Quickstart

Create your first install.md file in minutes

What you’ll build

You’ll create an install.md file for a hypothetical CLI tool called “myapp”. Each step shows you what to add to your file.

Step 1: Title and description

Create install.md with the product name and a brief description:

# myapp

> MyApp is a command-line tool for managing your tasks and projects.

I want you to install MyApp for me. Execute all the steps below autonomously.

Step 2: Success criteria

Add OBJECTIVE and DONE WHEN so the agent knows when it’s finished:

OBJECTIVE: Install the MyApp CLI and verify it works.

DONE WHEN: Running `myapp --version` outputs the version number.

DONE WHEN should be specific and verifiable.

Step 3: TODO checklist

Add a checklist of tasks for the agent to complete:

## TODO

- [ ] Download the appropriate binary for my OS and architecture
- [ ] Make executable and install to /usr/local/bin
- [ ] Verify installation with myapp --version

Step 4: Detailed instructions

Expand each TODO item into sections with commands. Use directive language—“You need to”, “You must”—to make clear these are instructions for the agent:

## Download the binary

You need to detect the operating system and download the appropriate binary:

**macOS:**
curl -fsSL https://github.com/example/myapp/releases/latest/download/myapp-darwin-arm64 -o myapp

**Linux:**
curl -fsSL https://github.com/example/myapp/releases/latest/download/myapp-linux-amd64 -o myapp

## Install the binary

You must make the binary executable and move it to a location in your PATH:

chmod +x myapp
sudo mv myapp /usr/local/bin/

## Verify installation

You must confirm the installation succeeded:

myapp --version

Step 5: Closing directive

End with EXECUTE NOW to trigger execution:

EXECUTE NOW: Complete the above TODO list to achieve: Running `myapp --version` outputs the version number.

Optionally reference an llms.txt file for additional context:

---

> If you think the above is not enough to accomplish the task, you can find navigation and other pages relevant to this product by using the llms.txt file at: https://example.com/llms.txt

Complete install.md

Here’s everything together:

# myapp

> MyApp is a command-line tool for managing your tasks and projects.

I want you to install MyApp for me. Execute all the steps below autonomously.

OBJECTIVE: Install the MyApp CLI and verify it works.

DONE WHEN: Running `myapp --version` outputs the version number.

## TODO

- [ ] Download the appropriate binary for my OS and architecture
- [ ] Make executable and install to /usr/local/bin
- [ ] Verify installation with myapp --version

## Download the binary

You need to detect the operating system and download the appropriate binary:

**macOS:**
```bash
curl -fsSL https://github.com/example/myapp/releases/latest/download/myapp-darwin-arm64 -o myapp
```

**Linux:**
```bash
curl -fsSL https://github.com/example/myapp/releases/latest/download/myapp-linux-amd64 -o myapp
```

## Install the binary

You must make the binary executable and move it to a location in your PATH:

```bash
chmod +x myapp
sudo mv myapp /usr/local/bin/
```

## Verify installation

You must confirm the installation succeeded:

```bash
myapp --version
```

EXECUTE NOW: Complete the above TODO list to achieve: Running `myapp --version` outputs the version number.

---

> If you think the above is not enough to accomplish the task, you can find navigation and other pages relevant to this product by using the llms.txt file at: https://example.com/llms.txt

Test it

1. Copy the install.md content above
2. Paste it into Claude Code, Cursor, or another AI coding assistant
3. Watch the agent execute each step
4. Iterate until it works reliably

Always review what the agent plans to do before confirming execution.

Publish

Mintlify users: install.md is generated automatically at yourdocs.com/install.md.

Everyone else: Host your install.md at a predictable URL:

https://your-domain.com/install.md
https://docs.your-domain.com/install.md

Or from a GitHub repo:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/your-org/your-repo/main/install.md | claude

Next steps

Format specification

Detailed breakdown of each required section.

See real examples

Production install.md files from Trigger.dev, Browserbase, Resend, and more.