# Install

Canonical: https://plottypus.com/docs/install

Last updated: 2026-09-23

> Install plottypus 1.0.0 on an Apple Silicon Mac with the install script or the tarball, and check its SHA-256 yourself.

plottypus is one 2.2 MB binary for macOS on Apple Silicon (arm64). It needs no sudo, no daemon and no kernel extension. There are three ways to get it.

## Install script

```sh
curl -fsSL https://plottypus.com/install.sh | sh
```

The script fetches the same tarball listed below from plottypus.com, checks its SHA-256 and copies the binary to `~/.local/bin/plottypus`. It stays out of Homebrew's prefix on purpose, so a later `brew install` never collides with it. If `~/.local/bin` is not on your `PATH` yet, the script prints the exact line to add for zsh, bash or fish.

It takes a few options. Pass them after `sh -s --`:

| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| `--prefix DIR` | Install to `DIR/bin/plottypus` instead of `~/.local/bin` |
| `--dry-run` | Print what would happen and change nothing |
| `--force` | Reinstall even if this version is already there |
| `--version X.Y.Z` | Install that release instead of the latest |

```sh
curl -fsSL https://plottypus.com/install.sh | sh -s -- --dry-run
curl -fsSL https://plottypus.com/install.sh | sh -s -- --prefix "$HOME"    # ~/bin instead
```

If you would rather read it before running it:

```sh
curl -fsSL https://plottypus.com/install.sh -o install.sh
less install.sh
sh install.sh
```

## Tarball, by hand

Every release is a tarball and a checksum file under `/download/<version>/`. For 1.0.0:

```sh
curl -fLO https://plottypus.com/download/v1.0.0/plottypus-v1.0.0-macos-arm64.tar.gz
curl -fLO https://plottypus.com/download/v1.0.0/plottypus-v1.0.0-macos-arm64.tar.gz.sha256
shasum -a 256 -c plottypus-v1.0.0-macos-arm64.tar.gz.sha256
```

The last line should print `plottypus-v1.0.0-macos-arm64.tar.gz: OK`. The expected SHA-256 is:

```text
89cdc2d1993dde0607d942103f393fb5bda6b38e1666ef96c3534d2c56e59f9b
```

Unpack it and put the binary somewhere on your `PATH`:

```sh
tar -xzf plottypus-v1.0.0-macos-arm64.tar.gz
mkdir -p ~/.local/bin
install -m 755 plottypus-v1.0.0-macos-arm64/plottypus ~/.local/bin/plottypus
plottypus --version
```

`~/.local/bin` is only a suggestion; `/usr/local/bin` or `/opt/homebrew/bin` work too if you own them. The tarball also holds `LICENSE`, `EULA.md`, `README.md`, `CHANGELOG.md` and `THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.html`.

## Homebrew

A Homebrew tap is coming. It is not published yet, so there is no `brew` command to run today; this page will give it once the tap exists. Until then, use the install script or the tarball.

## Gatekeeper

The 1.0.0 binary is ad-hoc signed. It is **not** notarized by Apple.

That only matters for files macOS has marked as downloaded from the internet. `curl` does not set the `com.apple.quarantine` attribute, so the script and the commands above run without a prompt. Homebrew installs are not quarantined either.

If you downloaded the tarball in a browser and macOS refuses to open `plottypus`, remove the attribute from the binary:

```sh
xattr -d com.apple.quarantine ~/.local/bin/plottypus
```

Or allow it once under System Settings → Privacy & Security.

## Check it works

```sh
plottypus --version        # plottypus 1.0.0 (7e7c1aa…)
plottypus --demo           # a canned 60 s session, no load needed
plottypus doctor           # what this Mac exposes
```

`plottypus --demo` plays the same recorded session on every Mac, so it is the quickest way to see every panel filled in. Press `q` to leave.

## Uninstall

Delete the binary, then (if you want) its files:

```sh
rm ~/.local/bin/plottypus
rm -rf ~/.config/plottypus          # config.toml, and license.toml if you added one
rm -rf ~/.local/state/plottypus     # only exists with a Pro licence (history files)
```

If `XDG_CONFIG_HOME` or `XDG_STATE_HOME` is set, those directories move with it. Nothing else is installed: no launch agents, no caches, no helper tools.