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dotbot is a pure PowerShell tool with no runtime dependencies beyond PowerShell itself and Git. There is no npm, pip, or Docker involved. The same installation approach works on Windows, macOS, and Linux — pick the method that fits your workflow.

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Prerequisites

Before installing dotbot, make sure you have the following: You can verify your PowerShell version by running $PSVersionTable.PSVersion in a terminal.

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Package install vs source checkout

dotbot installs in one of two ways, and they resolve the framework differently:
  • Package install (Homebrew or Scoop) — Installs a self-contained copy and puts dotbot on your PATH. The command resolves the framework from its own install location, so you do not need to set DOTBOT_HOME.
  • Source checkout — Clones the repository and installs a lightweight PATH shim. The shim contains no framework code; it routes to a dotbot checkout via DOTBOT_HOME, or to a project-local runtime vendored under .bot/runtime.
The shim that bootstrap.ps1 installs lives in ~/.local/bin on Linux and macOS, and in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\WindowsApps on Windows.

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Install dotbot

Install dotbot with Homebrew:
This installs a self-contained copy and puts dotbot on your PATH. No DOTBOT_HOME is required.

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After installing

1

Restart your terminal

Restart your terminal so the dotbot command is available on your PATH.
2

Verify the installation

Confirm dotbot installed correctly:
This shows the resolved DOTBOT_HOME, the framework branch, SHA, and dirty state, and the active workflow and provider for the current project.
3

Update dotbot

For a source checkout, run git pull inside the checkout. For package installs, use brew upgrade dotbot or scoop update dotbot. A vendored project runtime is refreshed explicitly with dotbot install runtime.

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Windows execution policy

If you downloaded dotbot as a ZIP file on Windows, PowerShell may block the scripts due to the execution policy. Run the following command before installing:
This allows locally created scripts and signed remote scripts to run, without changing the system-wide policy.
Once dotbot is installed, consider adding these MCP servers to your AI tool for a better development experience.
Adds browser automation tools to your AI sessions. Useful for UI testing, screenshot capture, and verifying rendered output.
Provides up-to-date library documentation lookup during AI sessions. Reduces hallucination on API usage and keeps the AI grounded in current docs.
Both servers can be added to any MCP-compatible AI client using the same mcpServers config block you use for dotbot. See Configure the dotbot MCP server for Claude and Warp for configuration details.