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Get the Vers CLI installed in under a minute.

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Prerequisites

  • Operating System: Linux or macOS
  • SSH Client: Required for connecting to VMs (usually pre-installed)
  • Terminal Access: Command-line interface

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Install the CLI

Install the latest version of Vers CLI with a single command: 
curl -sSL https://vers.sh/api/install | bash
This script automatically detects your platform and downloads the appropriate binary to /usr/local/bin/vers. You may need administrative privileges for the installation.

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Build from Source

If you prefer to build from source: 
git clone https://github.com/hdresearch/vers-cli.git
cd vers-cli
make build-and-install
This installs the binary to /usr/local/bin/vers.

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Manual Download

Download the latest release binary from GitHub Releases, make it executable, and move it to somewhere on your PATH: 
chmod +x vers-*
sudo mv vers-* /usr/local/bin/vers

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Verify Installation

Check that Vers is properly installed: 
vers --version
You should see version information like v0.5.1.

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Authentication

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Get Your API Key

  1. Go to vers.sh and log in
  2. Subscribe to a plan for your organization (if you haven’t already)
  3. Navigate to API Keys in your organization settings
    • Use the org switcher in the top left to select your organization
  4. Create a new API key and copy it

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Log In

vers login
Paste your API key when prompted. The key is stored locally at ~/.versrc.
You only need to log in once per machine. To see your current API key: cat ~/.versrc

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Legacy Installation Cleanup

If you previously had a development version of Vers installed and want to switch to the production version:

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Check Your Current Version

vers --version
If it shows dev instead of a version number like v0.5.1, follow these steps:

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Remove the Dev Version

# Check where vers is installed
which vers

# If it shows /Users/<username>/go/bin/vers, remove it
rm -rf /Users/<username>/go/bin/vers

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Verify the Switch

# Should now show a version number
vers --version

# Should now point to /usr/local/bin/vers
which vers

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Re-authenticate

vers login
# Enter your API key from vers.sh

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Add these docs to your AI editor

Vers hosts a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for this documentation at https://docs.vers.sh/mcp. Tools like Cursor, VS Code, and Claude Code can search and read these pages directly — no scraping, no out-of-date copies.

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One-click install

Add to Cursor

Opens Cursor and installs vers-docs as a remote MCP server.

Add to VS Code

Opens VS Code and installs vers-docs into your workspace config.

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Other clients

claude mcp add --transport http vers-docs https://docs.vers.sh/mcp
This is separate from vers mcp serve, which exposes the Vers platform as MCP tools (list VMs, exec, branch, etc.). The docs MCP exposes only the docs.

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Next Steps

With Vers installed and authenticated, you’re ready to:
  1. Learn the core concepts
  2. Follow the quickstart guide
  3. Explore VM access and SSH

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Troubleshooting

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Command not found

Make sure /usr/local/bin is in your $PATH: 
echo $PATH
If it’s not included, add it to your shell configuration (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, etc.): 
export PATH="/usr/local/bin:$PATH"

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Authentication issues

  • Verify your API key is correct
  • Check that you have an active subscription at vers.sh
  • Try logging out and back in: vers logout && vers login

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Installation script fails

Try one of these alternatives: 
# Run with sudo
curl -sSL https://vers.sh/api/install | sudo bash

# Or build from source
git clone https://github.com/hdresearch/vers-cli.git
cd vers-cli && make build-and-install

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What’s next

Quickstart

Boot your first VM and take your first branch in ~10 minutes.

Core concepts

The mental model: projects, VMs, HEAD, branches, commits.

Configuration

Memory, vCPUs, disk, kernel — every vers.toml field.

VM access

SSH, exec, and file-transfer patterns.