always fresh)
curl -fsSL "https://api.github.com/repos/vinhnx/vtcode/contents/scripts/install.sh?ref=main" | jq -r '.content' | base64 -d | bash

Permission denied

macOS/Linux:

chmod +x /usr/local/bin/vtcode

Windows: Run PowerShell as Administrator.

Download failed

  1. Check internet connection: curl https://api.github.com
  2. Verify GitHub is accessible
  3. Try again in a fresh terminal
  4. Check GitHub status

Still stuck?

Uninstall

Native Installer (Shell)

rm /usr/local/bin/vtcode
# or
rm ~/.local/bin/vtcode

Homebrew

brew uninstall vinhnx/tap/vtcode

Cargo

cargo uninstall vtcode

npm

npm uninstall -g @vinhnx/vtcode

Windows (PowerShell)

Remove-Item "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\VT Code\vtcode.exe"
# or (if in Program Files)
Remove-Item "C:\Program Files\VT Code\vtcode.exe"

Installation Paths

macOS & Linux

  • /usr/local/bin/vtcode (standard)
  • /opt/local/bin/vtcode (Homebrew ARM64)
  • ~/.local/bin/vtcode (user fallback)

Windows

  • C:\Program Files\VT Code\vtcode.exe (system-wide, requires admin)
  • %LOCALAPPDATA%\VT Code\vtcode.exe (user-scoped)

The native installers automatically select the best location and add it to PATH.

Additional Resources