Install one-liner

The installer is a single POSIX-sh script that bootstraps a Feedbot deployment from a fresh Linux server or macOS laptop. It’s designed to be safe to curl … | less for review before piping to sh.

Source

The script lives at install.sh in the feedbot repo. We host the canonical copy at https://get.feedbot.dev/install.sh which serves the same content.

Stages

The installer is a deterministic state machine. Each stage either runs or fails and triggers a LIFO rollback of every preceding stage.

Stage	What it does
1. Pre-flight	OS / arch / RAM / disk / DNS / NTP checks. No mutations.
2. Detect existing install	If /opt/feedbot or ~/.feedbot exists, asks: upgrade / reconfigure / reinstall / cancel.
3. Collect config	Auto-detects mode; asks the workdir + final confirmation.
4. Ensure Docker	Verifies Docker + compose v2; offers get.docker.com install on Linux.
5. Resolve ports	Mode-aware port resolution. Falls back to :8080 on conflict.
6. Pull images	Pulls from GHCR. Tracks images we fetched so rollback is precise.
7. Create workdir	mkdir -p the tree, snapshots pre-existing files.
8. Write files	Templates docker-compose.yml, .env, Caddyfile, .install-state.
9. Start stack	docker compose up -d.
10. Wait healthy	Polls db / api / web for up to 90s. Bails with logs on failure.
11. Install CLI	Fetches bin/feedbot from the repo into /usr/local/bin/.
12. Final verify	One last curl /healthz.
13. Print summary	URL + next steps.

Flags

--yes, -y              Non-interactive: accept all defaults.
--local                Force local mode (bind 127.0.0.1).
--server               Force server mode (bind 0.0.0.0).
--upgrade              Force upgrade path on existing install.
--reinstall            Force reinstall (DESTROYS DATA; asks confirm).
--version=vX.Y.Z       Pin image versions (default: latest).
--workdir=PATH         Override install location.
--http-port=N          Override port resolution.
--no-cli               Skip installing 'feedbot' to PATH.
--dry-run              Print actions, no mutations.
--verbose, -v          Show every command run.
--help, -h             Usage.

Environment variables

FEEDBOT_INSTALL_MODE     local | server
FEEDBOT_PUBLIC_IP        Override IP detection (server mode).
FEEDBOT_WORKDIR          Override install location.
FEEDBOT_HTTP_PORT        Override port.
FEEDBOT_VERSION          Pin to specific image tag.

Logging

Every install attempt writes a transcript to:

• Linux (root): /var/log/feedbot-install-<ts>.log
• macOS / non-root Linux: ~/.feedbot/logs/install-<ts>.log

The log is preserved even after a rollback so you have a transcript for support.

Modes

	local	server
Bind	127.0.0.1 only	0.0.0.0
Auto-detect	macOS, no public IP	Linux with public IP matching a local interface
Domain & HTTPS UI	Hidden	Visible
Auto-start default	Off	Off (toggle in Settings)

The privacy guarantee in local mode: the caddy container binds 127.0.0.1:80:80 explicitly. No firewall rule, no router setting, no NAT misconfiguration can expose this port. It’s physically off-network.

After install

Open the URL printed at the end and:

1. Create the owner account.
2. Configure SMTP, Telegram, domain in Settings.
3. Use the feedbot CLI for lifecycle ops.

Re-running the installer

feedbot reconfigure (or curl … | sh -s -- --upgrade) re-runs the installer in upgrade mode against an existing install. Data is preserved.