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Requirements

Before installing Nelson CLI, make sure you have:

Node.js 18+

Nelson requires Node.js version 18 or higher

Anthropic API Key

You’ll need an API key from Anthropic

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Install via npm

The recommended way to install Nelson CLI: 
npm install -g nelson-muntz-cli
Verify the installation: 
nelson --version
# nelson-muntz-cli v1.0.0

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Install via yarn

yarn global add nelson-muntz-cli

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Install via pnpm

pnpm add -g nelson-muntz-cli

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API Key Setup

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Get Your API Key

1

Create an Anthropic account

Go to console.anthropic.com and sign up or log in.
2

Navigate to API Keys

Click on API Keys in the sidebar.
3

Create a new key

Click Create Key and copy the generated key.

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Configure the API Key

Set the ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable: 
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-api03-..."
To make it permanent, add to your shell profile:
# For bash
echo 'export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-api03-..."' >> ~/.bashrc

# For zsh
echo 'export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-api03-..."' >> ~/.zshrc

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Verify Installation

Run Nelson to verify everything is working: 
nelson
You should see the animated Nelson logo followed by the welcome screen.
If you see “No API key found!”, make sure your ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable is set correctly.

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Updating Nelson

To update to the latest version: 
npm update -g nelson-muntz-cli

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Uninstalling

To remove Nelson CLI: 
npm uninstall -g nelson-muntz-cli

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Troubleshooting

Make sure npm’s global bin directory is in your PATH. Run npm bin -g to find the directory and add it to your PATH.
Ensure you’ve set the ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable. Try running echo $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY to verify it’s set.
On Unix systems, you may need to run with sudo: sudo npm install -g nelson-muntz-cli