Install Aura

Install Aura with the release script, a Node.js package manager, or a downloaded archive. The release script is the recommended path because it selects the correct binary and verifies its checksum automatically.

Prerequisites

macOS or Linux on arm64 or x64.
A terminal and a supported shell.
Node.js 24 or newer only when you choose the package-manager installation.

Install

curl -fsSL https://tryaura.sh/install | sh

The script downloads the matching GitHub release, verifies it against SHA256SUMS, and installs aura to a safe, writable directory already on PATH when one is available. It checks ~/.local/bin, ~/bin, and /usr/local/bin in that order. Otherwise, it installs to ~/.aura/bin and adds that directory to the detected shell profile.

To inspect the script first:

curl -fsSL https://tryaura.sh/install -o install.sh
less install.sh
sh install.sh

npm install -g @tryaura/aura-cli

Or with pnpm:

pnpm add --global @tryaura/aura-cli

This path requires Node.js 24 or newer. Use the same package manager to update or remove Aura.

Download aura-<target>.tar.gz and SHA256SUMS for your platform — darwin-arm64, darwin-x64, linux-arm64, or linux-x64 — from GitHub Releases, then verify and install the archive from the directory holding both files:

shasum -a 256 -c SHA256SUMS --ignore-missing
tar -xzf aura-darwin-arm64.tar.gz
mkdir -p "$HOME/.aura/bin"
mv aura "$HOME/.aura/bin/aura"
chmod 755 "$HOME/.aura/bin/aura"

Verification is manual on this path, so do not skip shasum. Add ~/.aura/bin to your shell profile before running aura.

Install a specific version or directory

The install script accepts AURA_VERSION and AURA_INSTALL_DIR. AURA_INSTALL_DIR must be an absolute path. Variables must be applied to the shell on the right side of the pipe. Install a specific tag, for example v0.5.4:

curl -fsSL https://tryaura.sh/install | \
  AURA_INSTALL_DIR=/usr/local/bin AURA_VERSION=v0.5.4 sh

An automatically selected directory will not replace an existing aura executable. Pass that directory explicitly with AURA_INSTALL_DIR when you intend to replace a standalone installation. The directory cannot contain a colon or line break because it must be represented safely in PATH and, when needed, a shell profile.

Set AURA_NO_MODIFY_PATH=1 on that shell command to prevent the installer from changing a shell profile when the selected directory is not already on PATH.

Verify the installation

Print the installed version.
Terminal window
```
aura --version
```
If the installer changed your shell profile, open a new terminal. If it printed manual instructions instead, add the displayed snippet to the named profile.
Check the command surface.
Terminal window
```
aura --help
```

What just happened?

Installation added one aura executable. When no safe destination was already on PATH, it may also have added an idempotent PATH entry to your shell profile. It did not touch coding-agent configuration. Durable state below ~/agents is created only when you later approve a setup or fix plan.

The official standalone binary reports anonymous command telemetry by default. Review the exact fields, retention policy, and opt-out variables in Anonymous telemetry.

Update

The standalone binary installed from a release keeps itself current before eligible interactive commands. The requested command continues on its current in-memory version, and the new executable starts on the next invocation. Update failures never change the command’s exit status.

Package-manager installations remain owned by their package manager:

npm update -g @tryaura/aura-cli
pnpm update --global @tryaura/aura-cli

Understand automatic updatesReview eligibility, verification, opt-out, manual updates, failure handling, and rollback.

Uninstall

The release script installs one executable. Remove it from the destination reported by the installer without touching Aura’s managed state. For example:

rm "$HOME/.local/bin/aura"
# Or, when the installer used its fallback:
rm "$HOME/.aura/bin/aura"

For a package-manager installation:

npm uninstall -g @tryaura/aura-cli
pnpm remove --global @tryaura/aura-cli

Aura deliberately leaves ~/agents and application configuration in place. Review and remove that durable state separately only when you no longer need it.

Common failure

Symptom: aura: command not found after installation.

Cause: The installer changed a profile that the current terminal has not loaded, profile modification was disabled or failed, or a custom installation directory is not on PATH.

Fix: Open a new terminal after an automatic profile change. Otherwise, add the snippet printed by the install script to the named profile and run aura --version again.

Next step

Run the QuickstartPreview setup, converge your applications, verify the result, and learn how to undo.