Install Anvil

Anvil currently runs from source. It is not published as a global package.

This guide leaves global npm packages unchanged. It builds the repository and verifies the complete local compiler path.

Requirements

• Node.js 22.17 or later
• Corepack
• Git

node --version
corepack --version
git --version

You do not need Docker, a database, cloud credentials, or an upstream API.

Clone and build

git clone https://github.com/vamsiramakrishnan/anvil.git
cd anvil
corepack enable
pnpm install
pnpm build

The repository pins pnpm in package.json. Let Corepack select that version. Use the pinned version when reproducing a failure.

Verify the CLI:

pnpm anvil --version
pnpm anvil --help

pnpm anvil runs packages/cli/dist/bin-anvil.js from the current checkout. The remaining documentation uses:

• pnpm anvil for commands run from this repository; and
• anvil when the executable is installed or aliased.

Run the compiler smoke test

The following block compiles the checked-in payments fixture in a temporary directory. It contacts no upstream service.

# [docs-tested]
WORK=$(mktemp -d)
node packages/cli/dist/bin-anvil.js compile examples/payments/openapi.yaml \
  --manifest examples/payments/anvil.yaml \
  --service payments \
  --out "$WORK/payments" \
  --root "$WORK"
node packages/cli/dist/bin-anvil.js status "$WORK/payments" --root "$WORK"
node packages/cli/dist/bin-anvil.js inspect "$WORK/payments" >/dev/null
test -f "$WORK/payments/air.yaml"
test -f "$WORK/payments/mcp/server.js"
test -f "$WORK/payments/skill/SKILL.md"
rm -rf "$WORK"

Success establishes three facts:

1. the workspace built;
2. the CLI can compile and inspect a bundle; and
3. the expected AIR, MCP, and skill artifacts exist.

It does not establish cloud deployment or access to a real API.

Optional shell alias

alias anvil='node packages/cli/dist/bin-anvil.js'
anvil --help

The alias applies only to the current shell unless you add it to a shell profile. Use it only when the checkout path is stable.

Installation failures

Symptom	Action
pnpm: command not found	Run corepack enable, then reopen the shell if required
pnpm version mismatch	Run corepack pnpm --version and compare it with packageManager in package.json
Missing module under dist/	Run pnpm build and fix the first package failure
sharp or esbuild install failure	Confirm the Node version, remove node_modules, and reinstall with the pinned pnpm version
Docs fail after packages build	Run pnpm --filter @anvil/docs build to isolate the Astro failure

For compiler and bundle failures, use troubleshooting.

Next

Run the quickstart to inspect a mutation, observe a policy refusal, and verify the generated MCP path.