> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://isthmus.dev/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Installation

> All methods to install the Isthmus binary on your machine.

## Option 1: Prebuilt binary (recommended)

The fastest way to install. Downloads the latest release for your platform:

```bash theme={null}
curl -fsSL https://isthmus.dev/install.sh | sh
```

Or download manually from [GitHub Releases](https://github.com/guillermoBallester/isthmus/releases/latest) — pick the archive for your OS and architecture, extract it, and place the `isthmus` binary somewhere in your `PATH`.

## Option 2: go install

Requires [Go 1.25+](https://go.dev/doc/install).

```bash theme={null}
go install github.com/guillermoBallester/isthmus/cmd/isthmus@latest
```

The binary is placed in `$GOPATH/bin` (usually `~/go/bin`). Make sure this directory is in your `PATH`.

## Option 3: Clone and build

```bash theme={null}
git clone https://github.com/guillermoBallester/isthmus.git
cd isthmus
make build
```

The binary is written to `./bin/isthmus`. Move it to a directory in your PATH or reference the full path in your MCP client config.

## Option 4: Docker

```bash theme={null}
docker build -t isthmus .
docker run --rm -e DATABASE_URL="postgres://user:pass@host.docker.internal:5432/mydb" isthmus
```

<Warning>
  Docker is mainly useful for testing. Most MCP clients expect a local binary they can spawn directly — use one of the other methods for production use.
</Warning>

## Verify the installation

```bash theme={null}
# Check version
isthmus --version

# Validate config and test database connectivity
DATABASE_URL="postgres://user:pass@localhost:5432/mydb" isthmus --dry-run
```

The `--dry-run` flag validates your configuration, connects to the database, pings it, then exits. It is the fastest way to confirm everything is wired up correctly.