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Installation

This guide covers installing AEL on your system.

Requirements

  • Python: 3.12 or higher
  • pip: Latest version recommended
  • OS: macOS, Linux, or Windows

Installation Methods

pip install ael

Verify the installation:

ael version

Expected output: 

AEL version 0.1.0

Using Docker

Pull the official Docker image:

docker pull ghcr.io/ostanlabs/ael:latest

Run AEL in a container:

docker run -it --rm \
  -v $(pwd)/workflows:/app/workflows \
  -v $(pwd)/ael-config.yaml:/app/ael-config.yaml \
  ghcr.io/ostanlabs/ael:latest serve

From Source

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/ostanlabs/agent-execution-layer.git
cd agent-execution-layer

Install with uv (recommended for development):

# Install uv if not already installed
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

# Install dependencies and create virtual environment
uv sync

# Verify installation
uv run ael version

Or with pip:

pip install -e .
ael version

Post-Installation Setup

1. Create Configuration File

Create ael-config.yaml in your project directory:

mcp:
  servers: {}

workflows:
  directory: "./workflows"

logging:
  level: INFO

2. Create Workflows Directory

mkdir -p workflows

3. Verify Setup

ael config show

This should display your configuration without errors.

Optional: MCP Server Setup

To use external tools, configure MCP servers in your config:

mcp:
  servers:
    filesystem:
      command: "npx"
      args: ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/tmp"]

Troubleshooting

Python Version Error

If you see "Python 3.12+ required":

# Check your Python version
python --version

# Use pyenv to install Python 3.12
pyenv install 3.12
pyenv local 3.12

Permission Denied

On Linux/macOS, you may need to use pip install --user:

pip install --user ael

Or use a virtual environment:

python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install ael

Command Not Found

Ensure the pip scripts directory is in your PATH:

# Linux/macOS
export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"

# Windows (PowerShell)
$env:PATH += ";$env:APPDATA\Python\Python312\Scripts"

Next Steps