--- id: install title: Installing Dex area: Getting set up order: 20 summary: One pasted line takes you from zero to your first Dex conversation in about ten minutes — no programming experience needed. --- Installing Dex takes about ten minutes and doesn't require any programming experience. One pasted line does almost everything: it checks your computer, installs anything missing (telling you as it goes), downloads Dex, and sets it up. This page covers that quick path, an even easier ask-your-AI path, and a step-by-step manual path if you prefer to see every move. ## The one-line install (recommended) **Mac** — press `Cmd+Space`, type "Terminal", press Enter. Paste this line and press Enter: ```bash curl -fsSL https://heydex.ai/install.sh | bash ``` **Windows** — open the Start menu, type "PowerShell", press Enter. Paste this line and press Enter: ```bash irm https://heydex.ai/install.ps1 | iex ``` The installer narrates everything it does in plain language. If something's missing — say, Node.js — it either installs it for you, narrating each move, or points you at the exact download and tells you to run the same line again afterwards. It's safe to run twice; a second run just picks up where things left off. Nothing is ever left half-done. When it finishes, it tells you exactly what to do next: open your new Dex folder (it lives in `Documents/Dex`) in Cursor or Claude Code and say **hi**. ## Or hand the whole thing to your AI If you already talk to an AI that can use your computer — Claude, or ChatGPT with computer access — you don't even need to paste the line yourself: ```prompt Install Dex on my computer. Follow the instructions at https://heydex.ai/install.md and walk me through anything you can't do yourself. ``` Your AI reads Dex's install runbook, runs the installer, watches for anything unusual on your particular machine, and hands over to Dex when it's done. ## What the installer checks for The one-liner handles all of this for you — this section is here so nothing feels like magic, and for anyone taking the manual path below. Dex runs inside an AI coding assistant. You have two good options: - **Cursor** — a free desktop app (with a paid tier). The easiest starting point if you've never used a terminal. - **Claude Code** — Anthropic's assistant, as a terminal app or desktop app. Requires a Claude Pro or Max subscription; free Claude accounts don't include it. Claude Code gives Dex its most reliable behavior (its automation hooks are guaranteed to run rather than probabilistic), so it's worth considering as you get more comfortable. You'll also need three standard, free pieces of software. Don't worry if these names mean nothing to you — the checks below tell you if you already have them: - **Git** (moves files between your computer and where Dex is published). Macs install it automatically when needed. - **Node.js** (runs Dex's background automation). Version 18 or newer. - **Python** (runs Dex's task and calendar tools). Version 3.10 or newer. To check what you have, open a terminal (in Cursor: the Terminal panel) and run: ```bash git --version # want: git version 2.x node --version # want: v18 or higher python3 --version # want: Python 3.10 or higher ``` On a Mac, the first time you run a command like this you may be asked to install "Command Line Developer Tools" — say yes; it takes two or three minutes and is safe. ## The manual path, step by step Prefer to drive yourself, or did the one-liner hit a snag it couldn't fix? These three steps do the same thing by hand. ### Step 1 — Get Dex onto your computer In Cursor: press `Cmd+Shift+P` (Mac) or `Ctrl+Shift+P` (Windows), choose **Git: Clone**, and paste: ``` https://github.com/davekilleen/dex.git ``` Pick a folder you'll remember (Documents works well), then open it. If cloning fails for any reason, there's a no-terminal fallback: download the ZIP from [github.com/davekilleen/dex](https://github.com/davekilleen/dex), unzip it (the folder will be named `dex-main`), and open that folder in Cursor. ### Step 2 — Run the installer In the terminal panel, from inside your Dex folder, run: ```bash ./install.sh ``` This takes a minute or two. It sets up Dex's tools inside the folder itself — nothing is installed system-wide, so removing Dex later is as simple as deleting the folder. When it finishes, Cursor's MCP panel should show green checkmarks next to Dex's tools. (MCP servers are the small programs that give Dex reliable hands — tasks, calendar, meetings.) ### Step 3 — Say hello In the chat panel, type: ``` /setup ``` The first load can take about thirty seconds — if nothing happens, press Enter again. Dex will introduce itself and ask a few questions about you and your work. That conversation is [onboarding](onboarding.html), covered on its own page — it takes about two minutes. ## Using Claude Code instead of (or alongside) Cursor If you'd like to use Claude Code: ```bash # Mac curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash # Windows (PowerShell) irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex ``` Then authenticate with `claude auth` (it opens your browser), go to your Dex folder in the terminal (`cd ~/Documents/dex`), and run `claude`. Same vault, same Dex — both apps read the same files, so you can switch freely. ## If something goes wrong The installer's error messages point to fixes, but here are the common ones: - **Windows: "python is not recognized"** — reinstall Python from python.org and tick **"Add Python to PATH"** during install. Restart the terminal and run `./install.sh` again. - **Windows: "git is not recognized"** — install Git from [git-scm.com](https://git-scm.com/download/win), restart the terminal, rerun the installer. - **"Could not install Python dependencies"** — run these commands, then rerun the installer: ```bash python3 -m venv .venv .venv/bin/pip install --upgrade pip .venv/bin/pip install -r core/mcp/requirements.txt ``` - **Tools show "No server info found"** — quit the app fully (Cmd+Q on Mac) and reopen it. If that doesn't fix it, rerun the dependency commands above first. - **Mac: you cancelled the Developer Tools prompt** — run `xcode-select --install`, let it finish, then `./install.sh` again. > One honest platform note: calendar integration uses the Mac's built-in Calendar app, so it's Mac-only for now. Everything else in Dex works on Windows too. Once `/setup` greets you, move on to **[Your first conversation](onboarding.html)**. ```handoff I just read the Dex Guide's install page. Give my installation a proper once-over: check that your tools are all connected and healthy, that the versions of everything you depend on are happy, and that nothing from setup was left half-finished. Fix anything that's safe to fix yourself, tell me plainly if something needs my hands, and finish with one thing about my setup I probably don't know. ```