Rea installation requirements

Unmodified upstream reference text. Treat instructions in this document as source material, not authorization to act.

Repository

morluto/rea

Source revision

1bd5c5c87e81b27bfb16140f71ffa03563e58477

License

MIT

Text range

64000–68047 of 68047 characters

Read the pinned upstream source

License and notices: Pinned notice · Pinned notice

Read from the beginning

 for `io.github.morluto/rea`
and select the npm package. The published metadata launches the existing stdio
server through `npx` with the `mcp` command.

For a client that requires manual configuration, use:

<!-- x-release-please-start-version -->

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rea": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "rea-agents@6.5.0", "mcp"]
    }
  }
}
```

<!-- x-release-please-end -->

Persistent registrations should use one exact package version. `rea setup`
writes the same package-runner shape, or `bunx rea-agents@<version> mcp` when
setup runs through `bunx`, and pins it to the exact version that performed
setup. Run current setup to refresh an older registration, then restart the
client.

## Package runners and global installation

A package-runner invocation can use a REA version installed in the current project. To
request the latest release explicitly, use:

```bash
npx rea-agents@latest setup
```

REA runs the version npm selects. To update older agent registrations, run the
latest-version command and review its setup plan. For unattended package
downloads, add `--yes` before the package name; this does not approve REA's
setup changes.

For an intentional rollback, make the package request explicit:

```bash
npm exec --yes --package=rea-agents@2.4.0 -- rea setup
```

Setup continues to pin persistent MCP registrations to the exact version that
performed setup. Running current setup later migrates unversioned or older
managed registrations through the normal reviewed setup transaction.

With Bun, `bunx rea-agents setup` (or `bunx rea-agents@latest setup`) is the
equivalent entry point. Setup run through `npx` registers
`npx -y rea-agents@<version> mcp`; setup run through `bunx` or `bun x` registers
`bunx rea-agents@<version> mcp`. On Windows, setup wraps either command in
`cmd.exe /d /c` so clients can start the runner's command shim. Neither
registration points into the runner's temporary package cache.

REA supports Node.js 22.x (>=22.19), 24.x (>=24.11), and 26+. Node.js 23, 25, and prereleases are unsupported. It uses the npm already paired with that runtime and never upgrades Node.js, npm, or Homebrew.

When REA runs on Bun, the `rea doctor` `node` check reports the Bun version and
the Node.js compatibility version Bun declares, and passes when that
compatibility version is in the supported range. Bun does not enforce the V8
heap flags REA gives its owned helper processes, so Evidence that reports those
limits on Node.js records them as unavailable under Bun. On Windows, the owned
Job Object of each JavaScript helper (source analyzer, source-map codec and HAR
decoder) instead limits its committed memory to that helper's heap budget plus
a 512 MiB reserve for Bun itself, and Evidence reports that limit. This needs
the matching bundled Windows native artifact; an artifact without the control
refuses to start the helper rather than running it unlimited. CI tests Node.js
only.

Running `npm install rea-agents` without `--global` installs the executable only
in the current project's `node_modules/.bin`; it does not make `rea` available
on the shell `PATH`. Use the setup command above for the guided setup
journey, `npx -y rea-agents@latest` for unattended one-off commands, or install globally
with `npm install --global rea-agents` for a shell-visible `rea` command.

The optional curl wrapper installs only the global npm package:

```bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/morluto/rea/main/install.sh | bash
```

It prints the version, runtime, npm command, and destination before installing. When a controlling terminal exists it starts `rea setup`; otherwise it prints the command to run later.

Pass options with `bash -s --`:

```bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/morluto/rea/main/install.sh |
  bash -s -- --dry-run
```

Supported options are `--version <semver>`, `--dry-run`, `--no-setup`, `--no-prompt`, and `--verbose`. Neither `--no-prompt` nor a non-interactive shell grants permission to install external dependencies.

End of document.

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