Installation

Choose a supported way to install and operate Comis

Choose the path that matches the host and the amount of infrastructure you want to manage. Linux is the primary production platform; macOS is supported for development and local evaluation.

Choose a setup method

npm on Linux or macOS

Install the CLI with Node.js 22.19.0 or newer, then run the setup wizard.

Managed Linux server

Use the Linux installer to create a dedicated service account and systemd unit.

Docker on Linux

Run the published image with persistent volumes and explicit network controls.

Render

Deploy the Linux container image on a managed service with persistent storage.

Method	Recommended use	Important boundary
npm	Development, evaluation, or a host you manage	Requires Node.js 22.19.0+, Python 3, and native build tools
Linux installer	A Linux server managed with systemd	The script may create users, packages, and services; review it before running
Docker	Reproducible Linux deployment	Docker Desktop on macOS/Windows is for development, not the documented production boundary
Render	Managed container hosting	Persist ~/.comis and configure authentication before exposing the gateway

Linux server installer

The hosted installer is intended for supported Linux server distributions. It can install system dependencies, create a dedicated comis user, and register a systemd service:

curl -fsSL --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 https://comis.ai/install.sh -o comis-install.sh
less comis-install.sh
bash comis-install.sh --dry-run
bash comis-install.sh

The installer can make host-level changes. Inspect the downloaded file and its dry-run output before executing it. Use the npm guide for a smaller, user-scoped installation. On macOS, the npm path avoids the Linux-only systemd and dedicated service-user flow.

What setup creates

A normal setup contains:

• the comis CLI and daemon;
• ~/.comis/config.yaml for non-secret configuration;
• ~/.comis/secrets.db for encrypted credentials by default;
• ~/.comis/.env, which contains the encrypted store’s master key; and
• local databases and workspace data under ~/.comis.

Back up the master key securely. Losing it makes encrypted credentials unrecoverable. Encryption at rest does not protect a running daemon or a host where both the database and key are compromised.

Authentication requirement

Comis needs access to at least one model. Use one of:

• a supported provider API credential;
• a supported OAuth flow, such as OpenAI Codex device-code login; or
• a local provider such as Ollama.

API credentials are not required for a working local model. See Requirements and the Quickstart before installing.

Continue

Requirements

Check platform, runtime, and provider prerequisites.

Configuration

Understand config, credential storage, and channels.

Verification

Check the daemon and its configured integrations.

Production hardening

Restrict tools, enable approvals where needed, and secure the gateway.