Install
Terminal installer
On this page
Install the QuillSail desktop app and a quillsail command with one line.
On macOS or Linux:
curl -fsSL https://quillsail.blog/install.sh | bash
On Windows, in PowerShell:
irm https://quillsail.blog/install.ps1 | iex
Then open QuillSail by running quillsail, or from your Applications folder, Start menu or app menu. The installer needs no administrator rights and never touches your publications.
What the installer does#
- Works out your computer. It finds your operating system and processor. On a Mac running the terminal under Rosetta, it still picks the Apple silicon build.
- Gets the release details. It asks quillsail.blog for the newest release on your channel. The website takes the version, file size and SHA-256 checksum from QuillSail’s signed update feed, after checking the feed’s signatures.
- Downloads the app over HTTPS. Downloads come from GitHub Releases.
- Checks the download. The file’s size and SHA-256 checksum must match the signed values exactly. If they don’t, the installer stops and changes nothing.
- Unpacks it safely. Every file must sit inside the app’s own folder, and the app’s version and platform must match. On macOS, the app’s code signature is verified too.
- Installs it. The new app is unpacked beside the destination, then moved into place in one step, replacing an earlier copy the installer finds there. A copy that’s already up to date is left as it is.
- Adds the
quillsailcommand and, if needed, adds its folder to yourPATH. On Linux it also adds QuillSail to your app menu, and on Windows to the Start menu.
Where files go#
| macOS | Linux | Windows | |
|---|---|---|---|
| App | /Applications/QuillSail.app, or ~/Applications if you can’t write to /Applications |
~/.local/opt/quillsail/QuillSail |
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\QuillSail |
| Command | ~/.local/bin/quillsail |
~/.local/bin/quillsail |
%USERPROFILE%\.local\bin\quillsail.cmd |
| Menu entry | Applications folder | ~/.local/share/applications/quillsail.desktop |
Start menu shortcut |
| Your publications | ~/Library/Application Support/QuillSail |
~/.local/share/quillsail |
%LOCALAPPDATA%\QuillSail |
Publications always live outside the app, so installing, updating or removing the app never changes them.
When ~/.local/bin isn’t on your PATH, the installer adds one marked line to your shell’s startup file: ~/.zshrc for zsh, ~/.bash_profile (macOS) or ~/.bashrc (Linux) for bash, ~/.config/fish/conf.d/quillsail.fish for fish, and ~/.profile otherwise. Open a new terminal window afterwards. On Windows, the folder is added to your user PATH.
Options#
On macOS and Linux, pass options after bash -s --:
curl -fsSL https://quillsail.blog/install.sh | bash -s -- --channel stable --no-modify-path
| Option | Environment variable | What it does |
|---|---|---|
--channel beta or --channel stable |
QUILLSAIL_CHANNEL |
Release channel. The default is beta while QuillSail is in beta. |
--dir PATH |
QUILLSAIL_INSTALL_DIR |
Folder for the app. |
--bin-dir PATH |
QUILLSAIL_BIN_DIR |
Folder for the quillsail command. |
--no-modify-path |
QUILLSAIL_NO_MODIFY_PATH=1 |
Don’t change your shell startup files or PATH. |
--uninstall |
QUILLSAIL_UNINSTALL=1 (Windows) |
Remove the app and the command. |
--help |
Show the options. |
On Windows, set the environment variables before running the command:
$env:QUILLSAIL_CHANNEL = 'stable'
irm https://quillsail.blog/install.ps1 | iex
The quillsail command#
The command opens the desktop app. With no options it starts the app in the background, so closing the terminal doesn’t stop your publications. It also passes the app’s own options through:
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
quillsail |
Open the launcher, or bring it forward if it’s already open. |
quillsail --instance NAME |
Open the launcher with a named publication selected. |
quillsail --no-browser |
Start without opening the browser. |
quillsail --check-updates |
Check for a signed update, then exit. |
quillsail --update --yes |
Download and install a signed update. |
quillsail --version |
Show the installed version. |
The server and instance commands described in the command-line reference, such as quillsail instance create and quillsail quit, come with the Python package. If you’ve installed both, keep the package’s command and pass --bin-dir (or set QUILLSAIL_BIN_DIR) to put the desktop command somewhere else. The installer never replaces a quillsail command it didn’t create.
Updating#
The app updates itself: choose Check for updates in the launcher, or run quillsail --check-updates. Running the installer again also installs the newest release, as long as QuillSail isn’t open. Quit it first with Quit QuillSail.
Uninstalling#
curl -fsSL https://quillsail.blog/install.sh | bash -s -- --uninstall
$env:QUILLSAIL_UNINSTALL = '1'; irm https://quillsail.blog/install.ps1 | iex
This removes the app, the command and the menu entry. It keeps your publications; delete their folder (listed above) if you no longer need them. If the installer changed your shell startup file, remove the line marked Added by the QuillSail installer yourself.
Read before you run#
Piping a script into a shell runs it with your permissions, so it’s reasonable to read it first:
curl -fsSL https://quillsail.blog/install.sh -o install.sh
less install.sh
bash install.sh
The scripts are short and commented, and their source is in the repository at website/quillsail_site/install/. They refuse to run as root, require HTTPS for every download, and stop at the first problem with nothing changed.
How the download is trusted#
The installer trusts two things: HTTPS to quillsail.blog and GitHub, and the release details the website publishes. The website only publishes downloads that appear in QuillSail’s signed update feed, after verifying the feed with the same pinned keys the app uses. Each file is then checked against the signed SHA-256 checksum before anything is installed.
After installation, every update is verified by the app itself with The Update Framework, so later updates don’t depend on the website at all.
These are beta builds: the Mac apps aren’t notarized by Apple, and the Windows app isn’t code-signed yet. The signature checks above are separate from Apple’s and Microsoft’s publisher checks.
For automation#
The release details are available as JSON at https://quillsail.blog/api/v1/releases/latest, with an optional ?channel=stable. Each download includes its version, file name, size, SHA-256 checksum and URL. https://quillsail.blog/api/v1/releases/latest/macos-arm64.txt returns the same details for one platform as plain key value lines, which is what the shell installer reads. Use one of macos-arm64, macos-x86_64, windows-x86_64, linux-x86_64 or server.
https://quillsail.blog/download/PLATFORM always redirects to the newest download for that platform.
Troubleshooting#
“QuillSail is open.” Choose Quit QuillSail in the launcher, or quit it from the menu bar or system tray, then run the installer again.
quillsail: command not found. Open a new terminal window so it reads the updated PATH. If you used --no-modify-path, add ~/.local/bin to your PATH yourself.
“The download’s SHA-256 checksum doesn’t match.” The file was corrupted or changed on the way. Nothing was installed. Try again later. If it keeps happening, report it.
Linux: “No desktop session was found.” The app needs a graphical desktop. For a server, use Docker Compose or the Python package instead.
Linux: “The desktop app needs glibc 2.35 or newer.” The Linux app is built on Ubuntu 22.04. On older or musl-based systems, use the Python package.
Linux: the app won’t open. A minimal system may be missing desktop libraries. See using the app for the list.