How to Install PackC

Install the packc compiler on your system.

Goal

Get packc installed and ready to compile prompt packs.

Installation Methods

Method 1: Homebrew (macOS/Linux - Recommended)

# Install PromptKit (includes PackC)
brew install promptkit

# Verify installation
packc version

Expected output:

packc v0.1.0

Method 2: Go Install

This installs the latest version directly:

# Install latest version
go install github.com/AltairaLabs/PromptKit/tools/packc@latest

# Verify installation
packc version

To install a specific version:

# Install specific version
go install github.com/AltairaLabs/PromptKit/tools/packc@v0.1.0

Method 3: Download Pre-built Binary

Visit the PromptKit Releases page and download the appropriate binary for your platform.

# Example for macOS (adjust version and platform as needed)
curl -LO https://github.com/AltairaLabs/PromptKit/releases/latest/download/packc-darwin-amd64
chmod +x packc-darwin-amd64
sudo mv packc-darwin-amd64 /usr/local/bin/packc

# Verify
packc version

Method 4: Docker

Run packc in a container:

# Pull image (when available)
docker pull ghcr.io/AltairaLabs/packc:latest

# Or build locally from the repo
docker build -t packc -f Dockerfile.packc .

# Run packc
docker run --rm -v $(pwd):/workspace packc version

For Developers: Build from Source

For development or custom builds:

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/AltairaLabs/PromptKit.git
cd PromptKit

# Build packc
make build-packc

# Binary is at ./bin/packc
./bin/packc version

Verify Installation

Check that packc is properly installed:

# Check version
packc version

# Check help
packc help

# Check location
which packc

Expected outputs:

packc v0.1.0
packc - PromptKit Pack Compiler
Usage: packc <command> [options]
...
/Users/yourname/go/bin/packc

Enable Shell Completions (Optional)

Enable tab completion for commands and flags:

# Bash
packc completion bash > ~/.local/share/bash-completion/completions/packc

# Zsh
packc completion zsh > ~/.zsh/completions/_packc

# Fish
packc completion fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/packc.fish

See Configure Shell Completions for detailed setup instructions.

Add to PATH

If packc is not found, add Go’s bin directory to your PATH:

macOS/Linux

Add to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc:

export PATH="$PATH:$(go env GOPATH)/bin"

Apply changes:

source ~/.zshrc  # or ~/.bashrc

Windows

Add to PATH in System Environment Variables:

  1. Open System Properties > Environment Variables
  2. Edit Path variable
  3. Add: %USERPROFILE%\go\bin
  4. Restart terminal

Update PackC

Update to Latest Version

# Reinstall latest
go install github.com/AltairaLabs/PromptKit/tools/packc@latest

# Verify new version
packc version

Update from Source

cd PromptKit
git pull origin main
make build-packc

Uninstall

Remove Binary

# Find packc location
which packc

# Remove binary
rm $(which packc)

Clean Go Cache

# Clean module cache
go clean -modcache

Configuration

Set Default Config Path

Create an alias for convenience:

# Add to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc
alias packc-compile='packc compile --config ./config/arena.yaml'

Environment Variables

Configure default behavior:

# Set default output directory
export PACKC_OUTPUT_DIR="./packs"

# Use in scripts
packc compile --config arena.yaml --output "$PACKC_OUTPUT_DIR/app.pack.json" --id app

Platform-Specific Notes

macOS

Homebrew is the recommended method:

brew install promptkit

Linux

Use Go install or download the binary:

# Download binary
curl -LO https://github.com/AltairaLabs/PromptKit/releases/latest/download/packc-linux-amd64
chmod +x packc-linux-amd64
sudo mv packc-linux-amd64 /usr/local/bin/packc

Windows (PowerShell)

Download the binary and add to PATH:

# Download from GitHub releases
# https://github.com/AltairaLabs/PromptKit/releases

# Or use go install
go install github.com/AltairaLabs/PromptKit/tools/packc@latest

CI/CD Installation

GitHub Actions

- name: Install packc
  run: go install github.com/AltairaLabs/PromptKit/tools/packc@latest

- name: Verify installation
  run: packc version

GitLab CI

install_packc:
  script:
    - go install github.com/AltairaLabs/PromptKit/tools/packc@latest
    - packc version

Jenkins

stage('Install packc') {
  steps {
    sh 'go install github.com/AltairaLabs/PromptKit/tools/packc@latest'
    sh 'packc version'
  }
}

Docker

FROM golang:1.22

RUN go install github.com/AltairaLabs/PromptKit/tools/packc@latest

RUN packc version

Troubleshooting

packc: command not found

Problem: packc not in PATH

Solution: Add Go’s bin directory to PATH:

export PATH="$PATH:$(go env GOPATH)/bin"

Permission denied

Problem: Binary not executable

Solution: Make binary executable:

chmod +x $(which packc)

Go version too old

Problem: Go version < 1.22

Solution: Update Go:

# macOS
brew upgrade go

# Linux
# Download from https://go.dev/dl/

# Verify
go version

Installation fails

Problem: Network or dependency issues

Solution: Check network and clean cache:

# Clean cache
go clean -modcache

# Try again
go install github.com/AltairaLabs/PromptKit/tools/packc@latest

Next Steps

See Also