Installation Guide

This comprehensive guide covers all installation methods for CLI Proxy API, including binary releases, Docker, and building from source. Choose the method that best fits your environment and requirements.

System Requirements

Before installing, ensure your system meets these requirements:

Minimum Requirements

CPU: 1 core (2+ cores recommended for production)
RAM: 512 MB (2 GB+ recommended for production)
Storage: 100 MB for binary, 500 MB+ for auth tokens and logs
Network: Outbound HTTPS access to provider APIs

Supported Platforms

Linux
macOS
Windows

Distributions: Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 11+, CentOS 8+, RHEL 8+, Fedora 35+
Architectures: AMD64 (x86_64), ARM64 (aarch64)
Kernel: 4.15+ (5.x recommended)

For production deployments, we recommend Linux servers with at least 2 CPU cores and 2 GB RAM to handle concurrent requests efficiently.

Installation Methods

Binary Release (Recommended)

The easiest way to get started. Pre-built binaries are available for all major platforms.

Linux
macOS
Windows

AMD64 (x86_64)

# Download the latest release
VERSION=$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/router-for-me/CLIProxyAPI/releases/latest | grep tag_name | cut -d '"' -f 4)
wget https://github.com/router-for-me/CLIProxyAPI/releases/download/${VERSION}/cli-proxy-api_linux_amd64.tar.gz

# Extract the archive
tar -xzf cli-proxy-api_linux_amd64.tar.gz

# Make executable
chmod +x cli-proxy-api

# Move to system path (optional)
sudo mv cli-proxy-api /usr/local/bin/

# Verify installation
cli-proxy-api -h

ARM64 (aarch64)

# Download ARM64 binary
VERSION=$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/router-for-me/CLIProxyAPI/releases/latest | grep tag_name | cut -d '"' -f 4)
wget https://github.com/router-for-me/CLIProxyAPI/releases/download/${VERSION}/cli-proxy-api_linux_arm64.tar.gz

# Extract and install
tar -xzf cli-proxy-api_linux_arm64.tar.gz
chmod +x cli-proxy-api
sudo mv cli-proxy-api /usr/local/bin/

Create systemd Service

For running CLI Proxy API as a system service:

systemd service

# Create service file
sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/cli-proxy-api.service > /dev/null <<EOF
[Unit]
Description=CLI Proxy API Server
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=cliproxy
Group=cliproxy
WorkingDirectory=/opt/cli-proxy-api
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/cli-proxy-api -config /opt/cli-proxy-api/config.yaml
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=5s

# Security hardening
NoNewPrivileges=true
PrivateTmp=true
ProtectSystem=strict
ProtectHome=true
ReadWritePaths=/opt/cli-proxy-api

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF

# Create user and directories
sudo useradd -r -s /bin/false cliproxy
sudo mkdir -p /opt/cli-proxy-api/{logs,config}
sudo chown -R cliproxy:cliproxy /opt/cli-proxy-api

# Enable and start service
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable cli-proxy-api
sudo systemctl start cli-proxy-api

# Check status
sudo systemctl status cli-proxy-api

Intel (x86_64)

# Download the latest release
VERSION=$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/router-for-me/CLIProxyAPI/releases/latest | grep tag_name | cut -d '"' -f 4)
curl -L -o cli-proxy-api_darwin_amd64.tar.gz \
  https://github.com/router-for-me/CLIProxyAPI/releases/download/${VERSION}/cli-proxy-api_darwin_amd64.tar.gz

# Extract
tar -xzf cli-proxy-api_darwin_amd64.tar.gz

# Make executable and move to PATH
chmod +x cli-proxy-api
sudo mv cli-proxy-api /usr/local/bin/

# Verify
cli-proxy-api -h

Apple Silicon (ARM64)

# Download ARM64 binary for Apple Silicon
VERSION=$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/router-for-me/CLIProxyAPI/releases/latest | grep tag_name | cut -d '"' -f 4)
curl -L -o cli-proxy-api_darwin_arm64.tar.gz \
  https://github.com/router-for-me/CLIProxyAPI/releases/download/${VERSION}/cli-proxy-api_darwin_arm64.tar.gz

# Extract and install
tar -xzf cli-proxy-api_darwin_arm64.tar.gz
chmod +x cli-proxy-api
sudo mv cli-proxy-api /usr/local/bin/

On first run, macOS may show a security warning. Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Allow Anyway to run the binary.

