# How to Install caveman on POSIX and Windows Systems > Easily install caveman on POSIX and Windows systems using simple curl or PowerShell one-liners. Get your AI agent configured with plugin support quickly and efficiently. - Repository: [Julius Brussee/caveman](https://github.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman) - Tags: getting-started - Published: 2026-07-13 --- **caveman installs on POSIX systems via a curl-to-bash one-liner and on Windows via a PowerShell one-liner, both of which bootstrap the Node.js installer at [`bin/install.js`](https://github.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman/blob/main/bin/install.js) to detect AI agents and configure plugins.** The caveman repository by JuliusBrussee provides a cross-platform installation system that automatically detects AI coding agents on your machine and installs the appropriate plugins, extensions, and optional hooks. Whether you are running macOS, Linux, WSL, or native Windows, the installation process requires only a single command to download the bootstrap script and execute the core installer logic. ## POSIX Installation (macOS, Linux, WSL, Git Bash) On any POSIX-compatible shell, including macOS Terminal, Linux distributions, Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), and Git Bash, you can install caveman using the provided shell script. ### One-Liner Installation Run the following command to stream the installer directly to `bash`: ```bash curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman/main/install.sh | bash ``` The [`install.sh`](https://github.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman/blob/main/install.sh) script fetches the real installer at [`bin/install.js`](https://github.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman/blob/main/bin/install.js) and executes it with default flags (`--all`). This detects all supported AI agents and installs the corresponding components. ### Review Before Running For security-conscious environments, download the script first to inspect its contents before execution: ```bash curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman/main/install.sh -o install.sh # Inspect install.sh contents here bash install.sh ``` ### Customization Options The POSIX installer accepts multiple flags to customize behavior. Pass arguments after the `-s --` separator when using the pipe method: ```bash curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman/main/install.sh | bash -s -- --only opencode --dry-run ``` This example installs only the `opencode` agent and performs a **dry run** to preview commands without executing them. ## Windows Installation (PowerShell 5.1+) Windows installations use a PowerShell bootstrap script that provides equivalent functionality to the POSIX version. ### One-Liner Installation Execute the following command in PowerShell to download and run the installer: ```powershell irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman/main/install.ps1 | iex ``` The `install.ps1` script downloads the core [`bin/install.js`](https://github.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman/blob/main/bin/install.js) logic and executes it with default parameters. ### Review Before Running To inspect the script before execution, save it to disk first: ```powershell irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman/main/install.ps1 -OutFile install.ps1 # Review install.ps1 contents here .\install.ps1 ``` ### Customization Options The PowerShell installer supports the same flags as the POSIX version because it forwards all arguments to `node bin/install.js`. For example, to install only the Cursor agent while skipping global hook modifications: ```powershell .\install.ps1 --only cursor --no-hooks ``` ## Common Installation Flags Both installers support identical command-line flags managed by [`bin/install.js`](https://github.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman/blob/main/bin/install.js): | Flag | Description | |------|-------------| | `--all` | Install plugins, hooks, status-line badges, and per-repo rule files for all detected agents (default behavior). | | `--only ` | Install for a single agent only. Repeatable for multiple specific agents. | | `--dry-run` | Print every command that would execute without making actual changes. | | `--with-init` | Drop static rule files (`.cursor/rules/caveman.mdc`, `.windsurf/rules/`, etc.) into the current repository. | | `--with-mcp-shrink=""` | Register the `caveman-shrink` proxy MCP server with the specified upstream command. | | `--no-hooks` | Skip installation of Claude Code hooks. | | `--minimal` | Install only plugins/extensions; skip hooks, MCP-shrink, and per-repo rules. | | `--uninstall` | Remove all caveman artifacts from the system. | ## Verification After installation completes, verify the setup by listing detected agents and installed components: ```bash node bin/install.js --list ``` If you use Claude Code, type `/caveman` to confirm that the short-hand mode is active and properly hooked into the agent. ## Manual Installation from Source For complete control over the installation process or to modify the source, clone the repository and run the installer directly: ```bash git clone https://github.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman.git cd caveman node bin/install.js --all ``` This method allows you to inspect the core logic in [`bin/install.js`](https://github.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman/blob/main/bin/install.js), the settings parser in [`bin/lib/settings.js`](https://github.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman/blob/main/bin/lib/settings.js), and the static rule templates in [`src/rules/caveman-activate.md`](https://github.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman/blob/main/src/rules/caveman-activate.md) before execution. ## Summary - **POSIX systems** use `curl -fsSL .../install.sh | bash` to bootstrap the installer, with optional flags passed via `bash -s -- [flags]`. - **Windows systems** use `irm .../install.ps1 | iex` in PowerShell, supporting identical customization flags. - Both methods ultimately execute [`bin/install.js`](https://github.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman/blob/main/bin/install.js), which detects AI agents and installs appropriate plugins, extensions, and optional hooks. - Use `--dry-run` to preview changes before applying them, and `--only ` to limit installation to specific coding agents. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How do I install caveman without giving it immediate execution privileges? Download the bootstrap script to your local machine first, inspect the contents of [`install.sh`](https://github.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman/blob/main/install.sh) (POSIX) or `install.ps1` (Windows), and then execute it manually with `bash install.sh` or `.\install.ps1`. This ensures you can audit the code that fetches [`bin/install.js`](https://github.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman/blob/main/bin/install.js) before it runs. ### Can I install caveman for only one specific AI agent instead of all detected ones? Yes. Use the `--only ` flag followed by the agent identifier. For example, `bash install.sh --only cursor` (POSIX) or `.\install.ps1 --only cursor` (Windows) installs only the Cursor IDE extension and rules, ignoring other detected agents like Claude Code or Windsurf. ### What is the difference between the bootstrap scripts and the core installer? The bootstrap scripts ([`install.sh`](https://github.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman/blob/main/install.sh) and `install.ps1`) are thin wrappers that download and execute the core installer at [`bin/install.js`](https://github.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman/blob/main/bin/install.js). The bootstrap handles the initial download, while [`bin/install.js`](https://github.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman/blob/main/bin/install.js) contains the actual logic for detecting AI agents, parsing settings via [`bin/lib/settings.js`](https://github.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman/blob/main/bin/lib/settings.js), and writing configuration files to the appropriate system directories. ### How do I completely remove caveman from my system? Run the installer with the `--uninstall` flag. This triggers the uninstallation routine in [`bin/install.js`](https://github.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman/blob/main/bin/install.js) that removes all caveman artifacts, including plugins, hooks, MCP proxy configurations, and per-repo rule files, restoring your AI agents to their pre-caveman state.