Installation

Run Crowsnest with Docker, or from source with Python 3.12 or newer and Node 18 or newer. Docker is the shorter path. Both give you the same Crowsnest.

Which install should I pick?

How do I install with Docker?

Follow the Quickstart. It is three commands.

How do I install from source on macOS, Linux or WSL?

1. Get the code and the settings file.

   git clone https://github.com/devampatel03/Crowsnest.git
   cd Crowsnest
   cp .env.example .env

2. Run the setup script. It copies .env.example to .env if there is no .env, creates a Python virtual environment in the Crowsnest folder, and installs the Python and JavaScript packages. It does not start anything.

   ./scripts/bootstrap.sh

3. Start Crowsnest. Leave this running.

   source <the environment the setup script created>/bin/activate
   uvicorn packages.core.api:app --port 8000

   The setup script prints the name of the environment it creates. Replace the placeholder with that name.
4. Start the dashboard. In a second terminal:

   cd packages/dashboard
   npm install
   npm run dev

   Open http://localhost:3000.

How do I install from source on Windows PowerShell?

Use the same steps with two changes. Copy the settings file with Copy-Item .env.example .env. Create and activate the Python environment yourself, because the setup script needs a POSIX shell such as Git Bash:

python -m venv .venv
.venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -e .
uvicorn packages.core.api:app --port 8000

Then start the dashboard as in step 4 above.

How do I install the terminal command?

The command line tool is not published to npm. Build it from the repository:

cd packages/cli
npm install
npm run build
node dist/index.js --version

Real output on 2026-10-07:

0.1.0

node dist/index.js is the crowsnest command. The CLI usage page writes crowsnest for short; from source, type node dist/index.js (run from packages/cli) instead.

How do I add Slack and VS Code?

Follow the Slack bot and VS Code extension pages. Neither is needed to use Crowsnest.

How do I update?

git pull
docker compose -f infra/docker-compose.yml up --build

From source, run git pull, then pip install -e . and npm install again.

How do I uninstall?

docker compose -f infra/docker-compose.yml down -v

Then delete the Crowsnest folder. The -v deletes the stored data. If you used the terminal command, its saved settings live in your user settings folder; remove them with your usual cleanup.

What this does not do

• It does not install the terminal command or the VS Code extension for you. Both are built from source.
• It does not include the lists of known harmful packages and known AI-invented names in the Docker image as of 2026-10-07. Install from source if you want those checks.
• It does not provide a hosted version. You run Crowsnest on your own machine.
• It does not check your versions of Python or Node. A version that is too old shows up as an error during setup.

Next, scan a project from the terminal, or set optional keys on the Configuration page.

Docker if you want to look. Source if you want to change something.