Create launchd Service

For running as a background service on macOS:

~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.cliproxyapi.plist

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>Label</key>
    <string>com.cliproxyapi</string>
    <key>ProgramArguments</key>
    <array>
        <string>/usr/local/bin/cli-proxy-api</string>
        <string>-config</string>
        <string>/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/.cli-proxy-api/config.yaml</string>
    </array>
    <key>RunAtLoad</key>
    <true/>
    <key>KeepAlive</key>
    <true/>
    <key>StandardOutPath</key>
    <string>/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/.cli-proxy-api/logs/stdout.log</string>
    <key>StandardErrorPath</key>
    <string>/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/.cli-proxy-api/logs/stderr.log</string>
</dict>
</plist>

# Load the service
launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.cliproxyapi.plist

# Start the service
launchctl start com.cliproxyapi

# Check if running
launchctl list | grep cliproxyapi

Download and Install

PowerShell

# Download latest release
$version = (Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://api.github.com/repos/router-for-me/CLIProxyAPI/releases/latest" | ConvertFrom-Json).tag_name
$url = "https://github.com/router-for-me/CLIProxyAPI/releases/download/$version/cli-proxy-api_windows_amd64.zip"
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $url -OutFile "cli-proxy-api.zip"

# Extract
Expand-Archive -Path "cli-proxy-api.zip" -DestinationPath "C:\Program Files\CLIProxyAPI"

# Add to PATH (run as Administrator)
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable(
    "Path",
    [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("Path", "Machine") + ";C:\Program Files\CLIProxyAPI",
    "Machine"
)

# Verify
cli-proxy-api.exe -h

Run as Windows Service

Using NSSM (Non-Sucking Service Manager):

# Download NSSM
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://nssm.cc/release/nssm-2.24.zip" -OutFile "nssm.zip"
Expand-Archive -Path "nssm.zip" -DestinationPath "C:\nssm"

# Install service
C:\nssm\nssm-2.24\win64\nssm.exe install CLIProxyAPI "C:\Program Files\CLIProxyAPI\cli-proxy-api.exe"
C:\nssm\nssm-2.24\win64\nssm.exe set CLIProxyAPI AppParameters "-config C:\ProgramData\CLIProxyAPI\config.yaml"
C:\nssm\nssm-2.24\win64\nssm.exe set CLIProxyAPI AppDirectory "C:\Program Files\CLIProxyAPI"

# Start service
Start-Service CLIProxyAPI

# Check status
Get-Service CLIProxyAPI

Docker Installation

Docker provides the easiest deployment with automatic updates and isolated environments.

Pull Pre-built Image

# Pull the latest official image
docker pull eceasy/cli-proxy-api:latest

# Or pull a specific version
docker pull eceasy/cli-proxy-api:v6.0.0

Run with Docker

Basic Docker Run

# Create directories
mkdir -p ~/cli-proxy/{config,auths,logs}

# Create config file
cat > ~/cli-proxy/config/config.yaml <<EOF
host: ""
port: 8317
auth-dir: "/root/.cli-proxy-api"
api-keys:
  - "your-secure-api-key"
debug: false
EOF

# Run container
docker run -d \
  --name cli-proxy-api \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  -p 8317:8317 \
  -v ~/cli-proxy/config/config.yaml:/CLIProxyAPI/config.yaml \
  -v ~/cli-proxy/auths:/root/.cli-proxy-api \
  -v ~/cli-proxy/logs:/CLIProxyAPI/logs \
  eceasy/cli-proxy-api:latest

# View logs
docker logs -f cli-proxy-api

Docker Compose (Recommended)

Create a docker-compose.yml file:

docker-compose.yml

services:
  cli-proxy-api:
    image: eceasy/cli-proxy-api:latest
    container_name: cli-proxy-api
    restart: unless-stopped
    
    ports:
      - "8317:8317"      # Main API
      - "8085:8085"      # OAuth callback (Gemini)
      - "1455:1455"      # OAuth callback (Claude)
      - "54545:54545"    # OAuth callback (Codex)
      - "51121:51121"    # OAuth callback (Qwen)
      - "11451:11451"    # OAuth callback (iFlow)
    
    volumes:
      - ./config.yaml:/CLIProxyAPI/config.yaml
      - ./auths:/root/.cli-proxy-api
      - ./logs:/CLIProxyAPI/logs
    
    environment:
      - TZ=America/New_York  # Set your timezone
    
    # Optional: Use environment variables for sensitive data
    # env_file:
    #   - .env

# Start services
docker-compose up -d

# View logs
docker-compose logs -f

# Stop services
docker-compose down

# Restart services
docker-compose restart

The Docker image includes all OAuth callback ports. Only expose ports you need for your OAuth providers.

Build Custom Docker Image

To build from source with custom modifications:

Dockerfile

FROM golang:1.26-alpine AS builder

WORKDIR /app

COPY go.mod go.sum ./
RUN go mod download

COPY . .

