Install and set up

Denju ships as a native CLI for macOS, Linux, and Windows on both amd64 and arm64. The npm package is a small installer/launcher for that native binary; it is not a JavaScript implementation of Denju.

Install with npm

npm install -g --allow-scripts=denju-cli denju-cli

The package downloads the native release for your platform and verifies it against Denju’s release manifest before making it available.

You can also use the standalone denju.sh or denju.ps1 attached to each GitHub Release. All installation paths verify the same release artifacts and none falls back to compiling Denju from source.

Set up this machine

denju setup

Setup is anonymous. It:

• creates Denju’s local state under ~/.denju;
• connects to the official registry at https://registry.denju.ashray.xyz;
• makes Denju-managed skills available to Codex and Claude Code;
• notices existing unmanaged skills without importing or modifying them;
• installs the per-user background service where the platform supports it;
• validates the result.

If Denju finds an existing skill you may want to manage, it prints an explicit denju import <path> suggestion. It does not silently take ownership of that directory.

Use another registry

A Denju installation is bound to one registry. Choose a self-hosted registry during setup:

denju setup --registry https://denju.example.com

For a local development or same-host self-hosted registry, loopback HTTP is supported:

denju setup --registry http://127.0.0.1:7788

V1 does not switch or federate an existing installation between registries. Pick the registry you want this installation to belong to when you set it up.

Check the installation

Run Denju with no command:

denju

Denju is state-aware and normally prints either a compact healthy state or one useful next action.

For explicit diagnostics:

denju status
denju doctor

status shows skills or packs that are waiting, blocked, or in conflict. doctor checks and repairs Denju itself: local state, the background service, Codex/Claude skill links, credentials, and registry connectivity.

Install your first skill

No account is required:

denju search "react performance"
denju show @owner/skill
denju subscribe @owner/skill

After subscription, the skill is managed under Denju’s canonical tree and projected into the configured harness roots. You do not need to copy it into Codex or Claude Code yourself.

When the publisher creates a new release, the background service normally updates the subscribed skill automatically. You can ask Denju to check and apply all current changes at any time:

denju sync

Next: Quickstart walks through the normal anonymous-to-publisher journey end to end.