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Installation#

Get Jac installed and ready to use in under 2 minutes.

Requirements#

  • Python 3.12+ (check with python --version)

Quick Install#

pip install jaseci

The jaseci package is a meta-package that bundles all Jac ecosystem packages together. This installs:

  • jaclang - The Jac language and compiler
  • byllm - AI/LLM integration
  • jac-client - Full-stack web development
  • jac-scale - Production deployment
  • jac-super - Enhanced console output

Verify the installation:

jac --version

This also warms the cache, making subsequent commands faster.

Installation Options#

Minimal Install (Language Only)#

If you only need the core language:

pip install jaclang

Individual Plugins#

Install plugins as needed:

# AI/LLM integration
pip install byllm

# Full-stack web development
pip install jac-client

# Production deployment & scaling
pip install jac-scale

# Enhanced console output
pip install jac-super

# Create environment
python -m venv jac-env

# Activate it
source jac-env/bin/activate   # Linux/Mac
jac-env\Scripts\activate      # Windows

# Install Jac
pip install jaseci

IDE Setup#

Install the official Jac extension for the best development experience:

Option 1: From Marketplace

  1. Open VS Code
  2. Click Extensions in the sidebar (or press Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
  3. Search for "Jac"
  4. Click Install on "Jac Language Support" by Jaseci Labs

Or install directly: Open in VS Code Marketplace

Option 2: Quick Install

Press Ctrl+P / Cmd+P and paste:

ext install jaseci-labs.jaclang-extension

Features:

  • Syntax highlighting for .jac files
  • Intelligent autocomplete
  • Real-time error detection
  • Hover documentation
  • Go to definition
  • Graph visualization

Cursor#

  1. Download the latest .vsix from GitHub releases
  2. Press Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P
  3. Select "Extensions: Install from VSIX"
  4. Choose the downloaded file

Verify Installation#

Create a test file test.jac:

with entry {
    print("Jac is working!");
}

Run it:

jac test.jac

Expected output:

Jac is working!

Troubleshooting#

"command not found: jac"#

Your Python scripts directory isn't in PATH. Try:

python -m jaclang.cli run test.jac

Or add Python scripts to PATH:

# Find the path
python -c "import site; print(site.USER_BASE + '/bin')"

# Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc
export PATH="$PATH:$(python -c 'import site; print(site.USER_BASE)')/bin"

Permission Errors#

Use --user flag:

pip install --user jaseci

Conflicting Packages#

Use a virtual environment (see above) to isolate Jac from other Python projects.

For Contributors#

To work on Jac itself:

git clone --recurse --depth 1 https://github.com/Jaseci-Labs/jaseci
cd jaseci
pip install -e ./jac[dev]

See the Contributing Guide for development setup.

Next Steps#