Installer Internals

How the PraisonAI install.sh works — uv/pipx detection, uv bootstrap, and PATH management

The PraisonAI installer picks a tool manager (uv tool → pipx → bootstrap uv) so you get a working praisonai CLI in an isolated environment without touching your global Python. Windows has its own install.ps1 that installs praisonai[all] into a per-user venv.

install.sh (macOS / Linux / WSL)

Run it with:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MervinPraison/PraisonAI/main/install.sh | sh

How It Works

1. Detect platform

   Reads uname -s / uname -m to report the OS and architecture.

2. Require curl

   Errors out immediately if curl is not available.

3. Check PRAISONAI_INSTALLER override

   If set to uv or pipx, forces that manager. pipx errors if not installed; uv bootstraps itself when missing. Any other value errors.

4. Pick a tool manager

   In auto mode: use uv tool if uv is present → else pipx if present → else bootstrap uv.

5. Bootstrap uv (only if neither exists)

   Downloads https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh to a temp file first, so a failed or empty download fails loudly instead of a later uv: command not found. Runs it, then verifies uv is on PATH.

6. Install praisonai

   • uv: uv tool install --force praisonai
   • pipx: pipx install --force praisonai + pipx ensurepath

   Add PRAISONAI_VERSION=x.y.z to install praisonai==x.y.z.

7. Wire ~/.local/bin onto PATH

   Appends an idempotent block (grepped for the bin dir before writing) to the correct rc file(s):

   • zsh → ~/.zshrc
   • fish → ~/.config/fish/config.fish (fish_add_path when available, POSIX-safe fallback otherwise)
   • bash → both ~/.bashrc and the applicable login profile (~/.bash_profile → ~/.bash_login → ~/.profile, first that exists)
   • anything else → ~/.profile
8. Print Get started panel

   Points at praisonai setup, praisonai upgrade, praisonai upgrade --check, and praisonai uninstall.

Bash gets both ~/.bashrc and a login profile wired, so login shells find the binary too. Fish uses fish_add_path when available with a POSIX-safe fallback for older fish. A failed uv bootstrap surfaces a clear error rather than a later “uv: command not found”.

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User Interaction Flow

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Environment Variables (the only knobs)

The installer has no CLI flags. Its only inputs are three environment variables.

Variable	Values	Behaviour
PRAISONAI_VERSION	x.y.z	Pin a specific version. Appended as praisonai==VERSION (default: latest from PyPI).
PRAISONAI_INSTALLER	uv | pipx	Force a tool manager. pipx errors if not installed; uv bootstraps itself if missing. Any other value errors.
PRAISONAI_NONINTERACTIVE	any truthy	Non-interactive/CI mode (only changes an info message during uv bootstrap; the script never prompts).

# Pin a version
PRAISONAI_VERSION=0.14.0 curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MervinPraison/PraisonAI/main/install.sh | sh

# Force pipx
PRAISONAI_INSTALLER=pipx curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MervinPraison/PraisonAI/main/install.sh | sh

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Power-User Alternatives (No Installer Needed)

These are first-class supported paths — no installer required:

# Zero-install one-shot via uv
uvx praisonai "2+2"

# Isolated persistent install
pipx install praisonai

# Install into the active Python environment
pip install praisonai

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Manage Your Install

After installation, the installer’s “Get started” panel points at these self-management commands:

praisonai upgrade          # update in place
praisonai upgrade --check  # is a newer version available?
praisonai uninstall        # remove cleanly

See praisonai upgrade and praisonai uninstall.

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Choosing a Manager

Not sure which manager to pick? The installer chooses automatically. Read more in Isolation Backends.

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CI/CD Usage

GitHub Actions

- name: Install PraisonAI
  run: curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MervinPraison/PraisonAI/main/install.sh | sh
  env:
    PRAISONAI_NONINTERACTIVE: "1"

GitLab CI

install:
  script:
    - curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MervinPraison/PraisonAI/main/install.sh | sh
  variables:
    PRAISONAI_NONINTERACTIVE: "1"

Docker

FROM python:3.12-slim
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y curl \
  && curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MervinPraison/PraisonAI/main/install.sh | sh

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Uninstall

Use the built-in self-management command, which removes the managed install via the detected manager:

praisonai uninstall        # confirms first
praisonai uninstall --yes  # CI-safe, no prompt

See the praisonai uninstall page for details and JSON output.

