Installing Taubyte Tooling

Installing Taubyte Tooling

When to use

• First-time machine setup for tau / dream
• tau --version / dream --help fails
• docker info fails or docker is missing
• npm i -g @taubyte/cli was attempted but didn't produce a working tau
• A new shell session and you don't know whether the toolchain is in place
• Hard gate before every other Taubyte skill (run this first if anything below seems off)

Hard stop conditions

Workflow

Prereq progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Node.js + npm work
- [ ] Step 2: Docker CLI present and `docker info` succeeds
- [ ] Step 3: `@taubyte/cli` installed → `tau --version` works
- [ ] Step 4: `@taubyte/dream` installed → `dream --help` works
- [ ] Step 5: Auth gate (only if GitHub work is in scope)
- [ ] Step 6: Final verification block runs clean

Step 1 — Node.js + npm

Detect

command -v node >/dev/null && node --version
command -v npm  >/dev/null && npm  --version

Install when missing

If automated install fails, is blocked (no sudo / no winget/brew), or the OS is unclear, stop and tell the user to install Node.js LTS from https://nodejs.org/, then open a new terminal and rerun.

Do not run npm i -g @taubyte/... until both node --version and npm --version succeed.

Step 2 — Docker (engine + running daemon)

Docker is required for Dream itself, dream inject flows, and local Go WASM verification (the taubyte/go-wasi recipe).

Detect

command -v docker >/dev/null && docker version
docker info

Two distinct failure modes:

• docker not in PATH → treat as not installed (use install table below).
• docker version works but docker info fails with daemon/connection errors → daemon is stopped or you lack permission. Start the daemon, don't reinstall.

Install when CLI is missing

Start the daemon when CLI is present

After starting, re-run docker info until it succeeds. If install/start is impossible (no admin, headless CI, blocked policy), stop and point the user to https://docs.docker.com/get-docker/.

Step 3 — tau (@taubyte/cli)

Detect

command -v tau >/dev/null && tau --version
tau --help    # confirm subcommand surface

Install when missing

npm i -g @taubyte/cli

Alternative when the global npm path is blocked:

curl https://get.tau.link/cli | sh

Step 4 — dream (@taubyte/dream)

Detect

command -v dream >/dev/null && (dream --version || dream --help)

Install when missing

npm i -g @taubyte/dream

Alternative:

curl https://get.tau.link/dream | sh

If dream is on PATH but errors immediately, the global wrapper may be broken. Run via the package directly to confirm:

node "$(npm root -g)/@taubyte/dream/index.js" --help

Step 5 — Auth gate (only when GitHub work is in scope)

Any flow that creates/imports projects, pushes, or generates repos needs a working tau profile. Do not improvise auth here. Defer to authenticating-taubyte-cli.

Quick gate check:

tau --defaults --yes json current

Look at the Profile field. If empty and the next step touches GitHub, run authenticating-taubyte-cli before continuing.

Step 6 — Final verification

Run as a single block; expect every line to print a version/info line without errors:

node --version
npm  --version
docker version
docker info
tau --version
dream --version || dream --help

If any line fails, return to that step and re-do. Do not proceed to project / cloud / resource work with a partially-broken toolchain.

CLI drift note

tau and dream evolve quickly. Don't assume a subcommand exists based on older docs. Confirm capability with tau --help / dream --help before scripting around it. See starting-dream-locally for the dream start vs dream new multiverse split that depends on this.

Gotchas

• npm i -g without working node silently no-ops or installs broken shims — always verify node --version first.
• docker version succeeds, docker info fails is a stopped daemon, not a missing install. Don't reinstall.
• Linux permission errors (Got permission denied while trying to connect to the Docker daemon socket) are fixed by usermod -aG docker $USER + logout/login, not by sudo docker long-term.
• tau or dream errors immediately with cryptic node/require errors → likely a broken global npm install. Reinstall (npm i -g @taubyte/cli / @taubyte/dream) or use the curl https://get.tau.link/... script.
• Don't gate on a single command's exit code for the verification block — read each line; some commands print version on success but exit non-zero on --version-vs---help flag mismatch.

Related skills

• authenticating-taubyte-cli — runs after this gate when GitHub work is in scope
• starting-dream-locally — first thing you do once dream is installed
• understanding-taubyte-architecture — context for why dream + docker are needed at all
• verifying-taubyte-functions — uses the taubyte/go-wasi Docker image; depends on Docker daemon