Simple setup

The shortest path for vibe coders: install TDK, let it check your machine, clone a working stack, and run it.

Before you run it

Starting a local stack needs Docker and Tilt. The standalone CLI binary needs no host Node.js or Bun; installing the CLI from npm requires Node.js 22.12+.

• Docker installed and running
• Tilt installed
• Node.js 22.12+ only when installing the CLI from npm

Full local runtime: macOS, Linux, and Ubuntu in WSL2. The latest release also includes a Windows AMD64 CLI for inspection; native Windows does not support running a landscape.

Windows AMD64: inspect the CLI

The latest release includes tdk-windows-amd64.exe. Install it from PowerShell, then check the binary and its bundled files:

1. Install TDK:
   PowerShell

   irm https://flisk.sh/install.ps1 | iex

   Or download and inspect the script before running it:

   PowerShell

   Invoke-WebRequest https://flisk.sh/install.ps1 -OutFile install-tdk.ps1
   powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\install-tdk.ps1

2. Close PowerShell and open a new window so the updated PATH is loaded.
3. Verify the CLI and packaged assets:
   PowerShell

   tdk --version
   tdk runtime --check-assets
   tdk doctor

   On native Windows, tdk doctor reports that landscape startup requires WSL2 Ubuntu. This is the expected support boundary.

For the full inner loop, follow the WSL2 Ubuntu setup. Windows ARM64 binaries are not published.

Install options

Using an AI coding agent? Paste the line below into its chat — it'll fetch llms.txt, install TDK, and configure the local MCP server for your agent. Use curl if you just want the fastest CLI install yourself. Use npm, npx, pnpm, or bun if you prefer package-manager workflows.

Please install TDK and configure its local MCP server for this agent: https://flisk.sh/llms.txt

curl -fsSL https://flisk.sh/install.sh | sh

npm install -g @tdk-landscape/tdk-cli-core

# run without installing globally
npx @tdk-landscape/tdk-cli-core --version

# or scaffold a project directly
npx @tdk-landscape/tdk-cli-core project --yes

pnpm add -g @tdk-landscape/tdk-cli-core

bun add -g @tdk-landscape/tdk-cli-core

Simple setup

Once TDK is installed — pick a method above — this is the whole happy path if you already have Docker running.

tdk doctor
tdk project example
cd tdk-example
tdk up

Verify installation

tdk --version
# prints the installed version, e.g. 1.3.74

Add your license (if using premium features)

Core stays free. Premium is a separate key for Verdaccio, DDD scaffolding, and Sablier idle stop. Playwright, C4, and AGENTS.md are free when generated in-repo; a key is required only to download their implementations.

export TDK_LICENSE_KEY=tdk-xxxxxx

Add that line to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc if you want it to persist. Each key covers up to 100 distinct projects, unlimited on Enterprise. If the key is missing, expired, or unreachable, TDK keeps running with the free engine.

What actually happens when you run it

Before Tilt touches Docker, tdk checks your environment and tells you exactly what it's doing — no guessing what's happening behind the spinner.

Don't have Docker or Tilt yet?

tdk up won't just fail silently — it checks both before touching anything, and tells you precisely what's missing and how to fix it:

$ tdk up

TDK can't start - missing prerequisites:

❌ Docker (or a compatible container runtime) is not running

💡 Suggestions:
   → Start Docker Desktop, then verify with: `docker ps`
   → Or start Colima: `colima start`
   → Or start the Docker service on Linux: `sudo systemctl start docker`
   → Setup guide: https://flisk.sh/docs/quickstart/

❌ Tilt CLI is not installed

💡 Suggestions:
   → Install Tilt: `brew install tilt` (macOS)
   → Or download from: https://docs.tilt.dev/install.html
   → Verify with: `tilt version`

Run `tdk doctor` for a full environment check.

Fix what it flags, run tdk doctor to confirm, and you're clear to boot.

Start from a working example

Use one known-good example first. Check the machine, clone the example, generate its local configuration, and start its shop stack.

tdk doctor
tdk project example
cd tdk-example
tdk project --yes
tdk up shop

Keep tdk up shop running. Use tdk networks for the example's URLs. See Examples for other templates after the first run.

Build from scratch

After the example makes sense, create a blank project and add your first backend resource.

mkdir my-service
cd my-service
tdk project --yes
tdk resource api --type backend --stack shop   # asks you to confirm
tdk project --check
tdk up shop

Add a frontend the same way. It is React by default; pass --framework vue for Vue 3 (TDK CLI 1.3.75 or newer):

tdk resource web --type frontend --stack shop                   # React + Vite (default)
tdk resource web --type frontend --framework vue --stack shop   # Vue 3 + Vite

TDK validates .tdk/project.json, generates files in .tdk/.tdk-out/, and reads boot order from each resource's dependsOn list.

irm https://flisk.sh/install.ps1 | iex

os=$(uname -s | tr A-Z a-z); arch=$(uname -m | sed "s/x86_64/amd64/;s/aarch64/arm64/")
base=https://github.com/tdk-landscape/tdk-cli-releases/releases/latest/download
curl -fsSL -O "$base/tdk-$os-$arch" -O "$base/tdk-cli-engine.tar.gz" -O "$base/checksums.txt"
shasum -a 256 -c --ignore-missing checksums.txt
mkdir -p ~/.local/bin/tdk-cli
install -m 755 "tdk-$os-$arch" ~/.local/bin/tdk
tar -xzf tdk-cli-engine.tar.gz -C ~/.local/bin/tdk-cli --strip-components=1

git clone https://github.com/tdk-landscape/tdk-docker-compose-example.git
cd tdk-docker-compose-example
docker compose run --rm tdk tdk --version
docker compose run --rm tdk tdk project --yes

Next steps

• ⭐ Star TDK CLI on GitHub to get release updates and help other developers find it
• Browse starter templates you can clone with tdk project <template>
• Learn about all configuration options
• See more complex examples
• Run the Docker Compose example
• Download compiled binaries
• Watch the recording demo animation