Get PersonaKit

Install PersonaKit

Two ways to get PersonaKit on your Mac: the signed installer for the app and CLI together, or build the CLI from source.

The walkthroughs on this site run the personakit CLI. Pick one of the paths below to get it on your PATH, then head to Start Here to run your first contract.

Recommended

Download the installer

One signed, notarized .pkg that installs PersonaKit Studio and the personakit CLI.

macOS 26.2 or later

CLI only

Build from source

Compile and install just the personakit CLI. No app, works in any bin directory you choose.

macOS 26+ with the Swift 6.2 toolchain

1. Download The Installer

This is the simplest path and the one most people want. The installer is signed with a Developer ID and notarized by Apple, so Gatekeeper opens it without a detour.

Download the latest release Grab PersonaKit.pkg from the release assets.

Open the downloaded PersonaKit.pkg and follow the installer. It places:

PersonaKit Studio in /Applications — the visual contract-inspection app.
The personakit CLI in /usr/local/bin, which is already on the default macOS PATH.

Verify it works

personakit --help

If the command prints the help text, the CLI is installed and on your PATH. You are ready for Start Here.

Check the download (optional)

Each release ships a PersonaKit.pkg.sha256 checksum next to the installer. Download both into the same folder, then confirm the file matches:

# From the folder you downloaded into
shasum -a 256 -c PersonaKit.pkg.sha256

An OK line means the file is intact and untampered.

2. Build The CLI From Source

Choose this if you only want the CLI, want to install it somewhere other than /usr/local/bin, or are working on PersonaKit itself. It needs macOS 26 or later with the Swift 6.2 toolchain (Xcode 26).

git clone https://github.com/ajself/PersonaKit.git
cd PersonaKit
make build
make cli-install INSTALL_BIN_DIR="$HOME/.local/bin"

The Makefile is the repo command surface; run make help to see every target. make cli-install installs to INSTALL_BIN_DIR — point it wherever you keep local binaries.

Confirm the install the same way:

personakit --help

Which Should I Use?

You want…	Use
The app and CLI, the quick way	The installer
Just the CLI, in a custom location	Build from source
To work on PersonaKit itself	Build from source
To stay on a pinned version	The installer for a specific release

Next Step

With the CLI installed, run a real contract end to end. The walkthrough follows a bundled example that lives in the repo, so to run it exactly you'll want a clone too — or scaffold your own root with personakit init <dir> and follow along against that.

Continue to Start Here