Install Coven
Choose the canonical npm or source-checkout install path for Coven, verify it, and branch to platform or deployment guidance.
2 min read
Use this page to choose the install route first, then read the platform and deployment notes that match where Coven will run.
One route per machine
Each installed route below puts a coven on PATH, while the active-development route runs from the source tree instead. None of these routes notices the others. Two installed routes on one machine means two executables answering to coven, and an upgrade applied to the one your shell does not resolve looks like an upgrade that did nothing. Pick one installed route per machine; if you switch routes, remove the old install first (see Uninstall). The richer install-origin output from coven doctor ships with OpenCoven/coven#1124; until then Doctor prints the older path-only list.
Choose The Canonical Install Route
| Route | Exact command | Use when | Verify |
|---|---|---|---|
| Published npm wrapper | npm install -g @opencoven/cli | You want the normal released install on a currently published platform package. | coven --version then coven doctor |
| Source checkout on your Cargo bin path | cargo install --path crates/coven-cli | Your platform has no published npm package, or you deliberately run Coven from a checkout and do not also install the npm wrapper. | coven --version then coven doctor |
| Active development build | cargo build --workspace | You are editing Coven and will run it from the source tree. | cargo run -p coven-cli -- doctor |
Where npm install -g Puts Coven
The npm route installs into npm's global prefix, and that prefix follows the Node.js that is active in the current shell:
- Node version managers (nvm, fnm, volta, nvm-windows) give every Node version its own prefix, each with its own
bindirectory. - A system or Homebrew Node has another prefix, and
npm config set prefixorNPM_CONFIG_PREFIXcan point at a third.
Each npm install -g @opencoven/cli writes into whichever prefix is active at that moment. Switch Node versions, or change the prefix, and the next install creates a second copy instead of upgrading the first. Check where npm will write before you install or upgrade:
npm prefix -gnpm prefix -gOn macOS and Linux the executable lands in <prefix>/bin/coven; on Windows it lands in <prefix>\coven.cmd (the prefix itself is the bin directory, %APPDATA%\npm by default). To target a known prefix regardless of which Node is active, pass that prefix explicitly:
npm install -g --prefix <prefix> @opencoven/cli@latestcoven doctor prints the prefix that owns each npm install it finds once OpenCoven/coven#1124 ships; until then use npm prefix -g only to confirm where npm install -g writes in the current shell.
Source Checkout Commands
For a source checkout that installs coven onto your Cargo path:
git clone https://github.com/OpenCoven/coven.git
cd coven
cargo install --path crates/coven-cli
coven --version
coven doctorFor active development from the checkout:
git clone https://github.com/OpenCoven/coven.git
cd coven
cargo build --workspace
cargo run -p coven-cli -- doctorVerify The Install
For published or installed builds, use the same verification loop:
coven --version
coven doctorIf you are still choosing an OS-specific route, read Platforms. If you are placing Coven on a headless host, inside containers, or under a service manager, read Deployments.