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Quick Start Guide

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Get up and running with the EAC CLI. This tutorial walks you through installation, initialization, and running your first commands.

Prerequisites: Command-line access, internet connection

What You'll Learn

By the end of this tutorial, you'll be able to:

  • Install the EAC CLI on your platform (Linux, macOS, or Windows)
  • Initialize EAC configuration in a project
  • Run basic commands to explore your repository
  • Execute tests using the EAC CLI
  • Navigate to the next steps in your learning journey

Step 1: Install the CLI

The EAC CLI is distributed as a pre-built binary for Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Linux and macOS

Run the installation script:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ready-to-release/eac/main/scripts/sh/eac/install.sh | bash

The script will:

  • Detect your platform (OS and architecture)
  • Download the latest EAC release
  • Install to ~/.local/bin/eac (or use --system for system-wide installation)
  • Verify the installation

If ~/.local/bin is not in your PATH, add it to your shell profile:

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

Then restart your terminal or run source ~/.bashrc (or ~/.zshrc).

Windows

Run the installation script in PowerShell:

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ready-to-release/eac/main/scripts/pwsh/eac/install.ps1 | iex

The script will:

  • Download the latest EAC release for Windows
  • Install to %LOCALAPPDATA%\eac (or use -System for Program Files)
  • Add the installation directory to your PATH
  • Verify the installation

You may need to restart your terminal for PATH changes to take effect.

Step 2: Verify Installation

Check that the CLI is installed correctly:

eac version

You should see version information displayed.

Step 3: Initialize EAC in Your Project

Navigate to your project directory and initialize EAC:

cd /path/to/your/project
eac init --ai-provider claude-api

This command:

  • Creates the .eac/ directory structure
  • Generates ai-provider.yml with AI provider settings
  • Uses environment variable placeholders for API keys (safe to commit)
  • Other configuration files use system defaults automatically (no copying needed)

Available AI providers:

  • claude-api - Anthropic Claude (requires ANTHROPIC_API_KEY)
  • openai - OpenAI GPT (requires OPENAI_API_KEY)
  • gemini - Google Gemini (requires GOOGLE_API_KEY)

To use a personal configuration with actual API tokens (gitignored):

eac init --ai-provider claude-api --ai-token sk-ant-your-key-here

Configuration Files

The init command only creates user-specific files (ai-provider.yml). Other configuration files like ai-config.yml and templates are automatically loaded from built-in system defaults. See Understanding Configuration Files to learn more.

Step 4: Set Your API Key

Before running commands that use AI, set your API key as an environment variable:

Linux/macOS:

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-your-key-here

Windows (PowerShell):

$env:ANTHROPIC_API_KEY = "sk-ant-your-key-here"

Step 5: Explore Available Commands

List all available commands:

eac help

Get help for a specific command:

eac help show

Command Discovery

EAC provides hundreds of commands organized into categories (show, get, build, test, create, validate, release, pipeline, work, and more). See Discovering Available Commands for a complete guide to finding and using all commands.

Step 6: Initialize Your Repository

Before using other commands, initialize your repository structure:

eac init

This command:

  • Scans your repository to discover modules
  • Generates .eac/repository.yml with module metadata
  • Creates .eac/books.yml with architecture patterns

Step 7: View Your Project Structure

Show all modules discovered in your repository:

eac show modules

This displays a table of all modules with their type and root path.

Show the project configuration:

eac show config

Step 8: Run Tests

To run tests for your project:

eac test

This runs all modules with the default test suites (L0-L2 fast tests).

To test a specific module:

eac test eac-commands # default fast suites

To run a different test suite:

eac test --suite acceptance

Available test suites:

  • unit - L0-L1 tests (fast unit tests, <5 min)
  • integration - L2 tests (Docker-based emulated tests, <15 min)
  • acceptance - L3 tests (production-like tests in PLTE, 1-2 hours)
  • production-verification - L4+PIV tests (production smoke tests)

What You Learned

Congratulations! You've successfully:

  • ✅ Installed the EAC CLI on your system
  • ✅ Initialized EAC configuration with eac init
  • ✅ Configured AI provider settings
  • ✅ Set up your API key for AI-powered commands
  • ✅ Analyzed your repository to discover modules
  • ✅ Explored available commands with eac help
  • ✅ Viewed repository structure with eac show modules
  • ✅ Ran tests with different test suites

Key Concepts Covered

  • EAC CLI installation - Binary distribution for multiple platforms
  • EAC initialization - Creating .eac/ with configuration
  • Configuration layering - System defaults vs. user overrides
  • AI provider configuration - Claude, OpenAI, or Gemini integration
  • Repository analysis - Discovering modules and architecture patterns
  • Repository exploration - Using show commands to understand structure
  • Test suites - Different test levels (unit, integration, acceptance, production-verification)

Next Steps

Continue Learning

Try Common Tasks

Now that you know the basics of EAC, try these common tasks:

Dive Deeper

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