Installation

Install ClaudeKit CLI globally and set up GitHub authentication to start creating projects.

Prerequisites

Before installing ClaudeKit CLI, ensure you have:

1. Node.js

ClaudeKit CLI requires Node.js 18.0.0 or higher.

Check your version:

node --version

Install Node.js:

  • Windows: Download from nodejs.org
  • macOS: brew install node
  • Linux: sudo apt install nodejs npm (Ubuntu/Debian) or check your distro’s package manager

2. Git

Required for repository operations.

Check your version:

git --version

Install Git:

  • Windows: Download from git-scm.com
  • macOS: brew install git (or use Xcode Command Line Tools)
  • Linux: sudo apt install git (Ubuntu/Debian)

3. Purchase ClaudeKit

You must purchase a ClaudeKit Starter Kit from ClaudeKit.cc to access the private GitHub repository containing kit templates.

After purchase, you’ll receive:

  • Access to the private GitHub repository
  • License key (if applicable)
  • Setup instructions

Install ClaudeKit CLI

Install the CLI globally using your preferred package manager:

npm install -g claudekit-cli

Bun

bun add -g claudekit-cli

pnpm

pnpm add -g claudekit-cli

Yarn

yarn global add claudekit-cli

Verify Installation

After installation, verify the CLI is working:

ck --version

Expected output:

CLI Version: 3.10.1

If you see a “command not found” error, ensure your package manager’s global bin directory is in your PATH:

  • npm: npm config get prefix (should be in PATH)
  • bun: ~/.bun/bin (add to PATH if needed)
  • pnpm: pnpm config get global-bin-dir (add to PATH if needed)
  • yarn: yarn global bin (add to PATH if needed)

Authentication Setup {#authentication}

ClaudeKit CLI requires GitHub authentication to download releases from private repositories.

Install GitHub CLI

Step 1: Install GitHub CLI

  • Windows: winget install GitHub.cli
  • macOS: brew install gh
  • Linux: sudo apt install gh (Ubuntu/Debian)

For other Linux distributions, see GitHub CLI installation guide.

Step 2: Verify installation

gh --version

Authenticate with GitHub CLI

Run the authentication command:

gh auth login

Follow the prompts:

  1. Select GitHub.com
  2. Select HTTPS (or SSH if you prefer)
  3. Authenticate Git? → Yes
  4. Select Login with a web browser (recommended)
  5. Copy the one-time code shown
  6. Press Enter to open browser
  7. Paste the code in the browser
  8. Authorize GitHub CLI

Important: Use “Login with a web browser” option. Do NOT use “Paste an authentication token” as PAT authentication is no longer supported for accessing private repositories.

Verify Authentication

Check your authentication status:

gh auth status

Expected output:

github.com
  ✓ Logged in to github.com as your-username (oauth_token)
  ✓ Git operations for github.com configured to use https protocol.
  ✓ Token: *******************

Accept Repository Invitation

After purchasing ClaudeKit, you’ll receive an email invitation to access the private GitHub repository.

  1. Check your email for the GitHub invitation
  2. Accept the invitation by clicking the link
  3. Wait 2-5 minutes for permissions to propagate

Without accepting the invitation, you’ll get “Access denied” errors when running ck new or ck init.

Troubleshooting

”Access denied” Error

Symptoms:

Access denied to repository

Solutions:

  1. Run ck doctor to diagnose issues
  2. Ensure you’ve accepted the GitHub repository invitation
  3. Re-run gh auth login and select “Login with a web browser”
  4. Wait 2-5 minutes after accepting invitation for permissions to propagate

”GitHub CLI not authenticated” Error

Symptoms:

GitHub CLI not authenticated

Solutions:

# Re-authenticate with web browser method
gh auth login

Select “Login with a web browser” (NOT “Paste token”).

Permission Denied During Installation

Symptoms:

EACCES: permission denied

Solutions:

Option 1: Use sudo (Linux/macOS)

sudo npm install -g claudekit-cli

Option 2: Fix npm permissions (Recommended)

Follow npm’s guide to fix permissions.

Command Not Found

Symptoms:

ck: command not found

Solutions:

Add your package manager’s global bin directory to PATH:

npm:

# Find npm prefix
npm config get prefix

# Add to PATH (add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc)
export PATH="$(npm config get prefix)/bin:$PATH"

Bun:

# Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc
export PATH="$HOME/.bun/bin:$PATH"

pnpm:

# Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc
export PATH="$(pnpm config get global-bin-dir):$PATH"

After editing shell config, restart your terminal or run:

source ~/.bashrc  # or ~/.zshrc

Platform-Specific Notes

Windows

  • Use PowerShell or Windows Terminal (not Command Prompt)
  • Path separators use backslash (\) but CLI handles this automatically
  • Some commands may require administrator privileges

macOS

  • GitHub CLI can be installed via Homebrew
  • Global npm packages install to /usr/local/bin by default
  • Requires Xcode Command Line Tools for Git (install via xcode-select --install)

Linux

  • Package names vary by distribution (use your distro’s package manager)
  • Global npm packages may require sudo or npm permission fixes
  • WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) fully supported

Next Steps

Now that ClaudeKit CLI is installed and authenticated:

  1. Create a new project: ck new
  2. Run health check: ck doctor
  3. Browse available versions: ck versions
  4. Configure defaults: Configuration