Installing on a Mac or Linux
Paste one line into Terminal to install the pmo command line, then sign in with your Cross account.
It is the same install as on Windows, run from Terminal. It picks the right build for your computer (Mac or Linux, Intel/AMD or ARM), checks the file is exactly the one that was published, puts it in a folder of your own, and saves the server's address in a settings file only you can read. Then pmo login signs you in with your Cross account. Updating later is the same line again.
Not yet tested on a Mac or Linux
These steps come from the install script itself and have not yet been walked through on a Mac or a Linux computer. The messages are the same words as on Windows.
What lands on your computer
Up to three files in your home folder. No administrator password, and nothing for other users.
| File | What it is |
|---|---|
~/.local/bin/pmo | The program. The install does not change your Terminal settings; if this folder is not on your PATH, it tells you (step 4). |
~/.config/pmo/config | Your settings file: the server's address, and a key line left empty unless you use a key. Readable by you alone. |
~/.config/pmo/session | Written by pmo login: your Cross account sign-in, readable by you alone. pmo logout removes it. Do not copy it anywhere. |
Both folders start with a dot, so Finder hides them unless you press Command-Shift-full-stop.
On a Mac there is no "open anyway" step: a file fetched by the install line is not marked as a browser download, and the install gives the program the basic signature newer Macs need before it will run.
Install, step by step
Open Terminal
On a Mac, press Command-Space, type Terminal, and press Return. On Linux, open your terminal application.
Paste the install line and press Return
Paste this line and press Return:
curl -fsSL https://github.com/cross-systems/pmo-cli/releases/latest/download/install.sh | shIt says where it installed pmo, then offers to take a key.
Press Return at the key prompt
Press Return without typing anything. The install finishes and says the next step is pmo login.
Setting up an AI session, or have a key? Paste it instead. Nothing appears while you paste, on purpose.
If it says to add a folder to your PATH, do it once
If the install says add … to your PATH, run the matching line once, then close Terminal and open a new window. Most Macs need this the first time; many Linux computers already include the folder.
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zprofile # a Mac
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.profile # LinuxSign in with your Cross account
In the new window, run:
pmo loginIt prints a web address and a code such as ABCD-EFGH. Open the address in any browser (your phone works), check the code matches, sign in with your Cross account and approve. pmo then prints your PMO id and your name. If it says your account is not linked, send the two lines it prints to the PMO owner. Signing in has every message.
Check it
pmo --version
pmo whoamiThe first prints the version number. The second names you again, for example person:you (Your Name). Every pmo command now signs itself in.
To use a key instead, put it after PMO_KEY= in your settings file. A key always wins over a sign-in. See Your key.
open -e ~/.config/pmo/config # a Mac, in TextEdit
nano ~/.config/pmo/config # Linux, or a MacUpdating
Run the install line again. Your settings file and your sign-in are kept.
Reinstalling keeps your old key
Once the settings file exists, the install leaves it alone and does not ask for a key. A new key goes in by editing the file. The install only replaces the key when PMO_KEY is handed to it directly.
When something goes wrong
| What you see | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| command not found: pmo | Terminal does not look in the folder pmo was put in, or the window was open before you added it. | Step 4, then a new window. |
| … PMO_KEY is not set | This computer is not signed in, and has no key. | Run pmo login. |
| your Cross account is not linked to anyone on PMO's team list yet | The PMO owner has not recorded your Cross account on your team entry. | Send them the two lines it printed. You do not need to sign in again afterwards. |
| could not download pmo-… — check your internet connection, or that the version exists | The install could not reach the download address. | Check your connection and paste the line again. If you set PMO_VERSION, check that release exists. |
| this script is for macOS and Linux | It was run on something else, such as Git Bash on Windows. | Use the Windows page. |
| no build for this processor | The computer is neither Intel/AMD nor ARM 64-bit. | There is no pmo for it. Tell the PMO owner. |
| checksum mismatch … nothing was installed | A damaged or wrong download. | Try again. Twice in a row, tell the PMO owner. |
Some Linux computers have no curl
pmo uses a small program called curl to talk to the server. Every Mac has it, and so do most Linux computers, but a very minimal Linux may not, and then commands fail when they try to reach the server. Install curl the way you install anything else on that computer.
The Mac build is not notarised by Apple
Installed with the install line, it runs. Copied some other way, such as a browser download or a chat attachment, macOS may refuse to open it. Use the install line.
Optional settings
Set these before running the install line. They behave as on Windows, with one difference: a folder named by PMO_INSTALL_DIR is not added to your PATH for you, so add it yourself as in step 4.
| Setting | Default | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
PMO_INSTALL_DIR | ~/.local/bin | Where the program goes. |
PMO_CONFIG | ~/.config/pmo/config, or under XDG_CONFIG_HOME when that is set | Which settings file the install writes and pmo reads. |
PMO_KEY | empty | A key handed to the install directly. It replaces the key in an existing settings file. |