DAO-Code Install Guide: 5-Minute Quick Start (Windows, macOS, Linux)

Bottom line first: DAO-Code has a lower install bar than Claude Code — one curl on macOS/Linux, npm or an exe on Windows. The real difference is not whether you can get it installed, but whether you want to pay for an Anthropic subscription and whether your Agent needs to run 7×24.

1. Why you need a separate terminal Agent install path

By 2026, terminal AI coding tools have split into two lanes: closed-source subscription (Claude Code, Codex CLI) and open source + bring-your-own-model (DAO-Code, OpenCode, Aider, and others). Most people searching for "DAO-Code install" are not stuck on curl — they are weighing trade-offs:

• Claude Code requires an Anthropic account, a Pro subscription, and extra network work outside regions with reliable Anthropic access;
• GLM Coding Plan and similar domestic options have tight quotas and are hard to reproduce on CI machines;
• Teams want an auditable open-source Agent with pay-per-token billing and direct API access in mainland China.

DAO-Code (command name dao) is tigicion's MIT-licensed terminal coding Agent, built for DeepSeek V4 (1M context), Chinese-first UX, and compatibility with Claude Code's settings.json, SKILL.md, and hooks.json formats. It has 800+ GitHub stars; v0.3.0 ships multi-platform binaries and the npm package dao-code.

If you already use Claude Code Skills and MCP assets, migrating to DAO-Code is relatively low friction — but the install path depends on your OS, which is what this guide covers end to end.

2. What DAO-Code is: positioning before you install

Before you copy any install command, confirm DAO-Code matches your use case:

DAO-Code is not a "cheaper Claude knockoff" — it takes a different technical path: cache engineering + reflection-layer fork + cross-session memory validation. Install is only step one; after it runs you will use slash commands like /init, /cost, and /skills. Official docs: GitHub README (Chinese).

3. Three install methods compared (script / npm / manual binary)

This comparison table uses five dimensions so you can pick quickly:

Model capability is not the dividing line — workflow entry and billing model are. DAO-Code bills DeepSeek by usage; Claude Code bills by subscription. Decide which bill you want before you install.

System requirements (official)

4. macOS and Linux: 5-minute one-line install

4.1 Official recommended command

Open a terminal (Terminal or iTerm on macOS, your default shell on Linux) and run:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/tigicion/dao-code/master/install.sh | sh

The script will:

1. Detect darwin / linux and arm64 / x64;
2. Download dao-{os}-{arch} from GitHub Releases;
3. Install to ~/.local/bin/dao (override with DAO<em>INSTALL</em>DIR if needed);
4. On macOS, attempt xattr -d com.apple.quarantine to clear Gatekeeper quarantine.

4.2 PATH setup (common gotcha)

If you see dao: command not found, ~/.local/bin is not on your PATH:

echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc   # macOS default zsh
source ~/.zshrc
# Linux bash users: use ~/.bashrc instead

Verify:

dao --version
which dao

4.3 Apple Silicon vs Intel

No manual arch pick — the script reads uname -m and matches dao-darwin-arm64 or dao-darwin-x64. The same flow works on rented M4 Mac mini cloud hosts, which is ideal when you want the Agent resident on a remote machine instead of your laptop.

4.4 Linux distro notes

Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch, and other mainstream distros are fine. On musl environments like Alpine, if you hit dynamic-linking issues, prefer npm install or a manual static binary download instead of forcing install.sh.

5. Windows: npm and exe paths

install.sh exits with an error on Windows (it tells you to use npm or exe). Windows users have two mature paths:

5.1 Path one: npm global install (recommended)

Confirm Node.js ≥ 20 first:

node --version

Install DAO-Code:

npm i -g dao-code

The command name is still dao. Verify:

dao --version

Zero-install trial (no global write):

npx dao-code

5.2 Path two: download the exe

1. Open Releases;
2. Download dao-windows-x64.exe;
3. Place it in a fixed folder (e.g. C:\Tools\dao\) and add that folder to system PATH;
4. Or run the full path directly in PowerShell.

