Table of Contents

Install Spec Kitty on Windows

Install the spec-kitty CLI on Windows 10 or Windows 11. PowerShell is recommended; CMD works too.

The PyPI distribution is named spec-kitty-cli; the binary it installs is spec-kitty. WSL is not required.

Prerequisites

  • Windows 10 21H2 or newer (Windows 11 preferred).

  • Python 3.11+ from python.org or the Microsoft Store. During install, tick "Add Python to PATH" and "Install py launcher".

  • Verify (in PowerShell or CMD):

    py --version
# or
python --version

    On Windows the py launcher is the canonical way to invoke a specific Python:

    py -3.12 --version
py -3.11 -m pip --version

  • Optional: install Windows Terminal for a nicer shell experience.

py -m pip install --user pipx
py -m pipx ensurepath

Open a new PowerShell window (so the updated PATH is picked up), then:

pipx install spec-kitty-cli
spec-kitty --version

Method 2: uv tool

Install uv via PowerShell:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"

Open a new shell, then:

uv tool install spec-kitty-cli
spec-kitty --version

Method 3: pip in a venv (contributor path)

py -3.12 -m venv .venv
.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1     # PowerShell
# or:
.venv\Scripts\activate.bat     # CMD

pip install spec-kitty-cli
spec-kitty --version

If PowerShell refuses to run Activate.ps1 due to execution policy:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned

Deactivate the venv with deactivate.

Verification

spec-kitty --version
# spec-kitty-cli version 3.2.x

spec-kitty --help
spec-kitty doctor       # post-install health check (in an initialized project)

PATH considerations on Windows

pipx and uv tool typically install shims into:

  • %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin

If spec-kitty is "command not found":

Option A — let pipx fix PATH for you:

pipx ensurepath

Then close and reopen PowerShell.

Option B — add the directory manually:

  1. Open Settings → System → About → Advanced system settings → Environment Variables.
  2. Under User variables, select Path → Edit → New.
  3. Add %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin.
  4. Open a new PowerShell window.

Option C — temporary, for the current session only:

$env:PATH = "$env:USERPROFILE\.local\bin;$env:PATH"

PowerShell vs CMD

  • PowerShell is the recommended shell. Use Activate.ps1 for venvs and the install commands above as written.
  • CMD works for invoking spec-kitty once installed, but use Scripts\activate.bat instead of Activate.ps1 to enter a venv.

py launcher vs python

The Windows py launcher picks the right Python version even when several are installed:

py -3.12 -m pip install --upgrade pip
py -3.12 -m pipx install spec-kitty-cli

Plain python may resolve to a Microsoft Store stub on a fresh install; py always resolves to a real Python.

Troubleshooting

spec-kitty is "not recognized as the name of a cmdlet" — PATH issue. Run pipx ensurepath, open a new PowerShell window, then where.exe spec-kitty to confirm where it lives.

SSL: CERTIFICATE_VERIFY_FAILED during pip install — Your Python install is too old. Reinstall Python 3.11+ from python.org.

Microsoft Store Python stub opens instead of running pip — Settings → Apps → Advanced app settings → App execution aliases → toggle off the App Installer entries for python.exe and python3.exe, then reopen your shell.

Antivirus blocks installs — Corporate antivirus sometimes quarantines Python wheels. Whitelist the cache directory pipx prints when it errors.

Next steps

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