zero/docs/INSTALL.md

Installing Zero

Zero is distributed as:

• an npm package, @gitlawb/zero
• release archives on GitHub Releases
• source builds with Go 1.25+

The npm package and install scripts download a platform-specific release archive. They require a published GitHub Release for the requested version.

npm

npm install -g @gitlawb/zero
zero

The package supports Linux, macOS, and Windows on x64 and arm64. It installs the zero command and downloads the matching release binary during postinstall.

Requirements:

• Node.js 18+
• network access to npm and GitHub Releases

Bun

Bun is "default-secure" and does not run lifecycle scripts of installed dependencies (only the installing project's own scripts), so the postinstall that fetches the Zero binary is silently skipped. The first run then fails with No native binary found next to the npm wrapper.

To install with Bun, either run the installer manually after installing:

bun add @gitlawb/zero
node node_modules/@gitlawb/zero/scripts/postinstall.mjs

Or allow the postinstall to run by adding the package to your project's trustedDependencies before installing:

{
  "trustedDependencies": ["@gitlawb/zero"]
}

bun add @gitlawb/zero

For global installs (bun add -g @gitlawb/zero), run the installer manually against the global install path, or use the install scripts below.

Reference: https://bun.sh/docs/pm/lifecycle

Linux And macOS Script

Install the latest release:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Gitlawb/zero/main/scripts/install.sh | bash

From a checkout:

scripts/install.sh

Install a specific version:

ZERO_VERSION=0.1.0 scripts/install.sh
scripts/install.sh --version 0.1.0

Install somewhere else:

ZERO_INSTALL_DIR="$HOME/bin" scripts/install.sh
scripts/install.sh --install-dir "$HOME/bin"

Defaults:

• Repository: Gitlawb/zero
• Version: latest GitHub release
• Install path: ~/.local/bin/zero

Requirements: Bash, curl or wget, tar, and shasum or sha256sum.

Windows PowerShell Script

Install the latest release:

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Gitlawb/zero/main/scripts/install.ps1 | iex

From a checkout:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File scripts/install.ps1

Install a specific version:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File scripts/install.ps1 -Version 0.1.0

Install somewhere else:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File scripts/install.ps1 -InstallDir "$env:USERPROFILE\bin"

Defaults:

• Repository: Gitlawb/zero
• Version: latest GitHub release
• Install path: %LOCALAPPDATA%\zero\bin\zero.exe

From Source

git clone https://github.com/Gitlawb/zero.git
cd zero
go run ./cmd/zero

Build a local binary:

go build -o zero ./cmd/zero

Source builds require Go 1.25+.

Sandbox Helpers For Source Builds

Release archives include the platform sandbox helpers. If you build directly from source, build the helpers you need:

Linux:

go build -o zero ./cmd/zero
go build -o zero-linux-sandbox ./cmd/zero-linux-sandbox
go build -o zero-seccomp ./cmd/zero-seccomp

Put zero and zero-linux-sandbox in the same directory on PATH, for example ~/.local/bin. zero-seccomp is kept as a compatibility wrapper; the sandbox helper applies the Unix-socket filter itself when that sandbox option is enabled. Linux native sandboxing also requires Bubblewrap to be installed.

macOS uses the system sandbox and does not need an extra helper binary.

Windows source builds can use the main zero.exe as the command runner and setup helper through Zero's built-in self-dispatch path. If you want a release-style layout anyway, build the standalone helper executables next to zero.exe:

go build -o zero.exe ./cmd/zero
go build -o zero-windows-command-runner.exe ./cmd/zero-windows-command-runner
go build -o zero-windows-sandbox-setup.exe ./cmd/zero-windows-sandbox-setup

Release Archive Format

Release archives are named:

• zero-v<version>-linux-<arch>.tar.gz
• zero-v<version>-macos-<arch>.tar.gz
• zero-v<version>-windows-<arch>.zip

Supported targets:

• linux-x64
• linux-arm64
• macos-x64
• macos-arm64
• windows-x64
• windows-arm64

Each archive must have a matching .sha256 file. The install scripts download both files, verify the checksum, and then copy the binary into the install directory.

Updating

Check for a newer release:

zero update --check

Then reinstall with npm or rerun the install script for the version you want.