Installation

Comprehensive Setup Guide • v1.4.2

info Introduction & Prerequisites

vpipe is a high-performance CLI tool designed to pipe data streams directly into Large Language Models. Before installing, ensure your environment meets the following requirements:

  • Go Compiler: v1.21 or higher (only for source builds)
  • Git: Latest stable
  • OS: macOS 11+, Windows 10/11, or Modern Linux Kernel (5.x+)

Pre-built Binaries

STABLE RELEASE
apple universal

macOS

Native support for Apple Silicon (M-series) and legacy Intel x64 chips.

terminal v1.4.2

Linux

Static binaries for Debian, RHEL, Arch, and Alpine (musl compatible).

window win-x64

Windows

Full support for PowerShell and CMD. Includes automatic installer.

Platform Arch Version SHA-256 Checksum
Darwin (macOS) arm64 1.4.2 8f3d92b1...7f21a
Linux (Static) amd64 1.4.2 e9a11c0d...2b3c4
Windows (Binary) x86_64 1.4.2 c4b22f09...1d9e8

Build From Source

POSIX (Linux / macOS) 

# Clone repository
$ git clone https://github.com/vpipe/vpipe.git
$ cd vpipe

# Build optimized binary
$ go build -ldflags="-s -w" -o vpipe main.go

Windows (PowerShell) 

# Clone repository
PS> git clone https://github.com/vpipe/vpipe.git
PS> Set-Location vpipe

# Build binary
PS> go build -o vpipe.exe main.go

Path Configuration

01 macOS & Linux Setup

1. Move the binary to a common executable path:

sudo mv vpipe /usr/local/bin/

2. Ensure it has execution permissions:

chmod +x /usr/local/bin/vpipe

3. If using ZSH (default on macOS), add to ~/.zshrc:

export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/bin

02 Windows Setup

1. Create a permanent directory for tools:

New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path "C:\vpipe"

2. Move vpipe.exe to that location.

3. Run PowerShell as Administrator to set global path:

setx /M PATH "%PATH%;C:\vpipe"

* Restart terminal to apply changes.

Initial Setup (API Keys)

vpipe communicates with various LLM providers. You must provide at least one API key via environment variables.

Groq Cloud

GROQ_API_KEY

Fastest inference. Get keys at console.groq.com

export GROQ_API_KEY="gsk_..."

OpenAI

OPENAI_API_KEY

Industry standard. Get keys at platform.openai.com

export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..."

Anthropic

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY

Claude models. Get keys at console.anthropic.com

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-..."

Global Configuration

Priority System

Priority 01

Flags & Args

Explicit values passed in command line.

Priority 02

Local .env

.env file in the current working directory.

Priority 03

Global Config

System-wide config directory.

Config Directories

Create the following folder and place your .env file inside it to make configurations global:

  • Windows: C:\Users\<User>\AppData\Roaming\vpipe\config.env
  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/vpipe/config.env
  • Linux: ~/.config/vpipe/config.env

Example .env Content

# AI Provider Keys
GROQ_API_KEY="gsk_..."
OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..."

# Default Engine Settings
V_MODEL="llama3-70b-8192"
V_MAX_TOKENS=4096
V_TEMPERATURE=0.7

# Output Formatting
V_THEME="obsidian"
V_COLOR_ACCENT="#FFB800"

Verification

Health Check

Run the following command to verify your installation and environment configuration.

vpipe --version
Expected Output: 
vpipe v1.4.2-stable
Build: 2024-05-12T14:30:00Z
Runtime: go1.22.1 darwin/arm64

[✓] Path Access: Global
[✓] Groq API: Detected
[!] OpenAI API: Not Found
[✓] Global Config: Loaded

Troubleshooting

"command not found: vpipe"

This means the binary directory is not in your PATH. Refer to Section 04: Path Configuration and ensure you restarted your terminal after making changes.

"API Key missing or invalid"

Check your .env file for typos. Ensure the variable names are exactly as shown (e.g., GROQ_API_KEY, not GROQ_KEY). Use echo $GROQ_API_KEY to check if it's visible in your current session.

macOS "unidentified developer" warning

Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security and click "Open Anyway" at the bottom of the pane, or run xattr -d com.apple.quarantine vpipe on the binary.