Installation Methods for OfficeCLI: Complete Setup Guide for macOS, Linux, and Windows

OfficeCLI offers seven installation methods including one-line shell scripts, package managers (Homebrew, Scoop, npm), and manual binary downloads, all of which verify SHA-256 checksums and place the officecli binary in your PATH.

The iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI repository provides a self-contained, cross-platform command-line tool for office automation. Regardless of your operating system, you can install OfficeCLI using automated scripts that handle platform detection, checksum verification, and PATH configuration automatically.

One-Line Installation Scripts

The fastest way to install OfficeCLI uses curl on Unix systems or PowerShell on Windows. These methods download the official installer scripts from the repository, detect your operating system and architecture, fetch the appropriate binary, verify its integrity, and install it to your local bin directory.

macOS and Linux (Bash)

The install.sh script located in the repository root handles platform detection and binary placement for Unix-like systems. It downloads the matching binary from the official mirror (with GitHub as a fallback), verifies the SHA-256 checksum against the SHA256SUMS manifest, and copies the binary to ~/.local/bin.

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/main/install.sh | bash

After execution, the officecli command becomes available in your terminal without requiring sudo privileges.

Windows (PowerShell)

Windows users can use the equivalent install.ps1 script, which performs the same OS detection, binary download, and checksum verification. The script places the executable in %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin and updates the user PATH.

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/main/install.ps1 | iex

Package Manager Installation

For users who prefer managing tools through package managers, OfficeCLI supports Homebrew on macOS/Linux, Scoop on Windows, and npm across all platforms.

Homebrew (macOS and Linux)

Homebrew installs OfficeCLI via a dedicated tap, handling binary placement within the Homebrew prefix and making officecli globally available.

brew install officecli

Scoop (Windows)

Scoop fetches the binary from its bucket, verifies the checksum, and adds the executable to the Scoop shim directory automatically.

scoop install officecli

npm (Global Installation)

The @officecli/officecli package works on any platform with Node.js installed. When you run the global install command, the npm package executes a downloader that fetches the native binary for your current platform and proxies the officecli command.

npm install -g @officecli/officecli

As documented in npm/README.md, this method is particularly useful for CI/CD pipelines or environments where Node.js is already present.

Manual and Bare Invocation Methods

Manual Binary Download

You can download pre-built binaries directly from the GitHub Releases page without using scripts. Choose the appropriate file for your platform (e.g., officecli-linux-x64), move it to a directory in your PATH, and set execution permissions on Unix systems.

# Example for Linux x64

curl -L -o officecli-linux-x64 https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/releases/download/vX.Y.Z/officecli-linux-x64
chmod +x officecli-linux-x64
mv officecli-linux-x64 ~/.local/bin/officecli

Bare Invocation (Auto-Install)

OfficeCLI supports a zero-install workflow where running the command without a prior installation triggers the same one-line download routine automatically. The first invocation both installs and executes the command.

officecli --help

How the Installation Scripts Work

The installation process relies on install.sh (and its PowerShell counterpart install.ps1) to ensure secure, platform-specific deployment. According to the source code in iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI, these scripts perform several critical functions:

• Platform Detection: Automatically identify the operating system and CPU architecture to select the correct binary
• Checksum Verification: Validate downloaded binaries against the SHA256SUMS manifest to prevent tampering
• Secure Placement: Install to user-local directories (~/.local/bin on Unix, %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin on Windows) without requiring administrative privileges
• PATH Management: Update shell configuration files or environment variables to ensure the binary is accessible

Binaries are also signed for macOS to satisfy Gatekeeper requirements on Apple systems.

Summary

• One-line scripts provide the fastest setup using curl on macOS/Linux or irm on Windows, with automatic platform detection and SHA-256 verification
• Package managers including Homebrew, Scoop, and npm (@officecli/officecli) offer familiar installation workflows for their respective ecosystems
• Manual installation allows direct binary downloads from GitHub Releases for air-gapped or specific version requirements
• Bare invocation enables automatic installation when running officecli for the first time
• All methods reference the installer logic in install.sh and verify binaries against cryptographic checksums before placement in ~/.local/bin (Unix) or %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin (Windows)

Frequently Asked Questions

Does OfficeCLI require administrator privileges to install?

No. All installation methods place the binary in user-local directories such as ~/.local/bin on macOS and Linux, or %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin on Windows. This approach avoids modifying system directories and allows installation without sudo or elevated PowerShell sessions.

How does the npm package install a native binary?

The @officecli/officecli npm package contains a post-install script that runs the same downloader logic found in install.sh. When you execute npm install -g @officecli/officecli, the package detects your platform, downloads the appropriate native binary, and creates a proxy command that invokes it.

Is it safe to pipe the installation script directly to bash or PowerShell?

Yes. The scripts in install.sh and install.ps1 verify every downloaded binary against SHA-256 checksums before installation. However, if you prefer to inspect the script first, you can download it separately with curl -o install.sh, review the contents, and then execute it locally with bash install.sh.

Can I install OfficeCLI on CI/CD runners?

Yes. The one-line curl and PowerShell commands work well in CI/CD environments. Alternatively, use the npm global install method (npm install -g @officecli/officecli) in workflows that already include Node.js, or download binaries directly from GitHub Releases for specific version pinning.

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