Install

Pinrail has two parts. The app is where reviews wait for you and where you decide them. The pinrail command is what agents and scripts use to ask. The app carries the command, so installing the app is usually all you need.

Early development

Pinrail is in early development. Expect rough edges, and expect things to change between releases.

The app

Download it from the download page, which has every system and format.

System	Download
macOS 13 or later	pinrail-app-universal.dmg. Open it and drag Pinrail to Applications.
Linux, x86-64	AppImage for any distribution (chmod +x it, then run it), .deb (sudo apt install ./pinrail-app-amd64.deb) or .rpm (sudo dnf install ./pinrail-app-x86_64.rpm).
Linux, ARM64	AppImage, .deb (sudo apt install ./pinrail-app-arm64.deb) or .rpm (sudo dnf install ./pinrail-app-aarch64.rpm).
Windows	Coming soon.

Open Pinrail. It starts a small server on your machine, at 127.0.0.1:4747, which is how the pinrail command reaches it. Closing the window keeps the app running in the menu bar, or in the system tray on Linux, so agents can still ask while the window is closed.

The macOS app and the AppImage update themselves. They download new versions in the background and install them when you restart or quit Pinrail. With the .deb or .rpm, Pinrail tells you when a new version is available, and you install it in the same way as the first one. On macOS, the pinrail command is a link into the app, so it updates with the app. With the AppImage, Pinrail updates the copy of the command it installed the next time it starts. See Settings › About to check by hand or turn automatic checks off.

The command

The first time you open Pinrail, it shows a short setup in three steps:

1. Connect installs the pinrail command, adds Pinrail’s skill to the agents you choose, and turns notifications on. It lists only the agents found on your computer. Settings › Agents connects them later too.
2. Plugins installs the plugins you choose. The two that Pinrail recommends are already selected.
3. Try it gives you, for each installed plugin, a prompt to give your agent and a sample review to send yourself. This step opens once a plugin is installed.

Click to enlarge

To open the setup again, press ⌘+K and choose Set up Pinrail.

You can also install the command from Settings › Data with Install the CLI. It puts pinrail into ~/.local/bin, so make sure that folder is on your PATH. With the .deb or .rpm, the command is already installed as /usr/bin/pinrail.

Check that the command works:

pinrail --version

Building from source

To follow the latest changes, build the command from a checkout with a Rust toolchain:

cargo install --path cli

Check that it works

With the app running, list your reviews:

pinrail list

An empty list means that the command found the app. If the command cannot reach the app, see Finding the app.

Next

• Your first review: have your agent ask you something, and decide it.
• Instructing an agent: tell your agent when to ask.