Prerequisites Before installing Tank, ensure you have:
Git Required for cloning repositories and publishing skills.
Install Git The standalone binary does not require Node.js, but you’ll need it to run most AI coding agents anyway.
Installation Methods npm
pnpm
Yarn
Shell Script
Binary
Install via npm The most common installation method: npm install -g @tankpkg/cli
Verify the installation: Global install with -g makes the tank command available system-wide.
Update npm update -g @tankpkg/cli
Uninstall npm uninstall -g @tankpkg/cli
Install via pnpm Fast, disk-efficient package manager: Verify the installation: pnpm uses content-addressable storage, so multiple global packages share files efficiently.
Update pnpm update -g @tankpkg/cli
Uninstall pnpm remove -g @tankpkg/cli
Install via Yarn yarn global add @tankpkg/cli
Verify the installation: Yarn global commands may not be in your PATH by default. Add ~/.yarn/bin to PATH if needed.
Update yarn global upgrade @tankpkg/cli
Uninstall yarn global remove @tankpkg/cli
Install via shell script One-line install (no Node.js required for runtime): curl -fsSL https://install.tankpkg.dev | bash
Or with wget: wget -qO- https://install.tankpkg.dev | bash
This script:
Detects your OS and architecture
Downloads the appropriate binary
Installs to /usr/local/bin/tank (requires sudo)
Verifies the installation
Review the script before running: curl -fsSL https://install.tankpkg.dev
Custom install location curl -fsSL https://install.tankpkg.dev | bash -s -- --prefix= $HOME /.local
Ensure $HOME/.local/bin is in your PATH. Download standalone binary Download the latest release for your platform:
macOS (Intel) curl -LO https://github.com/tankpkg/tank/releases/latest/download/tank-macos-x64 chmod +x tank-macos-x64 sudo mv tank-macos-x64 /usr/local/bin/tank
macOS (Apple Silicon) curl -LO https://github.com/tankpkg/tank/releases/latest/download/tank-macos-arm64 chmod +x tank-macos-arm64 sudo mv tank-macos-arm64 /usr/local/bin/tank
Linux (x64) curl -LO https://github.com/tankpkg/tank/releases/latest/download/tank-linux-x64 chmod +x tank-linux-x64 sudo mv tank-linux-x64 /usr/local/bin/tank
Windows (x64) Download from GitHub Releases Add to PATH via System Properties. Verify the installation: Binaries are built using Node.js SEA (Single Executable Application) — they’re self-contained with no external dependencies.
Homebrew (planned) Homebrew formula is in progress: # Coming soon brew install tankpkg/tap/tank
Gatekeeper Warning If you download the binary and macOS blocks it: xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /usr/local/bin/tank
Or go to System Preferences → Security & Privacy and click Allow Anyway . Shell Completion Add to your .zshrc or .bashrc: # bash eval "$( tank completion bash)" # zsh eval "$( tank completion zsh)"
Package Managers (planned) Native packages for major distributions coming soon: # Debian/Ubuntu (planned) sudo apt install tank # Fedora/RHEL (planned) sudo dnf install tank # Arch (planned) yay -S tank
Permissions If you don’t have sudo access, install to user directory: mkdir -p ~/.local/bin mv tank-linux-x64 ~/.local/bin/tank chmod +x ~/.local/bin/tank
Add to PATH in ~/.bashrc: export PATH = " $HOME /.local/bin: $PATH "
Shell Completion # bash tank completion bash > /etc/bash_completion.d/tank # zsh tank completion zsh > /usr/local/share/zsh/site-functions/_tank
PowerShell Installation # Download binary Invoke-WebRequest - Uri https: // github.com / tankpkg / tank / releases / latest / download / tank-win-x64.exe - OutFile tank.exe # Move to user bin Move-Item tank.exe $ env: USERPROFILE \bin\ tank.exe # Add to PATH (restart terminal after) [ Environment ]::SetEnvironmentVariable( "Path" , $ env: Path + "; $ env: USERPROFILE \bin" , "User" )
WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) Use the Linux installation method inside WSL: npm install -g @tankpkg/cli
Scoop (planned) # Coming soon scoop bucket add tankpkg https: // github.com / tankpkg / scoop - bucket scoop install tank
Chocolatey (planned) # Coming soon choco install tank
Run in Docker Use the official Docker image: docker pull tankpkg/tank:latest
Run commands: docker run --rm -v $( pwd ) :/workspace tankpkg/tank install
Create an alias Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc: alias tank = 'docker run --rm -v $(pwd):/workspace tankpkg/tank'
Then use normally: tank install @vercel/next-skill
Post-Installation
Check available commands
You should see all 16 commands: Usage: tank [options] [command] Security-first package manager for AI agent skills Commands: login Authenticate via GitHub OAuth logout Clear credentials whoami Show current user info init Create skills.json interactively publish Pack and publish a skill install [skill] Install a specific skill update [skill] Update within semver range remove <skill> Remove a skill verify Verify lockfile integrity permissions Display resolved permission summary audit [skill] Show security analysis results search <query> Search the registry info <skill> Show skill metadata link Symlink skill into agent workspace unlink Remove skill symlink doctor Diagnose setup issues
Authenticate
See the Quickstart for detailed authentication steps.
Run diagnostics
This checks:
Config file exists and is valid
Authentication status
Network connectivity to registry
Installed agent detection
Troubleshooting
The CLI wasn’t added to your PATH. npm/pnpm/yarn:
Check install location: npm list -g @tankpkg/cli
Ensure npm global bin is in PATH:
# Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc export PATH = "$( npm config get prefix)/bin: $PATH "
Binary install:
Verify binary location: which tank
Add to PATH:
export PATH = "/usr/local/bin: $PATH "
Restart your terminal after modifying PATH.
You don’t have write access to the install directory. Option 1: Use sudo (Linux/macOS) sudo npm install -g @tankpkg/cli
Option 2: Change npm prefix (recommended) mkdir -p ~/.npm-global npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global' echo 'export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.bashrc source ~/.bashrc npm install -g @tankpkg/cli
You have multiple versions installed. Find all installations: which -a tank npm list -g @tankpkg/cli
Remove old versions: npm uninstall -g @tankpkg/cli pnpm remove -g @tankpkg/cli yarn global remove @tankpkg/cli
Then reinstall using your preferred method.
Network issues with npm registry or GitHub. Temporary workaround (not recommended for production): npm config set strict-ssl false npm install -g @tankpkg/cli npm config set strict-ssl true
Better solution:
Update your CA certificates
Check corporate proxy settings
Use a VPN if on restricted network
Configuration Tank stores configuration in ~/.tank/config.json:
{ "registry" : "https://registry.tankpkg.dev" , "token" : "tank_..." , "user" : { "name" : "your-username" , "email" : "[email protected] " } }
Custom Registry Point to a private or on-premises registry:
TANK_REGISTRY = https://tank.company.internal tank install
Or set permanently:
export TANK_REGISTRY = https :// tank . company . internal
Debug Logging Enable detailed debug logs:
TANK_DEBUG = 1 tank install @vercel/next-skill
Logs are sent to Loki (if configured) or stdout.
Upgrading from Beta If you installed Tank during the beta:
# Remove old version npm uninstall -g tank-cli # Install new package npm install -g @tankpkg/cli # Re-authenticate tank logout tank login
Beta lockfiles (tank.lock) are not compatible with v0.3+. Regenerate with tank install.
What’s Next?
Quickstart Get up and running in 5 minutes.
CLI Commands Complete reference for all 16 commands.
Configuration Learn about skills.json and lockfile format.
Troubleshooting Common issues and solutions.