Install

Recommended: installer script

The fastest way to install. It detects your OS, installs Node if needed, installs FluffBuzz, and launches onboarding.

macOS / Linux / WSL2
Windows (PowerShell)

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

iwr -useb https://fluffbuzz.com/install.ps1 | iex

To install without running onboarding:

macOS / Linux / WSL2
Windows (PowerShell)

curl -fsSL https://fluffbuzz.com/install.sh | bash -s -- --no-onboard

& ([scriptblock]::Create((iwr -useb https://fluffbuzz.com/install.ps1))) -NoOnboard

For all flags and CI/automation options, see Installer internals.

System requirements

Node 24 (recommended) or Node 22.14+ — the installer script handles this automatically
macOS, Linux, or Windows — both native Windows and WSL2 are supported; WSL2 is more stable. See Windows.
pnpm is only needed if you build from source

Alternative install methods

Local prefix installer (`install-cli.sh`)

Use this when you want FluffBuzz and Node kept under a local prefix such as ~/.fluffbuzz, without depending on a system-wide Node install:

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

It supports npm installs by default, plus git-checkout installs under the same prefix flow. Full reference: Installer internals.

npm, pnpm, or bun

If you already manage Node yourself:

npm
pnpm
bun

npm install -g fluffbuzz@latest
fluffbuzz onboard --install-daemon

pnpm add -g fluffbuzz@latest
pnpm approve-builds -g
fluffbuzz onboard --install-daemon

pnpm requires explicit approval for packages with build scripts. Run pnpm approve-builds -g after the first install.

bun add -g fluffbuzz@latest
fluffbuzz onboard --install-daemon

Bun is supported for the global CLI install path. For the Gateway runtime, Node remains the recommended daemon runtime.

Troubleshooting: sharp build errors (npm)

If sharp fails due to a globally installed libvips:

SHARP_IGNORE_GLOBAL_LIBVIPS=1 npm install -g fluffbuzz@latest

From source

For contributors or anyone who wants to run from a local checkout:

git clone https://github.com/fluffbuzz/fluffbuzz.git
cd fluffbuzz
pnpm install && pnpm build && pnpm ui:build
pnpm link --global
fluffbuzz onboard --install-daemon

Or skip the link and use pnpm fluffbuzz ... from inside the repo. See Setup for full development workflows.

Install from GitHub main

npm install -g github:fluffbuzz/fluffbuzz#main

Containers and package managers

Docker

Containerized or headless deployments.

Podman

Rootless container alternative to Docker.

Nix

Declarative install via Nix flake.

Ansible

Automated fleet provisioning.

Bun

CLI-only usage via the Bun runtime.

Verify the install

fluffbuzz --version      # confirm the CLI is available
fluffbuzz doctor         # check for config issues
fluffbuzz gateway status # verify the Gateway is running

If you want managed startup after install:

macOS: LaunchAgent via fluffbuzz onboard --install-daemon or fluffbuzz gateway install
Linux/WSL2: systemd user service via the same commands
Native Windows: Scheduled Task first, with a per-user Startup-folder login item fallback if task creation is denied

Hosting and deployment

Deploy FluffBuzz on a cloud server or VPS:

VPS

Any Linux VPS

Docker VM

Shared Docker steps

Kubernetes

K8s

Fly.io

Hetzner

GCP

Google Cloud

Azure

Railway

Render

Northflank

Update, migrate, or uninstall

Updating

Keep FluffBuzz up to date.

Migrating

Move to a new machine.

Uninstall

Remove FluffBuzz completely.

Troubleshooting: `fluffbuzz` not found

If the install succeeded but fluffbuzz is not found in your terminal:

node -v           # Node installed?
npm prefix -g     # Where are global packages?
echo "$PATH"      # Is the global bin dir in PATH?

If $(npm prefix -g)/bin is not in your $PATH, add it to your shell startup file (~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc):

export PATH="$(npm prefix -g)/bin:$PATH"

Then open a new terminal. See Node setup for more details.

Install overview

Containers

Hosting

Maintenance

Recommended: installer script

System requirements

Alternative install methods

Local prefix installer (`install-cli.sh`)

npm, pnpm, or bun

From source

Install from GitHub main

Containers and package managers

Docker

Podman

Nix

Ansible

Bun

Verify the install

Hosting and deployment

VPS

Docker VM

Kubernetes

Fly.io

Hetzner

GCP

Azure

Railway

Render

Northflank

Update, migrate, or uninstall

Updating

Migrating

Uninstall

Troubleshooting: `fluffbuzz` not found

​Recommended: installer script

​System requirements

​Alternative install methods

​Local prefix installer (install-cli.sh)

​npm, pnpm, or bun

​From source

​Install from GitHub main

​Containers and package managers

Docker

Podman

Nix

Ansible

Bun

​Verify the install

​Hosting and deployment

VPS

Docker VM

Kubernetes

Fly.io

Hetzner

GCP

Azure

Railway

Render

Northflank

​Update, migrate, or uninstall

Updating

Migrating

Uninstall

​Troubleshooting: fluffbuzz not found

Recommended: installer script

System requirements

Alternative install methods

Local prefix installer (`install-cli.sh`)

npm, pnpm, or bun

From source

Install from GitHub main

Containers and package managers

Verify the install

Hosting and deployment

Update, migrate, or uninstall

Troubleshooting: `fluffbuzz` not found