Installing the CRE CLI on macOS and Linux

This page explains how to install the CRE CLI on macOS or Linux. The recommended version at the time of writing is v1.0.2.

Select your operating system

Installation

Choose your installation method:

Automatic installation

The easiest way to install the CRE CLI is using the installation script:

curl -sSL https://cre.chain.link/install.sh | sh

This script will:

  • Detect your operating system and architecture automatically
  • Download the correct binary for your system
  • Verify the binary's integrity
  • Install it to /usr/local/bin (or prompt you for a custom location)
  • Make the binary executable

After the script completes, verify the installation:

cre version

Expected output: cre version v1.0.2

Manual installation

If you prefer to install manually or the automatic installation doesn't work for your environment, follow these steps:

The CRE CLI is publicly available on GitHub. Visit the releases page and download the appropriate binary archive for your operating system and architecture.

After downloading the correct file from the releases page, move on to the next step to verify its integrity.

1. Verify file integrity

Before installing, verify the file integrity using a checksum to ensure the binary hasn't been tampered with:

Check the SHA-256 checksum

Run the following command in the directory where you downloaded the archive (replace the filename with your specific binary):

shasum -a 256 cre_darwin_arm64.zip

Verify against official checksums

Compare the output with the official checksum below:

File
SHA-256 Checksum
cre_darwin_amd64.zip482e53d3a5f8471034d30c935196d2dca2ab09a5fe1ab2083ad336172565291b
cre_darwin_arm64.zip92b0409801dd4e44f90a85331615f3e4b8cf1fe9f90a8eab3ad8bb3458b4b6cf
cre_linux_amd64.tar.gzd3a8b9b999b4b8bf73b2235d27386acf4efbc8f05d86d9e6066abda23ee9ce9b
cre_linux_arm64.tar.gzf52d618727ccc8fb6ab4b1f9418b09424c8505428131a49c01bb33ca2bc86fe3

If the checksum doesn't match, do not proceed with installation. Contact your Chainlink point of contact for assistance.

2. Extract and install

  1. Navigate to the directory where you downloaded the archive.

  2. Extract the archive

    For .tar.gz files:

    tar -xzf cre_linux_arm64.tar.gz

    For .zip files:

    unzip cre_darwin_arm64.zip

  3. Rename the extracted binary to cre

    mv cre_v1.0.2_darwin_arm64 cre

  4. Make it executable:

    chmod +x cre

    Note (macOS Gatekeeper): If you see warnings about "unrecognized developer/source", remove extended attributes:

    xattr -c cre

3. Add the CLI to your PATH

Now that you have the cre binary, you need to make it accessible from anywhere on your system. This means you can run cre commands from any directory, not just where the binary is located.

Recommended approach: Move to a standard location

The easiest and most reliable method is to move the cre binary to a directory that's already in your system's PATH. For example:

sudo mv cre /usr/local/bin/

This command moves the cre binary to /usr/local/bin/, which is typically included in your PATH by default.

Alternative: Add current directory to PATH

If you prefer to keep the binary in its current location, you can add that directory to your PATH:

  1. Find your current directory:

    pwd

    Note the full path (e.g., /Users/yourname/Downloads/cre)

  2. Add to your shell profile (choose based on your shell):

    For zsh (default on newer macOS):

    echo 'export PATH="/Users/yourname/Downloads/cre:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

    For bash:

    echo 'export PATH="/Users/yourname/Downloads/cre:$PATH"' >> ~/.bash_profile
source ~/.bash_profile

    Replace /Users/yourname/Downloads/cre with your actual directory path from step 1.

  3. For temporary access (this session only):

    export PATH="$(pwd):$PATH"

4. Verify the installation

Test that cre is accessible:

Open a new terminal window and run:

cre version

Expected output:

You should see version information: cre version v1.0.2.

If it doesn't work:

  • Make sure you opened a new terminal window after making PATH changes
  • Check the binary location: which cre should return /usr/local/bin/cre (or your custom path)
  • Check that the binary has execute permissions: ls -la /usr/local/bin/cre
  • Verify your PATH includes the correct directory: echo $PATH

5. Confirm your PATH (troubleshooting)

If you're having issues, check what directories are in your PATH:

echo "$PATH" | tr ':' '\n'

You should see either:

  • /usr/local/bin (if you moved the binary there)
  • Your custom directory (if you added it to PATH)

Next steps

Now that you have the cre CLI installed, you'll need to create a CRE account and authenticate before you can use it.

Once you're authenticated, you're ready to build your first workflow:

Get the latest Chainlink content straight to your inbox.