Optional command-line tools (gh, ripgrep, jq, pandoc) that make the AI CLIs more capable, with Mac and WSL2 install steps.
Not required, but these tools make the AI CLIs more capable. Install any that seem useful.
Homebrew (Mac only)
Most of the tools below install via Homebrew on Mac. If you don’t have it yet:
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
After it finishes, follow any instructions it prints about adding Homebrew to your PATH. Then reload:
exec zsh
Verify:
brew --version
gh (GitHub CLI)
Manage repositories, pull requests, and issues from the terminal. Claude Code can use gh to interact with GitHub on your behalf.
Mac
brew install gh
Don’t have Homebrew? Install it first.
Linux (WSL2)
sudo apt update && sudo apt install gh
Verify:
gh --version
Log in:
gh auth login
ripgrep (fast file search)
Searches through file contents faster than anything built in. Claude Code uses it automatically when available.
Mac
brew install ripgrep
Linux (WSL2)
sudo apt update && sudo apt install ripgrep
Verify:
rg --version
jq (JSON wrangling)
Parses and transforms JSON data. Useful when working with APIs or data files.
Mac
brew install jq
Linux (WSL2)
sudo apt update && sudo apt install jq
Verify:
jq --version
pandoc (document conversion)
Converts between document formats — markdown to Word, HTML to PDF, and dozens of others.
Mac
brew install pandoc
Linux (WSL2)
sudo apt update && sudo apt install pandoc
Verify:
pandoc --version