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Install `cbx-cli` in 60 seconds

- You need a terminal (Terminal.app, iTerm, Windows Terminal, or any POSIX shell).

Install cbx-cli in 60 seconds

This guide shows you how to install the cbx CLI on macOS, Linux, or Windows. Pick the method that matches your platform — most installs finish in under a minute.


Before you begin

  • You need a terminal (Terminal.app, iTerm, Windows Terminal, or any POSIX shell).
  • Administrative access is only required for package-manager installs (brew, scoop).
  • A CloudBooster account is required to run cbx audit aws (it grounds findings in CloudBooster's knowledge API). The install verification step below only needs the binary.

Step 1 — macOS / Linux (Homebrew)

Homebrew is the fastest way to install cbx-cli on macOS and most Linux distributions.

  1. Make sure Homebrew is installed:

    brew --version
  2. Add the CloudBooster tap and install:

    brew tap cloudbooster/tap
    brew install cbx-cli
  3. Verify the binary is on your PATH:

    which cbx

Automatic updates

brew upgrade cbx-cli will pull the latest signed release automatically. The tap references the Cosign public key published in the release assets, so signatures are verified on every install and upgrade.


Step 2 — Windows (Scoop)

Scoop is the recommended package manager for Windows. It installs cbx-cli without requiring Administrator privileges.

  1. Make sure Scoop is installed:

    scoop --version
  2. Add the CloudBooster bucket and install:

    scoop bucket add cloudbooster https://github.com/cloudbooster/scoop-bucket
    scoop install cbx-cli
  3. Verify the binary is on your PATH:

    Get-Command cbx

Automatic updates

scoop update cbx-cli will pull the latest signed release automatically.


Step 3 — Direct download

If you prefer not to use a package manager, download the pre-built binary directly from GitHub Releases.

  1. Visit the latest release page:
    https://github.com/cloudbooster/cbx-cli/releases/latest

  2. Download the archive that matches your platform:

    PlatformArchive
    macOS (Apple Silicon)cbx-cli_Darwin_arm64.tar.gz
    macOS (Intel)cbx-cli_Darwin_x86_64.tar.gz
    Linux (amd64)cbx-cli_Linux_x86_64.tar.gz
    Linux (arm64)cbx-cli_Linux_arm64.tar.gz
    Windowscbx-cli_Windows_x86_64.zip
  3. Extract the archive and move the cbx binary (or cbx.exe on Windows) to a directory on your PATH.

    # macOS / Linux example
    tar -xzf cbx-cli_Linux_x86_64.tar.gz
    mv cbx ~/.local/bin/
  4. (Optional but recommended) Verify the Cosign signature:

    cosign verify-blob \
      --signature cbx-cli_checksums.txt.sig \
      --certificate cbx-cli_checksums.txt.pem \
      --certificate-identity-regexp '^https://github.com/cloudbooster/cbx-cli/.github/workflows/.*' \
      --certificate-oidc-issuer https://token.actions.githubusercontent.com \
      cbx-cli_checksums.txt
  5. Verify the checksum:

    sha256sum -c cbx-cli_checksums.txt

SBOM availability

A CycloneDX SBOM is attached to every release. If your organization requires a software bill of materials for supply-chain compliance, download cbx-cli_*.sbom.json from the same release page.


Step 4 — Verify the installation

Run the version command to confirm the binary is on your PATH:

cbx version

You should see output similar to:

cbx version v1.0.0 (commit abc1234, built 2026-06-13)

To pair the CLI with your CloudBooster account, run cbx login.


GitHub Actions

You can install cbx-cli in a GitHub Actions workflow so that CI jobs can run cbx audit aws or other commands.

Add the following step to your workflow:

- name: Install cbx-cli
  uses: cloudbooster/cbx-cli/.github/actions/setup@main
  with:
    version: "latest"   # or pin to a specific version, e.g. "v1.2.3"

Self-hosted runners

The action above downloads the appropriate native binary for the runner OS. If you use a self-hosted runner on an unsupported architecture, fall back to the Direct download method in a run: step.

Authentication in CI

The setup action installs the binary only. cbx audit aws also needs a grounding LLM CLI (claude or codex) on the runner's PATH and outbound reachability to api.cloudbooster.io. Live-account audits are usually run from a workstation rather than CI — see the GitHub Actions guide for the recommended pattern.


Screencast

A quickstart demo showing a fresh install and first cbx version run is available at cloudbooster.io.

What if?

brew tap fails with 404

If brew tap cloudbooster/tap returns a 404, use the Direct download method.

scoop bucket add fails

If Scoop cannot reach the bucket URL, verify that the repository is public and that your network allows outbound HTTPS to github.com. If the bucket is not yet public, use the Direct download method.

cbx: command not found after install

The installer added the binary to a directory that is not on your shell's PATH.

  • Homebrew: Run brew --prefix cbx-cli to find the binary, then add that directory to your shell profile (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, etc.).
  • Scoop: Scoop automatically adds its shims directory to PATH during installation. Restart your terminal or run $env:Path = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable('Path', 'User') in PowerShell to refresh.
  • Direct download: Make sure the directory you moved cbx into is listed in your PATH.

How do I upgrade?

  • Homebrew: brew upgrade cbx-cli
  • Scoop: scoop update cbx-cli
  • Direct download: Download the latest release archive and overwrite the existing binary.

How do I uninstall?

  • Homebrew: brew uninstall cbx-cli && brew untap cloudbooster/tap
  • Scoop: scoop uninstall cbx-cli
  • Direct download: Remove the binary from your PATH and delete ~/.config/cbx (or %LOCALAPPDATA%\cbx on Windows) if you also want to remove local configuration.

Next steps