Install the Reinstate CLI

Status: Current release
Maintained by: Harjot Singh Rana
Updated: August 16, 2026

Install Reinstate with the official bootstrap for your operating system, then require rein version --json to report the pinned candidate named in the changelog. The bootstrap verifies the canonical tagged installer, release checksum, downloaded binary, and reported version before replacing an existing installation.

Release status: the publicly installed candidate is a pre-1.0 release whose tagged-artifact acceptance is pending on native Windows x64 (Apple Silicon macOS is deferred until that hardware returns). Stable remains v0.5.1; Intel macOS and Linux/WSL2 remain optional and unverified.

Prerequisites

Apple Silicon macOS or native Windows x64 for mandatory Phase 4 acceptance, or an optional unverified environment (Intel macOS, Linux, or WSL2). WSL1 is refused.
A user account that can write to a user-local installation directory.
HTTPS access to reinstate.dev and the project’s GitHub Release assets.
A new terminal after PATH changes.

Installation does not require an Anthropic account credential, OpenAI account credential, S3 credential, or Reinstate passphrase. Those secrets belong to later setup prompts, never the installer command or an agent chat.

Install with Homebrew on Apple Silicon macOS

brew install HarjjotSinghh/tap/reinstate

The tap formula may lag until the package-publish workflow lists 0.4.0. GitHub Releases are the source of truth. Intel macOS and Linuxbrew remain optional and unverified for this release; use the bootstrap below if you prefer the canonical installer path.

Install with the official bootstrap

For macOS, Linux, or WSL2:

curl -fsSL https://reinstate.dev/install.sh | sh

The default binary directory is ~/.local/bin. The script installs reinstate and its shorter rein alias without elevation, updates the appropriate user shell startup file when needed, and prints an absolute next command that works in the current shell.

For native Windows PowerShell:

irm https://reinstate.dev/install.ps1 | iex

The default directory is %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Reinstate\bin. The script installs reinstate.exe and rein.exe, adds the directory to the user PATH and current PowerShell process, and does not configure WSL.

Native Windows and WSL2 must use separate Reinstate homes and device identities. Do not point WSL2 at %USERPROFILE%\.reinstate or share one native agent-state directory between the two environments.

Inspect the installer before execution

Download and read the script when your environment requires review before execution.

macOS, Linux, or WSL2:

curl -fsSL https://reinstate.dev/install.sh -o reinstate-install.sh
less reinstate-install.sh
sh reinstate-install.sh

Native Windows:

$Installer = Join-Path $env:TEMP "reinstate-install.ps1"
Invoke-WebRequest https://reinstate.dev/install.ps1 -OutFile $Installer
Get-Content $Installer
& ([ScriptBlock]::Create([IO.File]::ReadAllText($Installer)))

Both bootstraps pin the exact Reinstate tag, retrieve the canonical installer from that tag, verify its SHA-256, download the matching release asset and checksums.txt, verify the asset, and execute the downloaded binary’s version check before installation.

Replacing an existing version

An already installed different version is preserved until you explicitly approve replacement. On POSIX, the replacement prompt has a 30-second default timeout and refuses when the active shell cannot perform a timed TTY read. A timeout, unsupported shell, or invalid timeout preserves the existing binary.

After reviewing the requested version change, deliberate POSIX automation may set REINSTATE_CONFIRM_REPLACE=1. The timeout can be set from 1 through 300 seconds with REINSTATE_CONFIRM_TIMEOUT_SECONDS. These switches approve only binary replacement; they do not approve configuration, credentials, or session transfer.

Verify the installed CLI

Open a new terminal and run:

rein version --json
reinstate version --json
rein setup check

Before rein init, setup check should identify missing Reinstate configuration. An installed agent can also report SUPPORTED, UNTESTED, UNSUPPORTED, or NOT_INSTALLED; resolve platform, keyring, or compatibility failures before synchronization.

Expected evidence

Both binary names resolve without an absolute path and report the same 0.4.0 version.
The binary architecture matches the current environment.
The installer reports successful checksum and release-version checks.
rein setup check runs as a read-only preflight and does not claim the uninitialized device is ready to sync.

Save command output only after redacting private paths. Binary verification is not proof of stable support outside Apple Silicon macOS and native Windows x64.

Failure paths

If the shell cannot resolve rein, follow binary and PATH troubleshooting.
Stop after any missing checksum entry, SHA-256 mismatch, release version mismatch, unsupported architecture, or installer download failure.
Treat setup check exit code 5 as a compatibility blocker, not a warning to bypass.
Report a suspected malicious or substituted release through the private security policy.

Do not solve an installer failure by downloading an unofficial mirror or disabling checksum verification.

Security boundaries

The installers establish release identity and binary integrity; they do not make the pre-1.0 product formally audited. They do not request agent credentials, storage credentials, or the session passphrase. Run installers with ordinary user permissions, inspect them when policy requires, and keep release output free of secrets.

An agent may help inspect commands and redacted results. Enter later storage credentials and the encryption passphrase privately into Reinstate’s hidden prompts, never into Claude Code, Codex, shell history, or a public issue.