5.3 Windows vs WSL: which to choose

• Native Windows: PowerShell + npm or exe — good for daily dev;
• WSL2: Run install.sh inside the Linux subsystem for the same experience as macOS/Linux; best if WSL is already your main terminal.

Do not run install.sh in Git Bash — the project does not guarantee compatibility. PowerShell or WSL is more reliable.

6. Install verification and first-time DeepSeek API setup

After a successful install, cd into any project directory:

cd ~/your-project
dao

On first run without an API key, you will be prompted to paste your DeepSeek API Key, saved to ~/.dao/config.json. You can also pass it non-interactively:

dao --api-key sk-xxxxxxxx --provider deepseek "Describe this project in one sentence"

6.1 Four-step 5-minute acceptance test

Common slash commands: /help for the list, /model to switch Pro/Flash, /plan for read-only planning mode, /yolo or dao --yolo for auto-approve (use with care).

Permissions and safety: file writes and shell runs go through an approval gate [y] once [a] remember [n] deny by default; configure allow/ask/deny rules in .dao/settings.json — syntax is similar to Claude Code.

7. Scenario matrix: which install method fits you

8. Recommended stacks

Solo developer (local machine):

install.sh → dao → /init → configure .dao/settings.json → add MCP as needed

Team CI (read-only review):

Releases binary → DAO_AUTO_APPROVE=1 (sandbox only) → dao "review diff" one-shot mode

Dual-track with Claude Code:

Local claude for daily work → cloud Mac dao --goal for long jobs / worktree sub-agents

For multi-Agent parallel layouts, see remote Mac worktree short-lease; for MCP deployment boundaries, see where to run your MCP server.

9. Five common misconceptions

1. "Windows can pipe install.sh too" — The script explicitly does not support Windows; use npm or exe.
2. "Once installed it replaces all of Claude Code" — Different models and ecosystems; DAO-Code excels at DeepSeek cost and caching, not Opus under another name.
3. "npm and script installs won't conflict" — You may end up with two dao binaries; run which dao to see precedence and keep only one.
4. "YOLO mode is fine for production" — dao --yolo skips approval; use only in trusted sandboxes; keep default approval on production hosts.
5. "Closing my laptop lid doesn't affect long tasks" — dao --goal autonomous mode needs the host online; for long runs use a cloud Mac or server — see why developers run Claude Code on cloud Mac (same reasoning applies to DAO-Code).

10. 7-step rollout checklist

1. Pick install method: macOS/Linux → script; Windows → npm or exe.
2. Run install and confirm dao --version.
3. Fix PATH if you get command not found.
4. Get a DeepSeek API Key (platform site — register for pay-as-you-go).
5. Run dao + /init inside a project to generate DAO.md.
6. Migrate CC config as needed: Skills, Hooks, MCP into .dao/.
7. Long-task acceptance: dao --goal "task description" for 30 minutes; watch /cost cache hit rate; for 7×24, spin up a cloud Mac day-rental PoC.

11. FAQ

Q: Can DAO-Code and Claude Code coexist?

Yes. Different commands (dao vs claude), different config dirs (~/.dao vs ~/.claude). Avoid mixing approval rules in the same terminal session.

Q: Is install.sh safe?

The script is open source at install.sh. Best practice: curl download, review, then execute — or download the binary from Releases manually. Enterprise environments should prefer the latter with hash verification.

Q: How do I update to the latest version?

Script install: re-run install.sh to overwrite the binary. npm: npm update -g dao-code. Compare dao --version against Releases.

Q: Who should install from source?

Contributors who need to change Agent logic or ship a custom fork:

git clone https://github.com/tigicion/dao-code.git && cd dao-code
npm install && npm run build && npm link

12. Summary

If all three answers are yes, DAO-Code deserves a place in your 2026 terminal Agent stack — as primary or secondary. After install, run /init + /cost on a real small task; that beats reading ten reviews.