Install Bifrost

uv and pipx

Install the native Bifrost CLI into an isolated environment with uv:

uv tool install brokk-bifrost
bifrost --version

Or install it with pipx:

pipx install brokk-bifrost
bifrost --version

The PyPI package contains the compiled Rust executable; it does not run through Python and does not download another Bifrost binary. Published wheels support macOS on Apple Silicon and Intel, glibc Linux on x86-64 and ARM64, and x64 Windows. Use the install script or Cargo on the other platforms listed below.

Run a released CLI without installing it persistently:

uvx brokk-bifrost --version

Upgrade or remove a uv installation with uv tool upgrade brokk-bifrost or uv tool uninstall brokk-bifrost. For pipx, use pipx upgrade brokk-bifrost or pipx uninstall brokk-bifrost. The distribution name is brokk-bifrost, while the command it installs is bifrost.

npm and npx

Install the native CLI with npm:

npm install -g @brokkai/bifrost
bifrost --version

Run it one time without a persistent install:

npx -y @brokkai/bifrost --version

The root package installs one checksum-verified native package for the current supported operating system and CPU. On Linux it requires glibc; musl platforms are rejected. It does not download or build Bifrost during installation. Upgrade it with npm update -g @brokkai/bifrost. Remove it with npm uninstall -g @brokkai/bifrost.

The CLI package is @brokkai/bifrost. The separate @brokk/bifrost-agent package contains the Pi extension and host MCP integration.

Connect Coding Hosts

After Bifrost and one or more coding hosts are installed, register a user-level MCP server named brokk:

bifrost --install

The command registers the current Bifrost executable with installed Codex, Claude Code, OpenCode, Kimi Code, Hermes, and Oh My Pi clients. It starts Bifrost with the core toolset. The server starts without a fixed project and uses the workspace root that the client supplies for each session.

The command skips clients that are not installed. It does not install client applications, skills, instruction files, or extensions. Run it again after the Bifrost executable moves to a different path.

Oh My Pi receives a native user MCP entry. It reads Bifrost’s standard MCP instructions and adds them to its model prompt.

Original Pi uses the separate @brokk/bifrost-agent extension described on the Pi page. The command does not install or change that extension.

Homebrew

Install from the BrokkAi Homebrew tap on macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel) or Linux (x86-64 and ARM64 glibc):

brew install brokkai/tap/bifrost
bifrost --version

The formula installs the bifrost CLI from the release archive for your platform and verifies its published SHA-256 checksum. Upgrade with brew upgrade bifrost and uninstall with brew uninstall bifrost. The tap regenerates its formulae from tagged releases on a schedule, so upgrades follow new Bifrost releases automatically. For Windows, musl Linux, or Android, use the methods below.

Install Script

Install the released binary with the install script:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/BrokkAi/bifrost/refs/heads/master/install.sh | bash

The script detects your platform, downloads the matching release archive from GitHub, verifies its published SHA-256 checksum, and installs bifrost into ~/.local/bin. It offers to add that directory to your PATH when it is missing and the terminal is interactive.

Supported Platforms

Platform	Architecture	Install script	Release target
macOS	Apple Silicon and Intel	Yes	universal-apple-darwin
Linux (glibc 2.28+)	x86-64	Yes	x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu
Linux (musl, such as Alpine)	x86-64	No, unsupported	none published
Linux (glibc 2.28+)	ARM64	Yes	aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu
Linux (musl, such as Alpine)	ARM64	No, unsupported	none published
WSL 1 and WSL 2	x86-64 and ARM64	Yes, as Linux	Linux targets above
Android (Termux)	ARM64	Yes	aarch64-linux-android
Windows	x64 and ARM64	No, use Cargo	.zip on the release page

On Linux the script installs the GNU archive for your architecture. Both GNU archives require glibc 2.28 or newer. On a musl system the script stops before downloading and explains that no supported prebuilt release is available, rather than installing a glibc binary that cannot run.

WSL

WSL is Linux, so run the same command inside your WSL shell. It installs the Linux binary, which runs inside WSL only. Windows-native tools, such as an editor or agent installed on the Windows side, cannot execute it, so install the Windows build separately when something outside WSL needs to spawn bifrost.

Windows

The install script does not cover Windows, whose release assets are .zip archives. Use Cargo, which works on Windows and builds the same version from source, or download the archive for your architecture from the release page and place bifrost.exe on your PATH yourself. Running the script from Git Bash, MSYS2, or Cygwin does not work either, and it will say so rather than installing a binary Windows cannot run.

Pipe-to-shell installs run remote code. To read the script before running it, download it first:

curl -fsSL -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/BrokkAi/bifrost/refs/heads/master/install.sh
less install.sh
bash install.sh

The script accepts these environment variables:

Variable	Purpose
INSTALL_DIR	Install directory. Defaults to ~/.local/bin.
BIFROST_INSTALL_DIR	Same as INSTALL_DIR, with higher precedence.
BIFROST_VERSION	Release tag to install, for example v0.8.17. Defaults to the latest release.
BIFROST_GITHUB_OWNER	GitHub owner to download from. Defaults to BrokkAi.
GITHUB_TOKEN	Token used for GitHub API rate limits.
PROFILE	Shell profile to update when the install directory is not on PATH.

Pin a version and choose the directory like this:

BIFROST_VERSION=v0.8.17 INSTALL_DIR=/usr/local/bin \
  bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/BrokkAi/bifrost/refs/heads/master/install.sh)"

Re-running the script installs over the existing binary, so it also serves as the upgrade path.

Cargo

Cargo builds the CLI from source and works on supported platforms with a Rust toolchain, including Windows. Musl builds are not tested or supported, but users may attempt the same source installation command:

cargo install brokk-bifrost --locked --force

For local development, build this checkout:

cargo build --bin bifrost

Verify The Install

Check that the binary is available, whichever method you used:

bifrost --help

When configuring tools that spawn Bifrost, prefer an absolute binary path unless bifrost is intentionally installed on the host PATH.

The packaged agent plugin uses a separate launcher that can download its pinned, checksum-verified Bifrost release into a user cache. See Data and Trust Boundaries for resolution order, cache locations, and the controls that disable or relocate downloads.

Python Package

The Python API is a separate distribution from the CLI. Add the native Python client to a uv project with:

uv add brokk-bifrost-searchtools

Or install it with pip:

pip install brokk-bifrost-searchtools

Import it as bifrost_searchtools. See Python Client for the API surface and local development workflow.