Installation

OpenDraft can be installed on macOS, Windows, and Linux. The easiest way is using our installer script.

Requirements

• Python 3.9+ - Our installer will help you set this up
• 4GB RAM - Recommended for smooth operation
• Internet connection - Required for AI processing and citation lookup

macOS

Option 1: One-line installer (Recommended)

Open Terminal and run:

curl -sL opendraft.xyz/install | bash

This automatically installs Python, Pandoc, LaTeX, and OpenDraft.

Option 2: Using pip

If you already have Python 3.9+ installed:

pip install opendraft

Option 3: Using Homebrew

brew install python@3.11
pip3 install opendraft

Windows

Step 1: Install Python

1. Download Python from python.org
2. Important: Check "Add Python to PATH" during installation

Step 2: Install OpenDraft

Open Command Prompt and run:

pip install opendraft

Step 3: Install Pandoc (for PDF export)

Download Pandoc from pandoc.org

Linux

Ubuntu/Debian

curl -sL opendraft.xyz/install | bash

Or manually:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install python3 python3-pip pandoc texlive-latex-base
pip3 install opendraft

Fedora/RHEL

sudo dnf install python3 python3-pip pandoc texlive-scheme-basic
pip3 install opendraft

Verify Installation

After installation, verify OpenDraft is working:

opendraft --version

You should see the version number (e.g., opendraft 1.4.3).

Troubleshooting

"command not found: pip"

Python isn't installed or not in your PATH. Use our installer script or install Python first.

"Python version too old"

OpenDraft requires Python 3.9+. Update Python or use a version manager like pyenv.

"Permission denied"

Try installing with the user flag:

pip install --user opendraft

Next Steps

Once installed, check out the Usage Guide to generate your first paper.