// documentation

JumpStart Docs

Everything you need to install, customise and extend JumpStart.

// Quick Start

Open your terminal and run one of the commands below. The interactive menu will guide you through the rest.

macOS — open Terminal (Cmd+Space → type Terminal → Enter)

bash 
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/baraqfi/jumpstart/main/mac/setup.sh | bash

Windows — open PowerShell as Administrator (Start → PowerShell → right-click → Run as Administrator)

powershell 
irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/baraqfi/jumpstart/main/windows/setup.ps1 | iex
Windows tip: Right-click PowerShell in the Start menu and choose "Run as Administrator" for best results. Docker and WSL2 require it.

// All Flags

Pass flags to skip the interactive menu and install specific categories directly.

FlagWhat it installs
--essentialsGit, VS Code + Homebrew [mac] / Windows Terminal, Git Bash [win]
--webNode.js via nvm, pnpm, Docker Desktop, Postman
--pythonPython 3 via pyenv / pyenv-win, pipx
--productivityStarship, bat, eza, fzf, GitHub CLI, Nerd Fonts
--aiGemini CLI, Claude Code (API keys not included)
--linuxWSL2 + Ubuntu, Chocolatey — Windows only
--allInstall everything above
--dry-runPreview what would be installed without doing it
--helpShow help screen in terminal

macOS — combine flags:

bash 
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/baraqfi/jumpstart/main/mac/setup.sh | bash -s -- --web --python --ai

Windows — use $env:JS_FLAGS:

powershell 
$env:JS_FLAGS="--web --python --ai"
irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/baraqfi/jumpstart/main/windows/setup.ps1 | iex

// Categories

Each category installs a focused set of tools. Platform-specific items are tagged.

Essentials --essentials
▸ Git — Version control. Non-negotiable.
▸ VS Code — The editor everyone starts with.
▸ Homebrew — The macOS package manager. macOS
▸ Windows Terminal — Modern terminal. Replaces cmd. Windows
▸ Git Bash — Bash shell on Windows. Comes with Git. Windows
Web Development --web
▸ Node.js LTS — JavaScript runtime. Via nvm / nvm-windows.
▸ pnpm — Faster, disk-efficient npm alternative.
▸ Docker Desktop — Containerise anything. Run anything.
▸ Postman — Test and explore APIs with a clean UI.
Python --python
▸ pyenv / pyenv-win — Switch Python versions without pain.
▸ Python 3.12 — Latest stable, set as global default.
▸ pipx — Run Python CLI tools in isolated environments.
Productivity Tools --productivity
▸ Starship — Cross-shell prompt. Fast. Informative. Beautiful.
▸ JetBrains Mono NF — Nerd Font required for Starship icons.
▸ bat — cat with syntax highlighting.
▸ eza — ls with colors, icons and git status.
▸ fzf — Fuzzy finder. Press Ctrl+R and watch the magic.
▸ GitHub CLI — PRs, repos, issues — all from the terminal.
AI CLI Tools --ai
▸ Gemini CLI — Google's AI in your terminal. Free tier available.
▸ Claude Code — Anthropic's coding agent. Understands your codebase.
Linux on Windows --linux Windows only
▸ WSL2 + Ubuntu — Full Linux shell inside Windows. No dual boot needed.
▸ Chocolatey — Wider package manager. Complements winget.

// AI Tools & API Keys

JumpStart installs the tools but never handles your API keys. They stay on your machine only.

Gemini CLIfree tier
  1. Visit aistudio.google.com/apikey
  2. Sign in with your Google account
  3. Click "Create API Key" and copy it
  4. Run gemini in your terminal — it will prompt for your key
Claude Code
  1. Visit console.anthropic.com
  2. Create an account and go to "API Keys"
  3. Click "Create Key" and copy it
  4. Run claude in your terminal — it will prompt for your key

// WSL2 Setup Windows only

WSL2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux) gives you a full bash/Linux environment inside Windows. No dual boot, no virtual machine hassle.

powershell 
$env:JS_FLAGS="--linux"
irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/baraqfi/jumpstart/main/windows/setup.ps1 | iex
⚠ A restart is required after WSL2 installs.

After restarting:
1. Open "Ubuntu" from the Start menu
2. Create a Linux username and password when prompted
3. Run sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
4. You now have bash, grep, ls, curl and all unix commands available

// Security & Safety

curl | bash is a pattern that security-conscious developers rightly question. Here's what you should know:

✓ JumpStart is fully open source — every line is readable on GitHub
✓ Only installs well-known tools from official sources (Homebrew, winget, npm)
✓ Never collects data, sends telemetry, or touches your API keys
✓ Checks before installing — safe to re-run without breaking anything
✓ Writes a full log to ~/jumpstart-install.log for transparency

Want to inspect before running?

bash 
# macOS
curl -o setup.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/baraqfi/jumpstart/main/mac/setup.sh
cat setup.sh    # read it
bash setup.sh   # run when satisfied

// Customising JumpStart

JumpStart is designed to be forked and customised. Package lists are simple arrays — adding a tool is one line.

macOS — add a Homebrew package:

bash
# In mac/setup.sh, find the relevant section and add:
brew_install your-tool "Your Tool Name"
# or for GUI apps:
brew_cask_install your-app "Your App Name"

Windows — add a winget package:

powershell
Winget-Install 'Publisher.PackageId' 'Your Tool Name'
# Coming in v1.1 — module system

curl ... | bash -s -- --web --module blockchain

Planned modules: blockchain (Foundry, Anvil, Hardhat, ethers.js, Solana CLI), mobile (React Native, Flutter), data (Jupyter, pandas), devops (Terraform, kubectl, AWS CLI)