Windows package managers¶
PAI ships a lightweight CLI (pai) that runs on Windows via PowerShell.
You can install it with Winget (ships with Windows 10/11) or Scoop
(popular among developers).
Both give you the same pai command — pai flash, pai try, pai verify,
pai doctor, pai version — identical to the POSIX shell version on
Linux and macOS.
Which should I use?¶
| Winget | Scoop | |
|---|---|---|
| Ships with Windows? | Yes (10/11) | No — install from scoop.sh |
| Best for | Everyone — native, no extra tools | Developers managing many CLI tools |
| Admin required? | Sometimes (depends on installer type) | No (installs to ~/scoop) |
| Auto-update | winget upgrade --all |
scoop update * |
If you're not sure, use Winget — it's already on your machine.
Install with Winget¶
Verify it worked:
Upgrade¶
Uninstall¶
Install with Scoop¶
First, add the PAI bucket (one-time):
Then install:
Verify it worked:
Upgrade¶
Uninstall¶
To remove the bucket too:
What gets installed?¶
Both package managers install:
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
pai.ps1 |
PowerShell CLI — the main entry point |
pai.cmd |
CMD shim so pai works from cmd.exe |
flash.ps1 |
USB flasher (called by pai flash) |
try.ps1 |
VM launcher (called by pai try) |
The pai command is added to your PATH automatically.
Troubleshooting¶
pai is not recognized¶
Make sure the install directory is on your PATH. For Scoop, run
scoop reset pai. For Winget, close and reopen your terminal.
Winget shows "no package found"¶
First-time submissions to microsoft/winget-pkgs require a review that
typically takes 1–3 business days. If PAI was just released, you may need
to wait. Run winget source update to refresh the package index.
Execution policy blocks pai.ps1¶
The pai.cmd shim passes -ExecutionPolicy Bypass to PowerShell. If
you're calling pai.ps1 directly, run: