Install the Influxx CLI and Binary Names (influxx, influxx-ide, influxx-dev)
Install the Influxx CLI and learn binary names: register the launcher from Settings, verify with status, and know when to call influxx, influxx-ide, or influxx-dev. This Help Center article walks through installing the Influxx command-line bridge on a machine that already has the desktop cockpit, so agents and scripts can drive the same worktrees, terminals, browser, and orchestration surfaces you use by hand. Everything here matches shipped Influxx product notes—no unshipped installers or alternate brands.
What the Influxx CLI Is For
The Influxx CLI lets agents and scripts drive the same cockpit you use interactively. From a shell you can create and inspect worktrees, open terminals with coding agents, automate the embedded browser, run orchestration flows, and discover the full command schema in machine-readable JSON. The CLI talks to a running Influxx app, or to a headless serve runtime when you intentionally start one. It is optional: you can write sidebar notes, launch agents from the UI, and ship from Source Control without ever registering a PATH launcher.
Influxx desktop currently ships for macOS Apple Silicon (bundle id ai.etapx.influxx). Install the desktop app first—via the notarized DMG or Homebrew—then register the CLI when you want terminal orchestration or agent-driven workflows from outside the GUI. Product notes also document Windows + WSL CLI registration for the distro PATH, and Linux PATH installs that may expose the command as influxx-ide. Those notes describe registration and naming; they do not change the fact that the public desktop channel today targets macOS Apple Silicon.
Install the app first. The Influxx CLI is optional and registers later from Settings—nothing blocks notes, agents, or source control on day one.
Prerequisites Before You Register the CLI
Confirm Influxx is installed and can open normally. On macOS Apple Silicon, that means the notarized influxx-macos-arm64.dmg or a Homebrew cask (influxx or influxx@rc) is already on the machine. You should be able to open Settings with ⌘, (Ctrl+, on platforms where that shortcut applies). The launcher binary lives as bin/influxx inside the app bundle; Install CLI wires a PATH entry so you do not have to invoke the bundle path by hand every time.
- Desktop first: public Influxx desktop ships for macOS Apple Silicon today
- Bundle launcher: bin/influxx inside the app bundle is the CLI entry the installer registers
- Settings path: Settings → General / CLI → Install CLI
- Optional at onboarding: you can finish the GUI quickstart without the CLI
- Running app or serve: CLI commands talk to a running Influxx app or a headless serve runtime
How to Install the Influxx CLI from Settings
Registration is a short path inside the cockpit. You do not download a separate CLI package for the standard desktop workflow described in product notes—you register the launcher that ships with the app.
Step-by-Step: Register the Launcher on PATH
Open Settings and find the General / CLI section. Run Install CLI. That action registers a launcher on your PATH so shells and scripts can call the brand command. On Windows + WSL setups documented in product notes, use WSL CLI registration so the influxx command inside the distro PATH talks to the desktop app. After registration, verify from a new terminal session with influxx status—or with your platform binary name if your install exposes a different alias (see Binary names below).
- Open Settings: go to the General / CLI section
- Run Install CLI: registers a launcher on PATH
- Windows + WSL: use WSL CLI registration for the distro PATH when that runtime is how you work
- Verify: influxx status (or your platform binary name)
- JSON checks: prefer --json when scripting or when another agent drives Influxx
First Commands to Confirm the Bridge Works
After Install CLI succeeds, open a fresh shell so PATH updates are visible. Useful smoke checks from product notes include opening or inspecting the app connection, printing status, and dumping the agent-facing command schema. Prefer JSON output when you automate.
- influxx open --json: exercise the open path with machine-readable output
- influxx status --json: confirm the CLI can reach the running app or serve runtime
- influxx agent-context --json: print the machine-readable command schema coding agents use for discovery
If status fails, confirm Influxx is running (or that you started a headless serve runtime intentionally), reopen a shell after registration, and retry with the binary name your platform actually installed. On Linux PATH installs documented in notes, try influxx-ide if influxx is not found. Dev builds use influxx-dev. The command tree is the same across these names—only the executable label changes.
Binary Names: influxx, influxx-ide, and influxx-dev
Product notes document three naming contexts. Examples across Influxx docs prefer the brand command influxx. Your shell may expose a different binary depending on how the launcher was registered.
- Preferred brand / package.json: influxx; development companion name influxx-dev
- Linux PATH: the installed command may be influxx-ide
- Dev builds: use influxx-dev (dev userData also lives under an influxx-dev profile path on macOS)
- Same tree: whichever name you invoke, the command groups and flags documented for worktrees, terminals, browser, and orchestration stay consistent
Examples in Influxx docs use influxx. On Linux PATH installs the command may be influxx-ide; dev builds use influxx-dev. The command tree is the same.
Linux PATH Notes (as Documented)
When product notes refer to Linux PATH installs, expect the launcher may appear as influxx-ide rather than influxx. Substitute that name in every example: influxx-ide status --json, influxx-ide worktree list, and so on. Do not assume a second, incompatible CLI—notes state the command tree is identical. Keep this distinction in scripts and agent prompts so discovery does not fail on a missing influxx binary when only influxx-ide is on PATH.
Windows-oriented notes call out WSL CLI registration so influxx inside the distro talks to the desktop app, plus default project runtime choices (Windows host vs WSL distro) and per-repo overrides. Treat those as registration and runtime details for environments that use WSL—not as a claim that a separate public Windows desktop installer is the current primary channel. Always start from the macOS Apple Silicon desktop install when following ETAPX public download guidance today, then layer CLI registration for the shell you actually use.
What the CLI Does Not Include (Yet)
There is no influxx notes list|open|new|run command group today. Create and edit notes as markdown files—via the Sidebar Notes UI or by opening files on disk under .influxx/notes in the worktree. Run a plan from the sidebar when you want the UI context pack. Export agent context under .influxx/context when agents need packaged material. Use file open and terminal create from the CLI when you want a note-driven shell workflow without inventing a notes subcommand that is not shipped.
- No notes subcommand: do not expect influxx notes list|open|new|run
- Create notes as .md: Sidebar Notes UI or files under .influxx/notes
- Run from sidebar: UI Run builds the context pack for the agent
- Context export: .influxx/context for agents that need exported packs
- CLI file open: influxx file open --path … when scripting a note-driven path
After Install: Sensible Next Steps
Once influxx status (or your platform binary) succeeds, use the CLI for the same jobs the cockpit already owns. Create isolated worktrees with an agent and prompt, attach extra terminals to the active tree, drive browser tabs with snapshot and click, or print agent-context --json so coding agents discover capabilities without scraping help text. Keep the desktop app running for interactive sessions; use serve only when you intentionally want a headless runtime with pairing.
Related Help Center reading: getting started with Influxx for install and first project, install Influxx on macOS for DMG and Homebrew detail, and the dedicated CLI articles on worktrees and terminals, plus browser automation and orchestration. Ground every script in influxx help and influxx agent-context --json so you stay aligned with the shipped command schema rather than outdated examples from outside ETAPX notes.
