One Command to Install Aii CLI — From Zero to AI

The Problem

Setting up an AI CLI tool shouldn't feel like a project. But here's what it used to look like:

1. Install Node.js
2. npm install -g @aiiware/aii
3. Install Docker
4. Run the server setup script
5. Configure your API key
6. Finally: aii hello

Six steps. Most people gave up at step 3.

One Command

Starting today, the entire setup is a single curl:

curl -fsSL https://aiiware.com/install.sh | bash

That's it. The installer handles everything:

• Node.js — Installs via nvm if you don't have it
• Aii CLI — Installs the @aiiware/aii npm package globally
• Docker — Installed on first aii run if missing
• Aii Server — Pulled and started automatically
• API key — Setup wizard walks you through it

From a completely clean machine to your first AI response — one command.

Watch It

Here's the full end-to-end install on a clean Ubuntu machine with nothing pre-installed:

And here's the npm install path for developers who already have Node.js:

How It Works

The install process has two stages that work together seamlessly.

Stage 1: install.sh

The curl installer is a ~450-line bash script that:

1. Detects your OS and architecture (macOS, Linux, WSL2)
2. Checks for Node.js — skips if you already have v18+
3. If Node.js is missing: detects nvm/volta/fnm, or installs nvm fresh
4. Installs @aiiware/aii via npm
5. Verifies the installation
6. Offers to run your first command right there

Stage 2: Zero-Friction Bootstrap

The first time you run aii, a separate bootstrap system kicks in:

1. Checks for Docker — offers to install if missing
2. Starts the Docker daemon if it's stopped
3. Pulls and launches the Aii Server container
4. Runs the API key setup wizard
5. Executes your original command

You never see "please install Docker" as an error. It just happens.

What About Existing Setups?

The installer is idempotent. Running it again is safe:

• Node.js already installed? Skipped.
• Aii CLI already installed? Upgraded to latest.
• Docker and server already running? Health check passes instantly, no bootstrap output.

# First time: full install
curl -fsSL https://aiiware.com/install.sh | bash

# Second time: just upgrades
curl -fsSL https://aiiware.com/install.sh | bash
# → "Aii CLI already installed: 0.13.12"
# → "Upgrading Aii CLI..."
# → "Aii CLI installed: 0.13.13"

Keeping It Updated

Once installed, you can update Aii CLI from within itself:

aii install              # Update to latest
aii install 0.13.10      # Pin to a specific version

No need to re-run the curl installer — aii install handles self-updates directly.

CI/CD and Automation

The installer works in non-interactive environments too:

# Piped stdin — no prompts, sensible defaults
curl -fsSL https://aiiware.com/install.sh | bash

# Explicit non-interactive
curl -fsSL https://aiiware.com/install.sh | bash -s -- --non-interactive

# Pin a specific version
AII_VERSION=0.13.10 curl -fsSL https://aiiware.com/install.sh | bash

Uninstall

Clean removal is one flag away:

curl -fsSL https://aiiware.com/install.sh | bash -s -- --uninstall

This removes the Aii CLI npm package. Your config (~/.aii/) is preserved unless you choose to delete it. Node.js and Docker are left untouched.

Supported Platforms

Get Started

curl -fsSL https://aiiware.com/install.sh | bash

Choose your model — Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Ollama, or 300+ via OpenRouter. Code, translate, research, automate — all from the terminal.

aiiware.com