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Installing build-cli

Installing build-cli

Who This Guide Is For

Anyone on the DMDQP team who wants to use build-cli — the team’s internal wrapper around Claude Code — for the first time. No prior experience with AI tools or terminal applications is assumed, though you will need basic comfort opening a terminal.

What You Will Learn

  • What prerequisites are required before installing build-cli
  • How to install and authenticate using the official quickstart guide
  • How to verify the installation is working
  • How to start your first session
  • How to troubleshoot the most common installation issues

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Check Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have:

  • A terminal application (on Windows: PowerShell, Windows Terminal, or WSL; on Mac: Terminal or iTerm2)
  • Your Roche network credentials / SSO access
  • Permission to install software on your machine (if unsure, contact your IT support)
  • Node.js 18 or later installed — check by running node --version in your terminal

Don’t have Node.js? Download it from nodejs.org (LTS version). On corporate machines, you may need IT to install it.

Step 2: Follow the Official Installation Guide

The official step-by-step installation guide is maintained by the build-cli team:

build-cli Quickstart Guide

Follow that guide to install and authenticate. It covers all platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux) and is kept up to date with the latest version.

Step 3: Verify the Installation

Once installed, verify it’s working:

Terminal window
build-cli --version

You should see a version number printed. If you see an error, see the Troubleshooting section below.

Step 4: Run Your First Session

Navigate to a project folder and start a session:

Terminal window
cd path/to/your/project
build-cli

You’ll see a prompt where you can type your first request. Try:

What files are in this project and what do they do?

To exit, press Ctrl + C or type /exit.

Verification

You have successfully installed build-cli when:

  • build-cli --version prints a version number without errors
  • build-cli launches a prompt in your project directory
  • Typing a question and pressing Enter produces a response from Claude

Next Steps

  • See the ‘Your First Session with build-cli’ guide for a 15-minute walkthrough of a real session
  • See the ‘Which AI Tool to Use?’ guide to understand when build-cli is the right choice vs Gemini
  • See the Roche AI Manifesto Practice article for DOs and DON’Ts when using AI responsibly

Troubleshooting

command not found: build-cli The installation didn’t complete or npm’s bin directory isn’t in your PATH. Try closing and reopening your terminal. If the issue persists, run npm bin -g to find where npm installs global packages, and add that path to your PATH variable.

Authentication fails Make sure you’re on the Roche network or connected via VPN. If SSO redirects fail, try a different browser.

Permission denied during installation On Mac/Linux, try prefixing the install command with sudo. On Windows, run PowerShell as Administrator.

Outdated version warning Follow the build-cli Quickstart Guide to reinstall with the latest version.