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Install from Binary

Download pre-compiled binaries for the fastest installation with no dependencies.

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Quick Install

Download and install the latest binary:
# Set version (or use 'latest')
VERSION="2.7.0"

# Download (choose glibc or musl)
wget "https://github.com/orhun/git-cliff/releases/download/v${VERSION}/git-cliff-${VERSION}-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.gz"

# Extract
tar -xvzf git-cliff-*.tar.gz

# Install
sudo mv git-cliff-${VERSION}/git-cliff /usr/local/bin/

# Verify
git-cliff --version

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Detailed Installation Steps

1

Choose your platform

Download the appropriate binary from the releases page:Linux:
  • x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.gz (glibc-based systems like Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora)
  • x86_64-unknown-linux-musl.tar.gz (musl-based systems like Alpine Linux)
  • aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.gz (ARM64 Linux)
macOS:
  • x86_64-apple-darwin.tar.gz (Intel Macs)
  • aarch64-apple-darwin.tar.gz (Apple Silicon M1/M2/M3)
Windows:
  • x86_64-pc-windows-msvc.zip (64-bit Windows)
2

Download the binary

VERSION="2.7.0"
wget "https://github.com/orhun/git-cliff/releases/download/v${VERSION}/git-cliff-${VERSION}-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.gz"
3

Extract the archive

tar -xvzf git-cliff-*.tar.gz
cd git-cliff-${VERSION}
The archive contains:
  • git-cliff - The binary executable
  • README.md - Documentation
  • LICENSE-* - License files
4

Install the binary

Move the binary to a directory in your PATH:
# System-wide installation (requires sudo)
sudo mv git-cliff /usr/local/bin/

# Or user-local installation
mkdir -p ~/.local/bin
mv git-cliff ~/.local/bin/
Ensure ~/.local/bin is in your PATH if using user-local installation.
5

Verify installation

git-cliff --version
Expected output:
git-cliff 2.7.0

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Signature Verification

Release tarballs are signed with PGP key: 1D2D410A741137EBC544826F4A92FA17B6619297
1

Import the signing key

gpg --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys 4A92FA17B6619297
2

Download the signature file

VERSION="2.7.0"
wget "https://github.com/orhun/git-cliff/releases/download/v${VERSION}/git-cliff-${VERSION}-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.gz.sig"
3

Verify the signature

gpg --verify git-cliff-*.tar.gz.sig git-cliff-*.tar.gz
Look for “Good signature” in the output.

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Troubleshooting

Make the binary executable:
chmod +x /path/to/git-cliff
Ensure the installation directory is in your PATH:
echo $PATH
Add to PATH if needed:
export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
Make it permanent by adding to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc.
If you see errors about GLIBC version, try the musl binary:
wget "https://github.com/orhun/git-cliff/releases/download/v${VERSION}/git-cliff-${VERSION}-x86_64-unknown-linux-musl.tar.gz"
The musl binary is statically linked and works on older Linux distributions.
If macOS blocks the binary due to security settings:
xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /usr/local/bin/git-cliff
Or go to System Preferences → Security & Privacy and allow the app.
Windows Defender may flag the binary. This is a false positive. You can:
  1. Add an exception in Windows Defender
  2. Download from the official GitHub releases page
  3. Verify the binary’s hash from the releases page

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Updating

To update, simply download the latest version and replace the old binary: 
# Download new version
VERSION="2.8.0"  # Update to latest
wget "https://github.com/orhun/git-cliff/releases/download/v${VERSION}/git-cliff-${VERSION}-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.gz"

# Extract and replace
tar -xvzf git-cliff-*.tar.gz
sudo mv git-cliff-${VERSION}/git-cliff /usr/local/bin/

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Next Steps

Configuration

Set up git-cliff for your project

Usage Examples

Learn how to use git-cliff

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