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Install Keel

If you want the recommended long-lived install, start with release artifacts. If you are evaluating Keel quickly, use Nix. If you plan to contribute or inspect the source, use the repo path.

Release Artifacts

Use packaged binaries when available

GitHub Releases are the public distribution point for installers and archives across supported platforms.

Fastest Path

Run it with Nix

Best when you want to try Keel immediately without setting up a long-lived local install.

Source Path

Build from the repo

Best when you want the latest code, want to contribute, or prefer a Rust-first local workflow.

Release artifacts​

Fastest long-lived install path on macOS and Linux:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf https://github.com/spoke-sh/keel/releases/latest/download/keel-installer.sh | sh

If you prefer Homebrew, use the published tap:

brew tap spoke-sh/tap
brew install keel

Packaged binaries and installers are published on GitHub Releases:

https://github.com/spoke-sh/keel/releases

Use that path first if you want a stable install before source builds.

Once the release-installed binary is on your machine, keep it current with:

keel upgrade

If you need a specific upstream tag or commit instead of the latest published release, Keel can build and install it through the same installer flow:

keel upgrade --ref v0.2.1
keel upgrade --ref 533fa5b8

Quick try with Nix​

Nix is the simplest public way to run Keel without a manual install step:

nix run github:spoke-sh/keel

You can also enter the contributor shell for repo-local work:

git clone https://github.com/spoke-sh/keel.git
cd keel
nix develop

Inside the shell, the Rust toolchain, just, and the docs toolchain are available together.

Build from source​

If you want a local keel binary from source:

git clone https://github.com/spoke-sh/keel.git
cd keel
cargo install --path crates/keel-cli

If you do not want to install globally yet, running through Cargo is fine during evaluation:

cargo run -- --help

Verify the CLI​

Once the binary is available, confirm the surface before you scaffold a project:

keel --help
keel new --help
keel next --help

You should see the main command families for diagnostics, planning, execution, and automation.

If you are adopting Keel inside another repo​

Installing the binary is only the first layer. A downstream repository still needs a board scaffold, keel.toml, and local foundation docs that teach humans and agents how to use Keel as that repo's project-management engine.

The preferred bootstrap is:

keel new .

That command creates the board scaffold, installs hooks, and writes downstream starter documents such as AGENTS.md, INSTRUCTIONS.md, CONSTITUTION.md, POLICY.md, ARCHITECTURE.md, and USER_GUIDE.md when they do not already exist.

Read Downstream Project Contracts when you are adapting Keel into another codebase, and Upgrade Keel And Sync Upstream Instructions when you need to absorb upstream changes without erasing local operating rules.

Repo-local docs workflow​

This repository ships a supported MDX docs workflow through just:

just docs-install
just docs-dev
just docs-build

Those recipes use the repo-supported Node toolchain through Nix, which keeps the docs build reproducible in this workspace. If 3000 is already occupied, start the dev server on a different port:

PORT=3010 just docs-dev