vibe is one program with no runtime to install. On Windows you download an archive and unpack it; on any platform with a Rust toolchain you build it from the source. When it is done, one command prints the version.
On Windows the agent downloads the release archive, unpacks it, and runs its installer script. The script imports the binary into vibe's own managed folder under `~/.vibe/opt`, marks it active, and adds one folder of small launcher scripts to your user `PATH`. Everywhere else the agent clones the source repository and runs its first-run script, which builds the program and installs it through the same manager. Either way, the result is the same layout: versions under `~/.vibe/opt/vibevm/`, launchers in `~/.vibe/opt/bin/`, and a pointer that says which version is current.
vibe runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. The one-line cold start is a script at a stable address, `https://vibevm.org/install.sh` for Bash and `install.ps1` for PowerShell: it downloads the release manifest, verifies a small bootstrap binary by size and digest, and that binary verifies and installs the full bundle. Package managers such as Homebrew and WinGet come later.
1. Download `vibe-<version>-windows-x86_64.zip` from the releases page of `github.com/vibevm/vibevm`.
2. Unpack the archive into a folder of your choice.
3. In that folder run the installer:
4. Open a new terminal, so that the changed `PATH` is read.
5. Check the result:
The archive also contains `SHA256SUMS.txt`. Compare the digest of `vibe.exe` with the line in that file before you run the installer. The installer does the same check.
1. Install git and a Rust toolchain. OpenSSL is not needed.
2. Clone the repository: `git clone https://github.com/vibevm/vibevm.git` and enter the folder.
3. Run the first-run script: `bash tools/first-run.sh` on Linux and macOS, `.\tools\first-run.ps1` on Windows. It builds the program, installs it into the managed [store](../glossary/index.xml#store) and sets up the launchers.
4. Open a new terminal and run `vibe --version`, then `vibe self doctor`.
Later, `vibe self update` moves the installation to the newest release, and `vibe self reinstall` downloads the current one again. `vibe self ls` lists the versions on the machine, and `vibe self rollback` returns to the previous one.
vibe keeps everything it owns under one folder in your home directory, `~/.vibe/`: the installed versions and their launchers under `opt/`, the machine store of fetched packages under `cache/`, [registry](../glossary/index.xml#registry) clones under `registries/`, and your settings files. Nothing is written anywhere else, and the whole folder can be moved by setting the environment variable `VIBE_SETTINGS`.
The installer never overwrites a running binary and never edits your `PATH` twice: it adds one entry, guarded by a marker, and leaves the rest alone.
If `vibe --version` prints nothing in the terminal where you ran the installer, open a new one: the `PATH` change applies to new shells only.
A ready-built binary from anywhere can join the managed store without a toolchain: `vibe self import ./vibe.exe --tag 1.0.0 --use`.
Building an arbitrary git ref is running arbitrary code, as with any build from source. Build from the repository and the branches you trust.