Install

Pick one method below. All paths install vow (native compiler) and vpm (package manager). No Python required.

Quick pick

Platform	Command
macOS / Linux (curl)	`curl -fsSL https://install.vowlang.dev \| sh` then `export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"`
Homebrew	`brew tap vowlang/tap && brew trust vowlang/tap && brew install vow`
macOS (.dmg)	Vow-darwin-arm64.dmg — optional offline install (see Gatekeeper note)
Windows	`irm https://install.vowlang.dev/install.ps1 \| iex` — or VowSetup.exe when published

Supported CPU/OS: darwin-arm64, darwin-amd64, linux-amd64, linux-arm64.

macOS / Linux (curl) — recommended

Step 1 — Install and PATH

curl -fsSL https://install.vowlang.dev | sh
export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"

Step 2 — Verify

vow version    # vow 0.1.0 (native)
vpm version

Default layout: ~/.local/bin/vow, ~/.local/bin/vpm, runtime under ~/.local/share/vow/.

Upgrades: re-run the same curl command. The installer replaces files cleanly — no manual chmod needed.

Custom prefix:

PREFIX=/usr/local curl -fsSL https://install.vowlang.dev | sh

Homebrew (macOS / Linux)

Step 1 — Tap and trust (trust is required once on Homebrew 4.x)

brew tap vowlang/tap https://github.com/vowlang/homebrew-vowlang
brew trust vowlang/tap

Step 2 — Install

brew install vow
vow version

If you see a checksum error after a new release, run brew update and try again.

macOS (.dmg) — optional offline install

Use this only if you want an offline bundle. curl or Homebrew above is easier — unsigned downloads are often blocked by Gatekeeper even with Right-click → Open.

Step 1 — Download

Apple Silicon: Vow-darwin-arm64.dmg
Intel Mac: Vow-darwin-amd64.dmg (when published)

Step 2 — Clear quarantine and install

xattr -d com.apple.quarantine ~/Downloads/Vow-darwin-arm64.dmg
open ~/Downloads/Vow-darwin-arm64.dmg
xattr -cr "/Volumes/Vow 0.1.0"
open "/Volumes/Vow 0.1.0/Install Vow.command"

Step 3 — PATH

export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
vow version
vpm version

Windows

Native Windows vow.exe is on the roadmap. Today, use the PowerShell installer (WSL2 or Git Bash).

Step 1 — Install (recommended)

irm https://install.vowlang.dev/install.ps1 | iex

Step 2 — Inside WSL/Ubuntu

export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
vow version

Optional: VowSetup.exe wizard

When published: download VowSetup.exe, double-click, and follow the wizard. If the link 404s, use the PowerShell command above.

If prompted, install WSL2 (wsl --install in Admin PowerShell), restart, and run again
Inside WSL: export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH" then vow version

Deploy HTTP apps (optional)

After install, add the global process manager for vow-web-server:

vpm add vow-serve -g
export PATH="$HOME/.vow/global/bin:$PATH"   # vow-serve, vs, vds

See Deploying vow-web-server.

Verify (copy-paste)

This is the same flow as Your first program:

vow new my-app
cd my-app
vow check src/main.vow          # prints: ok: src/main.vow
vow run src/main.vow            # prints: Hello from Vow!
echo $?                         # 0
vow build src/main.vow -o my-app
./my-app
echo $?                         # 0

The scaffolded entry file is always src/main.vow (see main = "src/main.vow" in project.toml).

Full command list: CLI commands.

From a git clone (contributors)

git clone https://github.com/vowlang/vow.git
git clone https://github.com/vowlang/vow-package-manager.git   # sibling
cd vow
./installers/install-native.sh
export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
vow check tests/lang/simple.vow
vpm --version

Custom prefix: PREFIX=/usr/local ./installers/install-native.sh.

Requirements

macOS: Xcode Command Line Tools (xcode-select --install)
Linux: clang, lld, make, curl, tar (for building from source)
End-user curl install: only curl + tar

Install

Quick pick

macOS / Linux (curl) — recommended

Homebrew (macOS / Linux)

macOS (.dmg) — optional offline install

Windows

Optional: VowSetup.exe wizard

Deploy HTTP apps (optional)

Verify (copy-paste)

From a git clone (contributors)

Requirements

Next