Install and update your local foundation
Prepare dependencies, Zix, extensions and an optional 0.5B environment from official distributions.
1. Host and OS prerequisites
Use Linux x86_64 with glibc 2.39+ (Ubuntu 24.04+, including WSL2), Bash, Python 3.12+, curl, CA certificates and libsecret. The following prepares Ubuntu 24.04. A global gh, GitHub login, Rust and Node are not required.
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends python3 curl ca-certificates libsecret-1-0 gnome-keyring dbus-user-session
2. Inspect and run setup
Run as your login user without sudo. Setup manages a private gh verifier and installs the newest stable Zix and selected extensions after checking checksums, signed provenance, source, tag and contents. The initial script is an HTTPS bootstrap trust input; its same-origin checksum is not independent publisher authentication.
mkdir -p "$HOME/.local/share/zix/bootstrap"
chmod 700 "$HOME/.local/share/zix/bootstrap"
cd "$HOME/.local/share/zix/bootstrap"
curl --fail --location https://zixcel.com/install.sh -o install.sh
curl --fail --location https://zixcel.com/SHA256SUMS.installer -o SHA256SUMS.installer
sha256sum --check SHA256SUMS.installer
# Inspect install.sh before running.
bash install.sh install --with github
export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
zix-setup doctor
3. Update and add extensions
Update refreshes setup, the private verifier, Zix and supported registered extensions. New registrations are enabled; existing enablement is preserved. Unknown third-party extensions are unchanged. Updates commit per package; a later failure retains completed updates and receipts. No automatic downgrade.
zix-setup update
zix-setup install --with domain,microsoft
zix extensions list --format json
4. Optionally install the 0.5B environment
--local-model obtains the tested llama.cpp b11913 and Qwen2.5-0.5B q8_0 from official distributions with pinned SHA256 checks. Allow about 2 GB free during installation; a machine with 4 GB RAM or more is recommended. zix-local-model is an external helper that supplies model and library paths. This tested pair stays pinned rather than silently changing to untested latest models.
zix-setup install --with github --local-model
zix-local-model --version
5. Check PATH and credential custody
Doctor observes PATH, versions, D-Bus and Secret Service without network or secret reads. Service ownership does not prove a collection is unlocked or authentication will succeed. WSL/headless hosts need a separately configured login-session Secret Service; installing OS packages alone does not provision it. Export PATH in the current shell and add it to your shell configuration if desired. On a desktop, use Passwords and Keys (Seahorse; install with sudo apt-get install seahorse if absent) to configure and unlock a password-protected persistent default keyring. Before enrollment, inspect it with zix credential status --collection default.
export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
zix-setup doctor
6. Storage, recovery and stopped updates
Packages live under ~/.local/share/zix/packages; helpers, optional models and receipts under ~/.local/share/zix/setup. Temporary downloads are removed, previous versions retained for rollback. Inspect download/access/rate-limit failures rather than changing provider settings or repeatedly retrying.