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Installation

LLM Client can be installed from source or using pre-built binaries. Choose the method that works best for your system.

Prerequisites​

Install Rust​

LLM Client is written in Rust, so you'll need the Rust toolchain installed:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
source ~/.cargo/env

Verify the installation:

rustc --version
cargo --version

Installation Methods​

🚀 Quick Install (Coming Soon)​

Note: Package manager installations are planned for future releases. Currently, install from source or use cargo.

# macOS
brew install lc                    # 🚧 Coming soon

# Windows
scoop install lc                   # 🚧 Coming soon
choco install lc                   # 🚧 Coming soon
winget install lc                  # 🚧 Coming soon

# Linux
apt install lc                     # 🚧 Coming soon
dnf install lc                     # 🚧 Coming soon
yay -S lc                          # 🚧 Coming soon (AUR)

# Universal (Rust users)
cargo install lc-cli               # ✅ Available now!

📦 From Cargo (Rust Users)​

Recommended method for all platforms!

# Install from crates.io (published!)
cargo install lc-cli

# Or install directly from git (development version)
cargo install --git https://github.com/your-username/lc

📁 Pre-built Binaries (Recommended)​

Note: GitHub releases with pre-built binaries are coming soon.

  1. Download the latest binary for your platform from GitHub Releases
  2. Extract and place in your PATH
PlatformArchitectureBinary Name
Linuxx86_64lc-linux-amd64
LinuxARM64lc-linux-arm64
macOSIntellc-macos-amd64
macOSApple Siliconlc-macos-arm64
Windowsx86_64lc-windows-amd64.exe

🔨 From Source (Current Method)​

  1. Clone the repository:
git clone <repository-url>
cd lc
  1. Build the release binary:
# Full build with all features (including PDF support)
cargo build --release

# Or build without PDF support to reduce dependencies
cargo build --release --no-default-features
  1. The binary will be available at target/release/lc

Add to PATH​

To use lc from anywhere on your system, add it to your PATH:

Linux/macOS​

# Option 1: Copy to system bin directory
sudo cp target/release/lc /usr/local/bin/

# Option 2: Copy to user bin directory
cp target/release/lc ~/.local/bin/

# Option 3: Add the target directory to PATH
echo 'export PATH="$PATH:/path/to/lc/target/release"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Windows​

# Copy to a directory in your PATH
copy target\release\lc.exe C:\Windows\System32\

# Or add the directory to PATH via System Properties

Platform-Specific Builds​

Cross-Compilation​

You can build for different platforms:

# Windows from Linux/macOS
cargo build --target x86_64-pc-windows-gnu --release

# macOS Intel
cargo build --target x86_64-apple-darwin --release

# macOS Apple Silicon
cargo build --target aarch64-apple-darwin --release

# Linux x86_64
cargo build --target x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu --release

# Linux ARM64
cargo build --target aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu --release

Verify Installation​

After installation, verify that lc is working:

# Check version
lc --version

# Show help
lc --help

# List providers (should show empty list on first run)
lc providers list

Configuration Directories​

LLM Client stores its configuration and data in platform-specific locations:

PlatformDirectory
Linux~/.config/lc/
macOS~/Library/Application Support/lc/
Windows%APPDATA%\lc\

These directories are created automatically on first run.

Building with Specific Features​

# Build with all default features (includes PDF support)
cargo build --release

# Build without any optional features
cargo build --release --no-default-features

# Build with specific features only
cargo build --release --no-default-features --features pdf

# Build for distribution (smaller binary without PDF support)
cargo build --release --no-default-features

Next Steps​

Now that you have lc installed, proceed to the Quick Start Guide to configure your first provider and start using the tool.

Troubleshooting​

Rust Installation Issues​

If you encounter issues installing Rust:

  • Ensure you have a C compiler installed (gcc, clang, or MSVC)
  • On Windows, you may need Visual Studio Build Tools
  • Check the Rust installation guide for platform-specific help

Build Errors​

Common solutions:

  • Update Rust: rustup update
  • Clean build: cargo clean && cargo build --release
  • Check for missing system dependencies

Permission Denied​

If you get permission errors when copying to system directories:

  • Use sudo on Linux/macOS
  • Run as Administrator on Windows
  • Or choose a user-writable directory instead