How to Install Raid on macOS, Linux, and Windows

The Raid CLI ships as a single static binary for macOS, Linux, and Windows. This guide covers the recommended install path on each, plus the preview channel for early access and how to upgrade or uninstall.

1. macOS — Homebrew

brew install 8bitalex/tap/raid

That adds the 8bitalex tap and installs raid to /opt/homebrew/bin (Apple Silicon) or /usr/local/bin (Intel).

2. Linux — install script

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/8bitalex/raid/main/install.sh | bash

The script detects your architecture (amd64 or arm64), downloads the matching release binary, and drops it in /usr/local/bin. Read it before piping if your security posture requires it — it's plain bash and lives in the repo.

3. Windows — release zip

1. Open the latest release.
2. Download raid_<version>_windows_amd64.zip.
3. Extract — you'll find raid.exe inside.
4. Move raid.exe to a folder on your PATH (a common choice: C:\Program Files\raid\).
5. If that folder isn't already on PATH, add it: Settings → System → About → Advanced system settings → Environment Variables → Path → Edit → New → paste the folder path.
6. Open a new terminal window so the updated PATH takes effect.

4. Verify

On any platform:

raid --version

You should see a version string like raid 1.x.y. If the shell can't find raid, your installer didn't land it on PATH.

5. Preview channel

Want the latest features before they ship to stable? The preview channel is a parallel install that receives updates ahead of stable and may include experimental functionality.

# macOS / Linux
brew install 8bitalex/tap/raid-preview

raid-preview installs alongside raid — same commands, different binary. Use it for testing without losing your stable install.

6. Upgrade

Homebrew (macOS / Linux):

brew upgrade raid
# or for preview:
brew upgrade raid-preview

Linux install script: re-run the same curl ... | bash line — it overwrites with the latest release.

Windows: download the newer zip and replace the existing raid.exe.

7. Uninstall

Homebrew:

brew uninstall raid
brew untap 8bitalex/tap   # optional, removes the tap entirely

Linux install script:

sudo rm /usr/local/bin/raid

Windows: delete raid.exe and (if you don't use it for anything else) remove its folder from PATH.

8. What gets installed where

Profile state lives in your home directory, so reinstalling raid doesn't lose your configuration. Conversely, removing the binary doesn't clean up ~/.raid/ — delete that folder if you want a clean slate.

Next steps

• How to Create a Raid Profile — the first thing to do after installing.
• How to Clone All Your Team's Repos with raid install — the bootstrap command you'll run next.