> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://hypotenuse.mintlify.site/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Install the Hypotenuse Compiler on Linux and macOS > Set up the Hypotenuse Compiler from source in three steps. Covers Linux x86_64, macOS ARM64, cross-compilation with Docker, and PATH configuration. Installing the Hypotenuse Compiler means cloning the repository, building a self-contained binary with PyInstaller, and copying it to a location on your `PATH`. The installer also sets up the `PLIBS/` directory that the compiler searches when you import from `` or any other library. Before you start, make sure your system has the tools listed below. ## Prerequisites You need the following software installed before running the installer. * **Python 3.14 or later** — the compiler itself is written in Python, and PyInstaller bundles it during the build step. * **Linux (x86\_64) or macOS (ARM64)** — the two host platforms that build and install automatically. Windows (x86\_64) is supported as a **manual** target — see [Windows Support](#windows-support) below. * **GCC** — used to compile the C output that the Hypotenuse Compiler generates and to link the final binary. * **NASM** — used to assemble any `asm` blocks in your C△ source files. On most Linux distributions you can install GCC and NASM with your package manager — for example, `sudo apt install gcc nasm` on Debian/Ubuntu or `sudo dnf install gcc nasm` on Fedora. On macOS, install Xcode Command Line Tools (`xcode-select --install`) for GCC, and NASM via Homebrew (`brew install nasm`). ## Install from Source Run the following command to download the source code and enter the project directory. ```bash theme={null} git clone https://github.com/setuser1/The-Hypotenuse-Compiler cd The-Hypotenuse-Compiler ``` Run `make full-install` to build the compiler binary and install it alongside the standard library. ```bash theme={null} make full-install ``` This command does the following: 1. Installs PyInstaller and the other required Python build dependencies via pip. 2. Bundles the compiler into a single self-contained binary named `hypotenuse` using PyInstaller. 3. Copies the binary to `/usr/local/bin/hypotenuse` if you have write access, or to `~/.local/bin/hypotenuse` otherwise. 4. Creates the `PLIBS/plstd` directory (`/usr/lib/PLIBS/plstd` or `~/.local/lib/PLIBS/plstd`) and copies the standard library into it. Confirm that the compiler is on your `PATH` and responding correctly. ```bash theme={null} hypotenuse --help ``` You should see the Hypotenuse Compiler help text listing all available flags. If the command is not found, see the **PATH setup** section below. ## Install from a prebuilt weekly release If you do not want to build from source, you can download a prebuilt package from the project's [GitHub Releases page](https://github.com/setuser1/The-Hypotenuse-Compiler/releases). A GitHub Actions workflow publishes a new pre-release every **Friday** containing the compiler binary, the `plstd` standard library, and a minimal Makefile. Two assets are attached to each weekly release: * **`hypotenuse-macos.zip`** — built on `macos-latest`. Use this on macOS (ARM64). * **`hypotenuse-x86_64.zip`** — built on `ubuntu-latest`. Use this on Linux x86\_64. Each archive contains: * `hypotenuse` — the bundled, self-contained compiler binary. * `plstd/` — the standard library that the compiler loads from `PLIBS/plstd`. * `makefile` — a minimal Makefile with a single `install` target that copies the binary and the standard library into the correct system locations. Weekly packages are tagged as **pre-releases** and are versioned by ISO year and week (for example, `26.23`). They are built directly from the latest `main` and may be unstable. For production use, prefer building a tagged stable release from source. Open the [Releases page](https://github.com/setuser1/The-Hypotenuse-Compiler/releases), find the most recent weekly pre-release, and download the asset that matches your platform. ```bash theme={null} # macOS (ARM64) unzip hypotenuse-macos.zip -d hypotenuse-weekly # Linux (x86_64) unzip hypotenuse-x86_64.zip -d hypotenuse-weekly ``` The included Makefile installs the binary onto your `PATH` and the standard library under `PLIBS/`, using the same locations as `make full-install`. ```bash theme={null} cd hypotenuse-weekly make install ``` This copies `hypotenuse` to `/usr/local/bin/hypotenuse` and `plstd/` to `/usr/lib/PLIBS/plstd` when you have write access to `/usr/local/bin`, or to `~/.local/bin/hypotenuse` and `~/.local/lib/PLIBS/plstd` otherwise. If you prefer to place the files yourself, copy the binary to any directory on your `PATH` and the standard library into a `PLIBS/` directory the compiler can find. ```bash theme={null} # Example: per-user install mkdir -p ~/.local/bin ~/.local/lib/PLIBS cp hypotenuse ~/.local/bin/hypotenuse chmod +x ~/.local/bin/hypotenuse cp -r plstd ~/.local/lib/PLIBS/ ``` See [PATH Setup](#path-setup) if `~/.local/bin` is not yet on your `PATH`. ```bash theme={null} hypotenuse --help ``` ## Cross-compile for Linux x86\_64 on ARM64 If you are on an ARM64 Mac and need to produce a Linux x86\_64 ELF compiler binary, use the Docker-based cross-compilation targets. Docker must be installed and running before you begin. ```bash theme={null} make build-x86_64-elf make full-install-x86_64-elf ``` `make build-x86_64-elf` spins up a `linux/amd64` Docker container, installs PyInstaller inside it, and builds an ELF binary named `hypotenuse-x86_64-elf` in the `dist/` folder. `make full-install-x86_64-elf` then installs that binary to the same locations described above, renaming it to `hypotenuse`. NASM does not support generating ARM64 Mach-O object files, so `asm` blocks that use the `arm64_macho` syntax target must be compiled on a native ARM64 macOS host, not via this cross-compilation path. ## Windows Support Windows (x86\_64) is a **technically supported** target, but the Hypotenuse Compiler cannot drive the full build for you the way it does on Linux and macOS. The compiler does not invoke MSVC, and no GCC/NASM-equivalent automation ships for the MSVC toolchain. To build a C△ program on Windows you must do it in two steps: 1. Run the Hypotenuse Compiler **without `-c`** to emit the generated `.c` file instead of a linked binary. The `.c` output is portable standard C and can be fed to any C compiler. 2. Build the resulting `.c` file with **MSVC** (`cl.exe`) — or any other Windows-capable C toolchain — yourself, linking against whatever runtime your code requires. **`asm` blocks and `asm` functions do not work on Windows at all.** The NASM-driven assembly pipeline is not wired up for the MSVC path, so any source file containing `asm` will fail to produce a working binary on Windows. Strip or guard your `asm` code before building for Windows. ## PATH Setup If the installer places the binary in `~/.local/bin/hypotenuse`, you need to add `~/.local/bin` to your `PATH`. Add the following line to your shell configuration file (`~/.bashrc`, `~/.zshrc`, or equivalent) and reload your shell. ```bash theme={null} export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH" ``` ## Uninstall To remove the `hypotenuse` binary from your system, run the uninstall target from inside the repository directory. ```bash theme={null} make uninstall ``` This removes the binary from whichever location it was installed to — `/usr/local/bin/hypotenuse` or `~/.local/bin/hypotenuse`. It does not remove the `PLIBS/` directory or its contents.