How to Install OpenSRE on Windows: Complete Setup Guide

Run irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Tracer-Cloud/opensre/main/install.ps1 | iex in PowerShell to automatically download, extract, and configure the OpenSRE CLI on your Windows system.

OpenSRE is an open-source Site Reliability Engineering toolkit maintained by the Tracer-Cloud organization. This guide covers the fastest method to install the opensre command-line tool on Windows using the official PowerShell installer script, along with verification steps and configuration details derived from the repository source code.

Install OpenSRE Using the PowerShell One-Liner

The recommended way to install OpenSRE on Windows uses the automated installer hosted in the repository root. The install.ps1 script handles OS detection, binary extraction, and PATH configuration automatically.

Step 1: Launch PowerShell (Administrator Recommended)

Open a PowerShell terminal. Running as Administrator for the initial installation allows the script to write to protected system directories like C:\Program Files\OpenSRE that are already present in your system PATH. For per-user installations, standard user permissions are sufficient.

Step 2: Execute the Installer Command

Copy and paste the following into your PowerShell window:

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Tracer-Cloud/opensre/main/install.ps1 | iex

This command uses irm (Invoke-RestMethod) to fetch the script content and pipes it to iex (Invoke-Expression) for immediate execution. According to the source code in install.ps1, the script performs these actions:

• Detects your Windows architecture (x86_64 or ARM64)
• Downloads the latest Windows release .zip from GitHub
• Extracts opensre.exe to your selected directory
• Updates your system or user PATH environment variable

Step 3: Verify the Installation

Confirm the binary is accessible and check the installed version:

opensre --version

You should see output matching the version defined in pyproject.toml, such as opensre 0.9.0. This verifies that the executable is correctly placed and your PATH is configured.

Step 4: Select Installation Location (Optional)

During execution, the installer prompts you to choose between a system-wide installation or a per-user installation. You can accept the default system path (C:\Program Files\OpenSRE) or choose %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin for a user-specific setup. The script automatically handles PATH updates for your selection without manual registry edits.

Configure OpenSRE After Installation

After the binary installation completes, initialize your environment using the built-in onboarding wizard. This step is required before running investigations.

Run the configuration command:

opensre onboard

This command, implemented in app/webapp.py, creates a configuration directory at %USERPROFILE%\.config\opensre\ and prompts you to configure your LLM provider and any necessary integrations. Your settings persist in this directory across terminal sessions.

Alternative: Build from Source

If you prefer not to use the precompiled binary, you can build OpenSRE from source on Windows. Refer to SETUP.md in the repository root for Windows-specific developer prerequisites, including instructions for installing make via Chocolatey. This method requires manual compilation and PATH configuration rather than the automated setup provided by install.ps1.

Summary

• Run the one-liner: Execute irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Tracer-Cloud/opensre/main/install.ps1 | iex in PowerShell to trigger the automated installer
• Verify access: Use opensre --version to confirm the binary is on your PATH and matches the release version in pyproject.toml
• Choose location: Install system-wide to C:\Program Files\OpenSRE or per-user to %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin based on your permissions
• Initialize: Run opensre onboard to create %USERPROFILE%\.config\opensre\ and configure your LLM settings

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need Administrator privileges to install OpenSRE on Windows?

Administrator privileges are only required for system-wide installations to directories like C:\Program Files\OpenSRE. If you select a per-user path such as %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin, the install.ps1 script runs without elevation and updates your user-level PATH instead of the system environment.

Where does the OpenSRE installer place the binary files?

The install.ps1 script offers two default locations: C:\Program Files\OpenSRE for system-wide access (requires Administrator privileges) or %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin for single-user installations. In both cases, the script automatically appends your chosen directory to the appropriate PATH variable so the opensre command is available in new PowerShell sessions.

How do I update OpenSRE after the initial installation?

Re-run the same installation command: irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Tracer-Cloud/opensre/main/install.ps1 | iex. The script detects existing installations and replaces the binary with the latest release from the GitHub releases page while preserving your existing configurations in %USERPROFILE%\.config\opensre\.

Can I install OpenSRE without using the PowerShell script?

Yes, though it requires manual steps. Download the Windows .zip file directly from the GitHub releases page, extract opensre.exe to a folder of your choice, and manually add that folder to your PATH environment variable. Alternatively, clone the Tracer-Cloud/opensre repository and follow the build instructions in SETUP.md to compile the binary from source using Windows development tools.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}