ARG VERSION=dev
ARG COMMIT=none
ARG BUILD_DATE=unknown

RUN CGO_ENABLED=0 GOOS=linux go build \
  -ldflags="-s -w -X 'main.Version=${VERSION}' -X 'main.Commit=${COMMIT}' -X 'main.BuildDate=${BUILD_DATE}'" \
  -o ./CLIProxyAPI ./cmd/server/

FROM alpine:3.22.0

RUN apk add --no-cache tzdata ca-certificates

WORKDIR /CLIProxyAPI

COPY --from=builder /app/CLIProxyAPI .
COPY config.example.yaml .

EXPOSE 8317

CMD ["./CLIProxyAPI"]

# Build image
docker build -t my-cli-proxy-api:latest \
  --build-arg VERSION=v6.0.0 \
  --build-arg COMMIT=$(git rev-parse --short HEAD) \
  --build-arg BUILD_DATE=$(date -u +"%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ") \
  .

# Run your custom image
docker run -d --name cli-proxy-api my-cli-proxy-api:latest

Build from Source

For developers or custom modifications, build from source.

Prerequisites

Go: Version 1.26 or later (download)
Git: For cloning the repository
Make: Optional, for using Makefile commands

Build Steps

Clone and Build

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/router-for-me/CLIProxyAPI.git
cd CLIProxyAPI

# Download dependencies
go mod download

# Build the binary
go build -o cli-proxy-api \
  -ldflags="-s -w -X 'main.Version=dev' -X 'main.Commit=$(git rev-parse --short HEAD)' -X 'main.BuildDate=$(date -u +"%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ")'" \
  ./cmd/server/

# Run the binary
./cli-proxy-api

Build for Different Platforms

Cross-compilation

# Build for Linux AMD64
GOOS=linux GOARCH=amd64 go build -o cli-proxy-api-linux-amd64 ./cmd/server/

# Build for Linux ARM64
GOOS=linux GOARCH=arm64 go build -o cli-proxy-api-linux-arm64 ./cmd/server/

# Build for macOS Intel
GOOS=darwin GOARCH=amd64 go build -o cli-proxy-api-darwin-amd64 ./cmd/server/

# Build for macOS Apple Silicon
GOOS=darwin GOARCH=arm64 go build -o cli-proxy-api-darwin-arm64 ./cmd/server/

# Build for Windows
GOOS=windows GOARCH=amd64 go build -o cli-proxy-api-windows-amd64.exe ./cmd/server/

Using GoReleaser

For release builds with all platforms:

# Install GoReleaser
go install github.com/goreleaser/goreleaser@latest

# Build snapshot (without publishing)
goreleaser release --snapshot --clean

# Binaries will be in dist/ directory
ls -lh dist/

The .goreleaser.yml configuration file in the repository defines build targets for Linux, macOS, and Windows on both AMD64 and ARM64 architectures.

Initial Configuration

After installation, configure CLI Proxy API for your environment.

Create Configuration File

# Copy example config
cp config.example.yaml config.yaml

# Edit with your settings
vim config.yaml

Minimal Configuration

config.yaml

# Basic server settings
host: ""  # Bind to all interfaces
port: 8317

# Authentication
auth-dir: "~/.cli-proxy-api"
api-keys:
  - "$(openssl rand -hex 32)"

# Logging
debug: false
logging-to-file: true

# Performance
request-retry: 3
routing:
  strategy: "round-robin"

Configuration Validation

Test your configuration before starting the service:

# Dry-run to check config syntax
cli-proxy-api -config config.yaml &
sleep 2
kill %1

# Check logs for errors
grep -i error logs/app.log

OAuth Authentication Setup

Authenticate with at least one provider:

Gemini OAuth

# For binary installation
./cli-proxy-api -login

# For Docker
docker exec -it cli-proxy-api ./CLIProxyAPI -login

Gemini OAuth

Authenticate with Google Gemini CLI

Claude OAuth

Authenticate with Claude Code

Codex OAuth

Authenticate with OpenAI Codex

Other Providers

Qwen, iFlow, Kimi, and Antigravity

Verification

Verify your installation is working:

Health Check

# Check server is running
curl http://localhost:8317/health

# List available models
curl http://localhost:8317/v1/models \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer your-api-key"

# Test API call
curl http://localhost:8317/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer your-api-key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"model": "gemini-2.5-pro", "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}]}'

Expected output:

{"status": "ok"}

Upgrading

Keep CLI Proxy API up to date:

Binary
Docker
Source

# Download latest version
VERSION=$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/router-for-me/CLIProxyAPI/releases/latest | grep tag_name | cut -d '"' -f 4)
wget https://github.com/router-for-me/CLIProxyAPI/releases/download/${VERSION}/cli-proxy-api_linux_amd64.tar.gz

