CLI Installation Guide
Installing, updating, uninstalling, and configuring PATH for the KSP command-line interface.
Platform Availability
The KSP CLI (ksp.exe / ksp) is a standalone native binary compiled from Rust with zero runtime dependencies. It supports Windows (x64/ARM64), Linux (x64/ARM64), and macOS (Apple Silicon/Intel).
1. Installing the CLI
Choose the automated one-liner installer for your operating system or compile directly via Cargo if you already have the Rust toolchain installed.
irm https://www.kspprotocol.dev/install.ps1 | iex
curl -fsSL https://www.kspprotocol.dev/install.sh | sh
cargo install ksp --locked
2. Updating
The CLI includes an intelligent self-updater that checks official GitHub releases, verifies SHA-256 cryptographic hashes, and updates the executable cleanly in-place without requiring administrative elevation.
ksp update --check
# Perform self-update to the latest stable release
ksp update
3. Uninstalling
You can completely remove all KSP configuration directories, local certificates, and binaries using either the built-in subcommand or the official uninstaller script.
ksp uninstall
# Option B: Windows 1-Liner script
irm https://www.kspprotocol.dev/uninstall.ps1 | iex
# Option C: Linux/macOS script
curl -fsSL https://www.kspprotocol.dev/uninstall.sh | sh
ksp.exe is running inside your terminal during uninstallation, Windows prevents the file from deleting itself (os error 5). When this occurs, KSP will interactively prompt to schedule an automated background cleanup task (cmd.exe timeout /t 2) that cleanly deletes the binary 2 seconds after you exit!4. PATH Configuration
By default, installation scripts place the binary into ~/.ksp/bin (or ~/.cargo/bin when using Cargo) and automatically append it to your user environment variable. If ksp is not recognized after restarting your terminal, verify your PATH profile:
export PATH="$HOME/.ksp/bin:$HOME/.cargo/bin:$PATH"
set -gx PATH $HOME/.ksp/bin $HOME/.cargo/bin $PATH
5. Common Installation Issues & Troubleshooting
Permission Denied (`/usr/local/bin` or `/etc/ksp`) on Linux/macOS
If system-wide installation fails due to missing permissions, either install to user profile without root, or run with sudo:
curl -fsSL https://install.kspprotocol.dev | sudo sh
Missing C++ Build Tools on Windows (cargo install error)
When installing via cargo install ksp --locked, the X25519 and Ring cryptographic dependencies require Microsoft Visual Studio C++ Build Tools (`link.exe`). Download and install the Visual Studio Build Tools with the "Desktop development with C++" workload if compilation fails.
Verifying Installation Health
Whenever in doubt, execute the built-in system doctor diagnostic utility to verify OS permissions, socket access, and configuration files:
ksp doctor --verbose