Install Ixel

Windows

1. Open PowerShell

   Press the Windows key, type PowerShell, and open Windows PowerShell. Open it the normal way, not with "Run as administrator": Ixel installs into your own user folder.

2. Run the installer

   Paste this line and press Enter:

   irm https://ixelai.com/install.ps1 | iex

3. Say yes to Git and Python, if it asks

   If Git is missing, it asks Git is needed to download Ixel. Install Git now with winget? [Y/n]. If Python is missing or older than 3.10, it asks Install Python 3.13 now with winget (Microsoft's installer)? [Y/n]. Press Enter for yes. winget is the installer that comes with Windows; it may show its own progress, and Windows may ask you to allow the change.

4. Wait for "Ixel is installed"

   It downloads Ixel MAT and Handoff with Git, makes a private Python environment for each, and adds the ixel and handoff commands and an Ixel entry in the Start Menu. Then it says:

   Windows PowerShell

   Ixel is installed.
   Open Ixel from the Start Menu.
   Open a new terminal window first, so it finds the new commands. Then:
     ixel setup               add your models and keys
     handoff setup --write    in a project folder: connect Claude Code, Codex and Claude Desktop
   To update Ixel later, run the same install command again.

5. Open a new window, and add your models

   Close PowerShell and open a new window, so it finds the new commands. Then run ixel setup: see Set up your models.

macOS

1. Open Terminal

   It's in Applications, in the Utilities folder. You can also press ⌘ Space and type Terminal.

2. Run the installer

   curl -fsSL https://ixelai.com/install.sh | sh

3. Install Apple's Command Line Tools, if it asks

   They bring Git and the compiler that builds Ixel's Mac app. If they're missing, the installer asks Open Apple's installer for them now? [Y/n]. Press Enter, finish Apple's installer in its own window, then run the same command again.

4. Install Python, if it asks

   If you have no Python 3.10 or newer and you use Homebrew, it offers brew install python@3.13. Without Homebrew, it offers to download Python 3.13 from python.org, checks the download against a fingerprint written into the installer, and opens Python's own installer. Finish that, then run the command again.

5. Open a new window, and add your models

   When it says Ixel is installed, open a new Terminal window and run ixel setup. Ixel is in the Applications folder inside your home folder (~/Applications), and Spotlight finds it.

Linux

1. Run the installer

   In a terminal:

   curl -fsSL https://ixelai.com/install.sh | sh

   If Git, Python 3.10 or newer, or python3-venv is missing, it shows the one command that installs them with your system's package manager (sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y python3 python3-venv on Debian and Ubuntu, for example) and asks before running it. It never runs sudo without your yes; say no and it prints the command for you to run yourself.

   For Board workers to run your tests, Handoff also needs bubblewrap and socat. If they're missing, the installer says how to install them, and handoff doctor checks for them later.

2. Read what it did

   Terminal

   curl -fsSL https://ixelai.com/install.sh | sh
   Installing Ixel: Ixel MAT and Handoff.
   
   == Ixel MAT
   Getting the source into /home/you/.local/share/ixel-mat/repo
   Using Python 3.11.15 at /usr/bin/python3
   Added /home/you/.local/bin to PATH in /home/you/.bashrc
   
   Ixel MAT installed from /home/you/.local/share/ixel-mat/repo
   Command: /home/you/.local/bin/ixel
   App:     Ixel in your app menu (or: ixel app), in Chrome's app mode or your browser for now
     For Ixel's own window:  sudo apt install python3-gi gir1.2-webkit2-4.1
   Next:    ixel setup
   Update:  ixel update
   …
   
   == Handoff
   Getting the source into /home/you/.local/share/handoff/repo
   Using Python 3.11.15 at /usr/bin/python3
   
   Handoff installed from /home/you/.local/share/handoff/repo
   Command: /home/you/.local/bin/handoff
   Next:    cd into a project, then run: handoff setup --write
   …
   
   Ixel is installed.
   Open Ixel from your app menu.
   Open a new terminal window first, so it finds the new commands. Then:
     ixel setup               add your models and keys
     handoff setup --write    in a project folder: connect Claude Code, Codex and Claude Desktop
   To update Ixel later, run the same install command again.

3. Get Ixel's own window (optional)

   Ixel opens in a native GTK window when your system's Python has GTK and WebKit. Without them it uses Chrome's or Chromium's app mode, or your browser. To get the window:

   sudo apt install python3-gi gir1.2-webkit2-4.1

   On Fedora, use sudo dnf install python3-gobject webkit2gtk4.1.

4. Open a new window, and add your models

   Open a new terminal window and run ixel setup. Ixel is in your app menu.

Windows

Remove-Item -Recurse -Force "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\IxelMAT", "$HOME\.local\bin\ixel.cmd", "$([Environment]::GetFolderPath('Programs'))\Ixel.lnk"
Remove-Item -Recurse -Force "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Handoff", "$HOME\.local\bin\handoff.exe"

Where Smart App Control is on, Handoff's command is handoff.cmd instead of handoff.exe.

macOS

rm -rf ~/.local/share/ixel-mat ~/.local/bin/ixel ~/Applications/Ixel.app
rm -rf ~/.local/share/handoff ~/.local/bin/handoff

Linux

rm -rf ~/.local/share/ixel-mat ~/.local/bin/ixel "${XDG_DATA_HOME:-$HOME/.local/share}/applications/ixel.desktop"
rm -rf ~/.local/share/handoff ~/.local/bin/handoff