Vinci Code is a terminal coding agent, so what it needs is a terminal, Node.js, and an operating system whose sandbox it can use. Here is the whole list.
macOS
- Apple Silicon or Intel.
- Node.js v22.19 or later.
Nothing else to install. macOS has the sandbox Vinci Code needs built in.
curl -fsSL https://vinci.getsimpledirect.com/install | sh
Linux
- Node.js v22.19 or later.
bubblewrap.
Install bubblewrap before your first session:
sudo apt install bubblewrap # Debian, Ubuntu
sudo dnf install bubblewrap # Fedora
Then install Vinci Code with the same one-line command as macOS.
Why bubblewrap is required
Vinci Code runs every shell command inside an OS-level sandbox that confines writes to your project folder, so a command that goes wrong cannot reach the rest of your disk. On macOS that sandbox is part of the operating system. On Linux it is bubblewrap, which most distributions do not install by default.
If bubblewrap is missing, Vinci Code still starts, still reads your project, and still edits files — but the moment it tries to run a shell command you will see:
Vinci disabled bash because no enforceable OS sandbox is available. Install bubblewrap or set VINCI_NO_SANDBOX=1 as an explicit developer bypass.
Installing bubblewrap and starting a new session fixes it. We do not recommend the VINCI_NO_SANDBOX=1 bypass outside development: it turns off the layer that keeps commands inside your project.
Windows
Run Vinci Code inside WSL2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux). Native Windows — Command Prompt or PowerShell — is not supported yet.
- Install WSL2 by running
wsl --installin PowerShell as administrator, then restart. Microsoft's full instructions are here. - Open your new Linux terminal (Ubuntu by default) from the Start menu or Windows Terminal.
- Follow the Linux steps above from inside it — including bubblewrap, which a fresh WSL2 install does not include.
Your Windows files are reachable from WSL2 under /mnt/c/, but projects run noticeably faster when they live in the Linux home directory (~/) instead. If you use Git on Windows, clone the repository again inside WSL2 rather than working across /mnt/c/.
Checking what you have
node --version # want v22.19.0 or later
bwrap --version # Linux and WSL2 only; any version is fine
If node is missing or too old, install it from nodejs.org. The Vinci Code installer also checks your Node version and stops with instructions rather than installing something that will not run.
Once it runs, connect it to your account with /login — no API key needed. The full reference lives in the Vinci Code documentation.