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Installation

neokapi ships two artifacts you can install independently:

  • the kapi CLI, a single self-contained binary that runs offline by default and operates directly on your files;
  • Kapi Desktop, the visual companion app, which bundles the CLI.

If you only want the command line, the first section below is all you need.

Install the Kapi CLI​

Once you've tried kapi in the browser, install the binary to run it locally against your own files.

Homebrew (macOS/Linux)​

brew install neokapi/tap/kapi-cli

WinGet (Windows)​

winget install Neokapi.KapiCli

The Windows build updates through WinGet. On Windows, kapi update prints winget upgrade Neokapi.KapiCli and leaves the binary in place; the self-update index that replaces the binary on macOS and Linux has no Windows entry.

WinGet is behind the current release

WinGet still publishes kapi 1.0.2, so this command installs a build far older than the current release. Signed Windows builds of the current release are in the direct downloads below. Check kapi version after installing.

Homebrew tracks the current build on macOS and Linux.

Binary Downloads​

Pre-built binaries for all platforms are available on the GitHub Releases page.

Direct downloads for kapi 1.3.0-rc10 (CLI):

macOS (Apple Silicon)

Linux

Windows (Authenticode-signed, portable zip)

Verify a download against checksums.txt.

Verify the install​

kapi version

Connect an AI (optional)​

The rule-based commands (pseudo-translate, stats, voice checks against a profile file) need no AI at all. For LLM-backed translation, checks, and review, one command finds what you already have and confirms it:

kapi models setup

Setup detects the AI options on your machine: the Claude Code CLI (uses your Claude subscription, no API key), a running Ollama server, and API keys already in your environment. It then verifies your pick with a small test call and saves it as the default, shared with Kapi Desktop. Usually you confirm once and paste no key. To store a key explicitly (or in CI, where a key is the right choice), use kapi credentials add <name> --provider <p> --api-key …. Keys live in your OS keychain. See Use with Claude for the subscription option and Your first project for what to run next.

Install Kapi Desktop​

Kapi Desktop is the visual companion to the CLI. Each package below installs the kapi CLI as a dependency, so a single install covers both. See the Kapi Desktop overview for what it does.

macOS (Homebrew)​

brew install --cask neokapi/tap/kapi

Direct downloads (Windows, macOS, Linux)​

The Windows installer is Authenticode-signed and registers a Start-menu entry and uninstaller. Direct, version-pinned links are listed below; the full set is always on the GitHub Releases page.

Direct downloads for Kapi Desktop 1.3.0-rc10:

macOS (Apple Silicon)

Windows (signed installer)

Linux

Beta channel​

The beta channel is a fast ring: it receives release candidates and every stable release, so a beta install is never behind stable and gets changes sooner. You opt in by installing separate Homebrew packages.

Beta and stable install the same kapi binary (and the same app), so they are mutually exclusive: you switch from one channel to the other. Homebrew refuses to install one while the other is present.

A fresh beta install is brew install --cask neokapi/tap/kapi@beta, or brew install neokapi/tap/kapi-cli-beta for the CLI alone; the steps below are for switching an existing stable install to beta.

Switch to beta​

brew update
# Remove the stable packages (the desktop cask depends on the CLI formula).
brew uninstall --cask neokapi/tap/kapi
brew uninstall neokapi/tap/kapi-cli
# Install the beta packages; the cask pulls kapi-cli-beta automatically.
brew install --cask neokapi/tap/kapi@beta

For the CLI only, skip the cask: brew install neokapi/tap/kapi-cli-beta. kapi-pdfium is a shared dependency with no beta variant, so leave it installed.

A beta build is marked: kapi version prints a (beta) badge, and the desktop window title reads Kapi (Beta). For direct downloads, beta builds are the assets attached to the Pre-release entries on the Releases page.

Stay current, or switch back​

brew upgrade kapi-cli-beta                          # newer beta builds
# Back to stable:
brew uninstall --cask neokapi/tap/kapi@beta
brew uninstall neokapi/tap/kapi-cli-beta
brew install --cask neokapi/tap/kapi

The chosen channel is remembered across updates (kapi pins it on first run, shared by the CLI and the desktop app). Set KAPI_UPDATE_CHANNEL=beta (or stable) to override it for a single shell.

Beta packages are a Homebrew concept (separate formula/cask). WinGet carries no beta, and its stable package is behind the current stable release. The version-pinned direct downloads above are refreshed per release and currently lag the latest candidate; the full set, including any stable, is on the Releases page, which is the authoritative list.