Installation Guide

Type: Installation Guide (Technical)
Audience: Engineers and technical users
Time: 20–45 minutes
Goal: Install Node.js, Git, and an AI IDE via command line and get BMAD running

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Quick checklist (commands to run)

Run these to verify and install if missing:

node --version
git --version
npm --version

If any command is missing, follow the sections below.

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Install Node.js (v20+)

macOS (Homebrew):

brew install node

Windows (MSI installer recommended for simplicity) or use package manager (winget):

# winget example
winget install OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS

Verify:

node --version
npm --version

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Install Git

macOS:

git --version || xcode-select --install

Windows (recommended installer):

Download from https://git-scm.com and install with default settings but ensure “Add to PATH” is selected.

Configure identity (required for commits):

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "you@example.com"

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Install an AI IDE (CLI-first)

Preferred: Claude Code (CLI)

Requires Node/npm installed:

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Verify and launch in your project folder:

claude --version
cd /path/to/project
claude

Alternative: VS Code with GitHub Copilot — install code CLI and the Copilot extension. For automation, use code --install-extension GitHub.copilot.

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Create project and install BMAD (command-line)

mkdir -p ~/projects/bmad-practice
cd ~/projects/bmad-practice
git init

# Interactive installer (recommended first-run)
npx bmad-method install

# Or one-line install for Claude Code
npx bmad-method install --tools claude-code --yes

What to expect: _bmad/, _bmad-output/, and optional .claude/ skills folders created. The installer writes config and may prompt for your name and language.

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Post-install (technical notes)

• If npx fails with permissions, update npm or run with --yes flag as above.
• On Windows, run PowerShell as Administrator for global npm install -g operations.
• For CI or reproducible installs, use the one-line npx command in scripts.

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Troubleshooting

• PATH issues: reopen terminal or restart the machine after installer updates PATH on Windows.
• Permission errors: use administrator privileges for global installs or configure npm to use a user directory.

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You’re ready to open the project in claude or code and start running BMAD agents.