Install Canopy

Canopy is a single static binary with no runtime dependencies. When it ships, you’ll download it, put it on your PATH, and run canopy --version. That’s the entire install.

Pre-release — downloads not yet public

Canopy is in active pre-release development. Binaries are not yet available for public download. The instructions on this page describe what the install flow will look like at launch; actual download URLs, checksum endpoints, and install scripts will be published to waitlist members and Founding Members first.

Get notified at launch: join the waitlist or apply to the Founding Member Program for early access + grandfathered pricing.

At launch: what to expect

Canopy ships as a single static binary per platform:

Platform	Binary name
macOS (Apple Silicon)	canopy-macos-aarch64
Linux (x86_64)	canopy-linux-x86_64
Linux (aarch64)	canopy-linux-aarch64
Windows (x86_64)	canopy-windows-x86_64.exe

Each release is accompanied by a SHA256SUMS.txt file for integrity verification. The installer flow will be a standard curl | chmod +x | mv on Unix and Invoke-WebRequest on Windows — no package managers or runtime dependencies required.

Install flow (preview)

The exact URL will be provided at launch. Once you have it, you can set it as an environment variable and the same install commands work on every platform.

macOS / Linux

# Set this to the download URL provided at launch
export CANOPY_DOWNLOAD_URL="<provided-at-launch>"

# Pick the binary matching your platform
curl -fsSL "$CANOPY_DOWNLOAD_URL/canopy-$(uname -s | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')-$(uname -m)" \
  -o canopy
chmod +x canopy
sudo mv canopy /usr/local/bin/canopy

# Verify
canopy --version

Windows (PowerShell)

# Set this to the download URL provided at launch
$env:CANOPY_DOWNLOAD_URL = "<provided-at-launch>"

Invoke-WebRequest `
  -Uri "$env:CANOPY_DOWNLOAD_URL/canopy-windows-x86_64.exe" `
  -OutFile "canopy.exe"

# Move canopy.exe to a directory on your PATH, e.g. C:\Users\<you>\bin\
canopy.exe --version

Verify the install

Once installed:

canopy --version

Expected output:

canopy 2.0.x (linux-x86_64)

The platform string (linux-x86_64, macos-aarch64, etc.) confirms which binary you downloaded.

PATH setup (if needed)

If canopy isn’t found after moving the binary:

macOS / Linux

Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc:

export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
# Move the binary there instead of /usr/local/bin if you prefer user-local installs

Then source ~/.bashrc or open a new shell.

Windows

Search for “Environment Variables” in the Start menu → “Edit system environment variables” → Environment Variables → System variables → Path → Edit → Add the directory containing canopy.exe.

macOS Gatekeeper

On first run, macOS may block the binary with a “cannot be opened because it is from an unidentified developer” dialog.

Fix:

xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /usr/local/bin/canopy

Or: System Settings → Privacy & Security → scroll down → “Allow Anyway” next to the Canopy block.

Note

Canopy binaries are not yet notarized with Apple. This is on the roadmap. For now, the quarantine attribute removal is the standard workaround used by most developer tools distributed outside the Mac App Store.

Activate your license

If you have a license key (from a trial signup or purchase), activate it after install:

canopy activate <your-license-key>

Expected output:

canopy: license activated (tier: solo, expires: 2027-04-17)
canopy: machine fingerprint registered (1/1 slots used)
canopy: all 21 MCP tools unlocked

No license key yet? Canopy runs in Community Mode — 1 repo, 3 tools, CLI-only. You can still follow the rest of Getting Started. Run canopy upgrade when you’re ready to start a 14-day free trial (available at launch).

Next

Index your first repo — one command, and you have a structural model of your codebase.