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Troubleshooting

praisonai not found after install

Restart your terminal or source your shell rc:

source ~/.zshrc   # zsh
source ~/.bashrc  # bash

Or add ~/.local/bin to PATH manually:

export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"

Force a specific manager

PRAISONAI_INSTALLER=pipx curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MervinPraison/PraisonAI/main/install.sh | sh

I have both uv and pipx — which runs?

The installer picks uv first. Override with PRAISONAI_INSTALLER=pipx.

uv bootstrap failed (network/DNS)

The installer downloads astral.sh/uv/install.sh to a temp file and fails loudly if the download is empty or the network is unreachable. Install uv or pipx manually, then re-run:

# https://docs.astral.sh/uv/getting-started/installation/
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MervinPraison/PraisonAI/main/install.sh | sh

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install.ps1 (Windows)

Run it with:

iwr -useb https://praison.ai/install.ps1 | iex

To pass parameters, use the script-block form so the params are honoured:

& ([scriptblock]::Create((iwr -useb https://praison.ai/install.ps1))) -Extras "ui,chat"

Default install is praisonai[all] — the wrapper package is included so python -m praisonai setup runs on first launch. Fixed in PraisonAI PR #3029; earlier installs shipped only praisonaiagents and the setup wizard would fail with No module named praisonai.

How It Works

1. Detect Python

   Requires Python >= 3.10. If missing, tries winget install Python.Python.3.12 → choco install python → scoop install python.

2. Ensure pip

   Bootstraps pip via ensurepip, falling back to get-pip.py.

3. Create venv

   Creates a venv at %USERPROFILE%\.praisonai\venv (unless -NoVenv).

4. Install praisonai[all]

   Installs praisonai[all] into the venv — this is the PR #3029 fix. Previously it installed praisonaiagents, leaving the praisonai wrapper absent.

5. Wire PATH

   Prepends <venv>\Scripts to the user Path environment variable.

6. Verify

   Confirms the install can import praisonaiagents and (if on PATH) praisonai --version.

7. Run onboarding

   Runs python -m praisonai setup. Skipped if -NoOnboard, -DryRun, PRAISONAI_NO_PROMPT is set, or the session is non-interactive / stdin-redirected.

8. Print Next steps

   Prints the venv activate command, a quick-start Python one-liner, the docs link, and an OPENAI_API_KEY reminder.

Parameters

Parameter	Env var	Default	Behaviour
-Version <x.y.z>	PRAISONAI_VERSION	latest	Pins a specific version. Appended as praisonai[all]==<x.y.z>.
-Extras <csv>	PRAISONAI_EXTRAS	(none — install is praisonai[all])	Comma-separated extras. Overrides the default [all] to [<csv>]. If the extras include ui, chat, or code, the wrapper is also installed with those extras.
-NoVenv	PRAISONAI_SKIP_VENV=1	off	Skip creating %USERPROFILE%\.praisonai\venv. Installs into the detected Python instead.
-NoOnboard	PRAISONAI_NO_ONBOARD=1	off	Skip the interactive python -m praisonai setup wizard.
-Python <path>	PRAISONAI_PYTHON	auto-detect	Use a specific Python executable. Otherwise the script probes python, python3, py -3.12, py -3.11, py -3.10, py.
-DryRun	PRAISONAI_DRY_RUN=1	off	Print every command that would run without making changes.
-Help	—	—	Print the built-in help panel and exit.

Upgrading from a pre-#3029 install? If your ~/.praisonai/venv was created before this fix, re-run the installer or pip install --upgrade 'praisonai[all]' inside that venv — a praisonaiagents-only install still shims but cannot run praisonai setup.

Choosing Extras

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Related

Quick Install

One-liner install with options

Isolation Backends

Choose between uv and pipx

Upgrade

Update the CLI in place

Uninstall

Remove the managed install