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What is install.md?

install.md is a proposal to standardize software installation using human-readable markdown files that AI agents can execute safely and transparently. Instead of piping opaque shell scripts to bash: 
curl -fsSL https://example.com/install | bash
You can pipe readable markdown to an AI agent: 
curl -fsSL https://example.com/install.md | claude

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Why install.md?

Auditable

Installation instructions are compressed into concise, human-readable prose that’s easy to audit for malicious intent.

Platform-agnostic

Natural language instructions adapt to different platforms without complex conditionals.

Transparent

See exactly what will happen before it happens, no shell scripting expertise required.

Intelligent

AI agents can handle edge cases and environment variations without explicit instructions.

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Example

Here’s how you might install Bun using install.md: 
# Bun

> Bun is a fast JavaScript runtime, bundler, test runner, and package manager.

Install bun for me.

Detect my OS and CPU architecture, then download the appropriate bun binary
zip from GitHub releases (oven-sh/bun). Use the baseline build if my CPU
doesn't support AVX2. For Linux, use the musl build if I'm on Alpine.

Extract the zip to ~/.bun/bin, make the binary executable, and clean up
the temp files.

Update my shell config to export BUN_INSTALL=~/.bun and add the bin
directory to my PATH. Use the correct syntax for my shell.

Tell me what to run to reload my shell config.
This replaces hundreds of lines of shell script with clear, auditable instructions.

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Get started

Quickstart

Learn how to create your first install.md file.

Format specification

Understand the install.md file format and best practices.

Examples

Browse real-world examples of install.md files.

Integration guide

Integrate install.md support into your AI tools.

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The vision

As AI agents become more capable, we envision a future where:
  • Software installation is both secure (through transparency) and convenient (through automation)
  • Installation instructions are auditable by anyone, regardless of technical expertise
  • Platform differences are handled intelligently without complex conditional logic
  • Users can trust what they’re installing before they install it

Read the full proposal

Learn more about the specification and join the conversation.