Installation

Get Chvor running on your machine in under 5 minutes.

3 min read

Installation

Chvor is a self-hosted AI platform you run on your own hardware. No cloud account required, no data leaves your machine. Choose whichever install method suits your workflow.

Prerequisites

Requirement	Minimum Version	Check Command
Node.js	22.0+	`node --version`
OS	macOS 12+, Windows 10+, Linux (Ubuntu 20.04+)	—
RAM	512MB minimum	—
Disk	~500MB	—

You will also need at least one LLM API key (Anthropic, OpenAI, or Google) to power conversations. You can add this during setup.

Method 1: One-Command Install (Recommended)

The fastest way to get running. A single command installs Node.js (if needed), downloads Chvor, and launches the onboarding wizard.

macOS / Linux

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/luka-zivkovic/chvor/main/scripts/install.sh | bash

Windows (PowerShell)

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/luka-zivkovic/chvor/main/scripts/install.ps1 | iex

What it does:

Checks for Node.js 22+ — installs it if missing
Runs npm install -g @chvor/cli
Launches chvor onboard — an interactive wizard for LLM provider, API key, and port
Downloads the latest release, starts the server, and opens http://localhost:3001

After install:

chvor start       # Start the server
chvor stop        # Stop the server
chvor update      # Update to the latest version
chvor --help      # See all commands

Method 2: npm

If you already have Node.js 22+:

npm install -g @chvor/cli
chvor onboard

The onboard command walks you through setup interactively.

Method 3: Docker

Run Chvor in a container with persistent data.

One-command Docker

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/luka-zivkovic/chvor/main/scripts/install.sh | bash -s -- --docker

Manual Docker

docker run -d \
  --name chvor \
  -p 3001:3001 \
  -v ~/.chvor:/home/node/.chvor \
  ghcr.io/luka-zivkovic/chvor:latest

Docker Compose

git clone https://github.com/luka-zivkovic/chvor.git
cd chvor
docker compose up -d

Open http://localhost:3001 and configure your AI through the web UI.

Method 4: From Source (Development)

For contributors or anyone who wants full control.

Prerequisites: Node.js 22+, pnpm 10+

git clone https://github.com/luka-zivkovic/chvor.git
cd chvor
pnpm install
cp .env.example .env

Edit .env and add at least one LLM provider key:

# Required — at least one provider
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
# OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
# GOOGLE_API_KEY=AI...

Start the development server:

pnpm dev

Open http://localhost:5173. The client dev server proxies API calls to the server on port 3001.

Method 5: Desktop App (Experimental)

Download the native desktop app — no terminal needed.

Platform	Download
Windows	Chvor-Setup.msi
macOS	Chvor.dmg

The setup wizard handles Node.js installation, API key configuration, and server startup. Includes system tray icon, log viewer, and auto-updater.

Comparison

Method	Best for	Terminal needed	Auto-update	Platforms
One-command	Most users	Yes (one time)	`chvor update`	macOS, Linux, Windows
npm	Developers	Yes	`chvor update`	Any with Node.js
Docker	Self-hosters, servers	Yes (one time)	`docker pull`	Any with Docker
From source	Contributors	Yes	`git pull`	Any
Desktop app	Non-technical users	No	Built-in	Windows, macOS

Verify installation

After installation, open http://localhost:3001 (or :5173 for source dev mode). You should see the Brain Canvas — an interactive node graph. Click the brain node to configure your AI, then start chatting.

Updating

# CLI
chvor update

# Docker
docker pull ghcr.io/luka-zivkovic/chvor:latest && docker restart chvor

# Desktop app
Click "Check for Updates" in the system tray