# Stop service
sudo systemctl stop cli-proxy-api

# Replace binary
tar -xzf cli-proxy-api_linux_amd64.tar.gz
sudo mv cli-proxy-api /usr/local/bin/

# Start service
sudo systemctl start cli-proxy-api

# Verify new version
cli-proxy-api -h

# Pull latest image
docker pull eceasy/cli-proxy-api:latest

# Stop and remove old container
docker stop cli-proxy-api
docker rm cli-proxy-api

# Start new container (same command as installation)
docker run -d --name cli-proxy-api ... eceasy/cli-proxy-api:latest

# Or with Docker Compose
docker-compose pull
docker-compose up -d

# Pull latest changes
git pull origin main

# Rebuild
go build -o cli-proxy-api ./cmd/server/

# Restart service
sudo systemctl restart cli-proxy-api

Always backup your config.yaml and ~/.cli-proxy-api/ directory before upgrading.

Uninstallation

Binary
Docker

# Stop service
sudo systemctl stop cli-proxy-api
sudo systemctl disable cli-proxy-api

# Remove service file
sudo rm /etc/systemd/system/cli-proxy-api.service
sudo systemctl daemon-reload

# Remove binary
sudo rm /usr/local/bin/cli-proxy-api

# Remove data (optional)
rm -rf ~/.cli-proxy-api
rm -rf /opt/cli-proxy-api

# Stop and remove container
docker stop cli-proxy-api
docker rm cli-proxy-api

# Remove image
docker rmi eceasy/cli-proxy-api:latest

# Remove volumes (optional)
rm -rf ~/cli-proxy

Troubleshooting

Command not found after installation

Linux/macOS:

# Ensure binary is in PATH
echo $PATH

# Add to PATH in ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc
export PATH="$PATH:/usr/local/bin"

# Reload shell
source ~/.bashrc

Windows:Ensure C:\Program Files\CLIProxyAPI is in your system PATH.

Permission denied error

# Make binary executable
chmod +x cli-proxy-api

# Or run with sudo
sudo ./cli-proxy-api

Docker container exits immediately

# Check logs for errors
docker logs cli-proxy-api

# Common issues:
# 1. Invalid config.yaml syntax
# 2. Port already in use
# 3. Missing volume mounts

# Test config syntax
docker run --rm -v $(pwd)/config.yaml:/CLIProxyAPI/config.yaml \
  eceasy/cli-proxy-api:latest \
  ./CLIProxyAPI -config /CLIProxyAPI/config.yaml

Build fails with Go version error

# Check Go version
go version

# Upgrade Go if needed
# Visit: https://go.dev/dl/

# Or use Docker to build
docker run --rm -v $(pwd):/app -w /app golang:1.26 \
  go build -o cli-proxy-api ./cmd/server/

Next Steps

Quick Start

Get your first API call working in 5 minutes

Server Configuration

Learn about all configuration options

OAuth Setup

Authenticate with your provider accounts

Production Deployment

Deploy to production with best practices

Get Started

Core Concepts

Configuration

OAuth Authentication

Integrations

Deployment

​Installation Guide

​System Requirements

​Minimum Requirements

​Supported Platforms

​Installation Methods

​Binary Release (Recommended)

​AMD64 (x86_64)

​ARM64 (aarch64)

​Create systemd Service

​Intel (x86_64)

​Apple Silicon (ARM64)

​Create launchd Service

​Download and Install

​Run as Windows Service

​Docker Installation

​Pull Pre-built Image

​Run with Docker

​Docker Compose (Recommended)

​Build Custom Docker Image

​Build from Source

​Prerequisites

​Build Steps

​Build for Different Platforms

​Using GoReleaser

​Initial Configuration

​Create Configuration File

​Minimal Configuration

​Configuration Validation

​OAuth Authentication Setup

Gemini OAuth

Claude OAuth

Codex OAuth

Other Providers

​Verification

​Upgrading

​Uninstallation

​Troubleshooting

​Next Steps

Quick Start

Server Configuration

OAuth Setup

Production Deployment

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Installation Guide

System Requirements

Minimum Requirements

Supported Platforms

Installation Methods

Binary Release (Recommended)

AMD64 (x86_64)

ARM64 (aarch64)

Create systemd Service

Intel (x86_64)

Apple Silicon (ARM64)

Create launchd Service

Download and Install

Run as Windows Service

Docker Installation

Pull Pre-built Image

Run with Docker

Docker Compose (Recommended)

Build Custom Docker Image

Build from Source

Prerequisites

Build Steps

Build for Different Platforms

Using GoReleaser

Initial Configuration

Create Configuration File

Minimal Configuration

Configuration Validation

OAuth Authentication Setup

Verification

Upgrading

Uninstallation

Troubleshooting

Next Steps