Prerequisites for OfficeCLI: Installation and Build Requirements

OfficeCLI requires only curl on macOS/Linux or PowerShell on Windows to install, as the binary is self-contained with no external runtime dependencies, though building from source requires the .NET 10 SDK.

OfficeCLI is a cross-platform command-line tool for document automation distributed as a single self-contained binary. Understanding the prerequisites for OfficeCLI ensures smooth installation on any major operating system without requiring Microsoft Office or additional runtime libraries. The iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI repository provides multiple installation methods, from one-line shell commands to package managers, each with minimal system requirements.

Runtime Prerequisites for OfficeCLI

OfficeCLI ships as a self-contained executable that embeds the .NET runtime, meaning the target machine requires no external dependencies to run the application. According to the source code in src/OfficeCLI.*, the compiled binary includes all necessary libraries, eliminating the need for Microsoft Office, LibreOffice, or any .NET Framework installation on the host system.

Installation Prerequisites by Operating System

Depending on your platform, you need specific tools to download and execute the installer scripts.

macOS and Linux Requirements

For Unix-based systems, you need curl version 7.50 or later to fetch the binary and skill file. The repository's install.sh script uses curl to download the latest release from the distribution server automatically.

# One-line install using curl (fetches binary and SKILL.md)

curl -fsSL https://officecli.ai/SKILL.md | bash

Windows Requirements

Windows users need PowerShell 5.1 or later (included in Windows 10 and above) to execute the installation script. The install.ps1 script in the repository handles the download and PATH configuration automatically.

# PowerShell one-line install

irm https://officecli.ai/SKILL.md | iex

Optional Package Managers

While not required for basic installation, you can use these package managers as alternative distribution methods:

• Homebrew (brew): Available for macOS and Linux users who prefer brew install officecli
• Scoop (scoop): Windows package manager supporting scoop install officecli
• npm: Node.js package manager supporting npm install -g @officecli/officecli

Build Prerequisites for OfficeCLI

If compiling from source rather than using the pre-built binary, you must install the .NET 10 SDK or later. The repository's build.sh script invokes dotnet build to compile the C# project located in src/OfficeCLI.* and produce a self-contained executable.

# Build from source (requires .NET 10 SDK)

git clone https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI.git
cd OfficeCLI
./build.sh          # Compiles using dotnet SDK

./out/officecli --help

Note that the SDK is only required for compilation; the resulting binary embeds the runtime and runs independently on systems without .NET installed.

Optional Development Dependencies

Node.js and Python SDKs

For developers integrating OfficeCLI into applications, optional thin SDKs require:

• Node.js version 14 or later for npm install @officecli/sdk
• Python version 3.8 or later for pip install officecli-sdk

These SDKs auto-provision the CLI binary when missing but otherwise wrap the core functionality.

Watch Preview Rendering

The officecli watch command serves a local HTML page that requires no additional browser installation. The binary includes a built-in rendering engine that works out-of-the-box on all platforms. However, if you override the default engine to use an external browser, you need a recent Chromium or Chrome version.

Summary

• Prerequisites for OfficeCLI at runtime are minimal: only curl (macOS/Linux) or PowerShell (Windows) needed to download the self-contained binary
• No Microsoft Office, .NET runtime, or external libraries required for execution
• Build requirements include the .NET 10 SDK and Git (for cloning the repository)
• Optional tools include package managers (brew, scoop, npm) and SDKs for Node.js (≥14) or Python (≥3.8)
• The built-in rendering engine for watch mode requires no additional browser installation

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need Microsoft Office installed to use OfficeCLI?

No. OfficeCLI is a completely standalone tool that does not require Microsoft Office, LibreOffice, or any other office suite. The binary handles document creation and manipulation independently using its internal libraries compiled into the self-contained executable.

Is the .NET runtime required to run OfficeCLI?

No. While the application is built using .NET, the distributed binary is self-contained and embeds the necessary runtime components. You only need the .NET 10 SDK if you intend to build OfficeCLI from source using the build.sh script.

What do I need to build OfficeCLI from source?

To compile the project, you need the .NET 10 SDK (or later) and Git to clone the repository. The build.sh script located in the repository root automates the compilation process using dotnet build, producing a self-contained executable in the ./out/ directory.

Can I use OfficeCLI without installing curl or PowerShell?

Yes, if you download the binary manually from the releases page or use an alternative package manager such as Homebrew (macOS/Linux), Scoop (Windows), or npm. These methods do not require curl or PowerShell commands, though they may have their own package manager prerequisites.

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