Installation

Get buildwithnexus running in seconds.

Quick Start

npm install -g buildwithnexus
buildwithnexus init

init walks you through API key setup, VM resource allocation, and boots a fully provisioned NEXUS instance. After the first run, buildwithnexus (no subcommand) launches the interactive REPL.

npm version

Requirements

Requirement
Details
Node.js
18
npm
8
Anthropic API key

sk-ant-... from console.anthropic.com

Optional:

  • OpenAI API key (for o3 reasoning support)
  • Google API key (for Gemini support)

Installation Methods

Global Install (Recommended)

npm install -g buildwithnexus
buildwithnexus init      # first run — sets up API keys + VM
buildwithnexus           # subsequent runs — interactive REPL

Without Installing (one-off)

npx buildwithnexus init

From Source

git clone https://github.com/Garretts-Apps/buildwithnexus.git
cd buildwithnexus
npm install
npm run build
node dist/bin.js init

Configuration

buildwithnexus init prompts for your API keys on first run. Keys are stored in:

~/.buildwithnexus/.env.keys

To update keys later:

buildwithnexus da-init

Verify Installation

buildwithnexus --version
buildwithnexus --help

Uninstall

npm uninstall -g buildwithnexus
rm -rf ~/.buildwithnexus

Troubleshooting

"Command not found: buildwithnexus"

Make sure npm global bins are in your PATH:

npm config get prefix

Add to your shell profile if needed:

export PATH="$(npm config get prefix)/bin:$PATH"

"ANTHROPIC_API_KEY not set" / no key prompt on first run

If running buildwithnexus doesn't prompt for keys, you launched the REPL instead of the setup wizard. Run buildwithnexus init (or buildwithnexus da-init if ~/.buildwithnexus/ already exists from an earlier install).

You can also set keys via environment variable: export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...

API Key Issues

Keys are validated on startup. Ensure:

  • Key format is correct (sk-ant- prefix for Anthropic)
  • Key has sufficient permissions in your Anthropic account
  • No trailing whitespace in the key

Source