Installation

cmu is distributed as an npm package and can be installed globally or built from source for local development.

Requirements

Requirement	Version
Node.js	20.12.0 minimum; 22 or newer for the local DevNet
npm	Bundled with Node.js
Git	Required for source builds

WARNING

There are two Node.js floors, and they are both enforced at runtime.

Scope	Minimum	Why
The CLI itself	20.12.0	process.loadEnvFile(), which replaced dotenv, landed there.
cmu test and cmu node start	22	The DevNet runs on EDR, which requires Node 22.

Below 20.12.0 the CLI refuses before any command runs:

error: cmu requires Node.js 20.12 or newer, but this is Node v20.9.0.
hint: upgrade Node.js, or install a version manager such as nvm or fnm.

On Node 20 or 21 the CLI works, but the DevNet commands refuse:

error: node start failed
the local DevNet needs Node.js 22 or newer, but this is Node v20.12.0.
    npm skips EDR's native binary on older Node without reporting it, so no chain can start.
hint: upgrade Node.js, or install a version manager such as nvm or fnm.

npm skips EDR's native binary on older Node without an error or a non-zero exit, so the install looks clean and the failure would otherwise surface much later as a module-resolution error that never mentions Node at all. The explicit check exists to make that legible.

Releases are tested against Node 20, 22, and 24.

TIP

Run Node 22 or newer unless you have a reason not to. It is the only version range where every cmu command works.

Install via npm (recommended)

Install the CLI globally to make the cmu command available system-wide:

npm install -g cointmu-cli

Verify the installation:

cmu --version
cmu --help

Build from Source

Use this method to contribute to the CLI or test unreleased changes.

git clone https://github.com/Cointmu-ORG/CointMU-CLI.git
cd CointMU-CLI
npm install
npm run build
npm install -g .

npm Scripts

Command	Description
npm run build	Bundle the TypeScript source to dist/ with tsup.
npm test	Run the unit test suite with Vitest.

INFO

npm run build stamps the current Git short hash into the bundle as the build identifier reported by cmu version.

Updating

The CLI can update itself from the npm registry:

cmu update

To pin a specific published version instead of the latest release:

cmu update --to 1.3.2

Reinstalling manually achieves the same result:

npm install -g cointmu-cli@latest

See cmu update for version pinning rules and validation behavior.

Uninstalling

npm uninstall -g cointmu-cli

Next Steps

Continue to the CLI Reference for a full command overview, or jump directly to cmu create to scaffold your first project.