Installation

Prebuilt binary (recommended)

One native binary, no Python needed. Windows (PowerShell):

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NaNIsaac/codigest/main/install.ps1 | iex

Linux, macOS and Termux:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NaNIsaac/codigest/main/install.sh | sh

The script downloads the latest release for your system and installs cdg: on Windows to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\codigest, which it adds to your user PATH; on Linux and macOS to ~/.local/bin; in Termux to $PREFIX/bin. Open a new terminal afterwards. Run the same line again to update.

Supported: Windows x64, Linux x64 and ARM64 (static, musl), macOS Intel and Apple Silicon, and Android ARM64 (Termux).

Two environment variables change what the script does. CDG_VERSION=0.12.1 installs that version instead of the latest. CDG_INSTALL_DIR=... installs into that folder, and then PATH is left alone.

$env:CDG_VERSION = "0.12.1"; irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NaNIsaac/codigest/main/install.ps1 | iex

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NaNIsaac/codigest/main/install.sh | CDG_INSTALL_DIR=/opt/codigest sh

To download the archive yourself, see Rust Port. That page also has the speed numbers and the few differences from the Python package.

The command is cdg. No setup is needed in your projects.

Check that it works:

cdg --version
cdg --help

Python package

The same commands are also published on PyPI as codigest. Install it with uv, which also fetches the Python version it needs (3.15) and keeps it apart from your projects. pip and pipx work too if you already have that Python.

winget install --id astral-sh.uv                  # Windows (skip if you have uv)
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh   # macOS/Linux

uv tool install codigest
uv tool update-shell                              # then restart your terminal

The command is codigest, or cdg for short.

Keep one cdg on your PATH

The binary and the Python package both install a command called cdg, and whichever comes first on PATH runs. Use one of them. The MCP registry entry runs the Python package (uvx codigest mcp), which does not put anything on PATH.

If the install fails with a syntax error on lazy import

The Python package uses Python 3.15 syntax, and an old uv may not know how to fetch that Python. Run uv self update and install again.

PowerShell help

On Windows, PowerShell's help codigest is a separate command from codigest --help. For optional native Get-Help integration without automatic command capture:

cdg shell-help install       # register comment-based PowerShell help
# open a new PowerShell window
help codigest                # or: Get-Help codigest
cdg shell-help uninstall     # remove it when no longer needed

This adds a small forwarding function to your PowerShell profile; other help commands are unchanged. The CLI's own full command reference is still available through codigest --help.

Next: capture every command

cdg term install hooks your shell so the output of every command is kept for cdg pack and cdg term. It is off until you run it. See Terminal Capture.

Run from a checkout

To try a change to Codigest itself without installing it:

git clone https://github.com/NaNIsaac/codigest
cd codigest
uv run cdg --help

Uninstall

Remove the shell hooks first if you installed them, then the tool:

cdg term uninstall
cdg shell-help uninstall     # PowerShell only, if you used it

Then delete the binary: the folder %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\codigest on Windows (and its entry in your user PATH), or ~/.local/bin/cdg ($PREFIX/bin/cdg in Termux). For the Python package, run uv tool uninstall codigest instead.

Captured commands live outside your projects; cdg term clear deletes them. A project's .codigest/ folder is removed with cdg clean. See Architecture for the locations.