ZVM-INSTALL(1)

💅 ZVM-INSTALL(1) 💅

ok so this is the zvm-install page of the manual — User Commands energy, bestie, and it's literally the one that gets you your Zig (and ZLS!!) 🦋

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✨ NAME ✨

zvm-install — download and install Zig and ZLS versions 🎀

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

zvm install [options] version
zvm i [options] version

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💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

So what it does is, it downloads and installs the Zig version you asked for. That's it, that's the whole vibe. ✨ Use master if you want the latest development build — yes, the living-on-the-edge one, she's brave 💅

Version shorthand and aliases are accepted, no cap; peep zvm(1) for the full tea.

By default, a fresh new installation becomes the global default through ~/.zvm/bin. Lowkey iconic behaviour. But heads up 🙈 — in a shell that's been set up with zvm-env(1), the shell keeps its own version, so if you want that shell to switch too, run zvm use. And if you're like "no bestie, don't touch my global default," use --skip-use to install without changing it. 🫶

Also!! If automatic deduplication is enabled with zvm dedupe --auto on, your new installations get deduplicated after installation. See zvm-dedupe(1) for the details, iykyk. 🌈

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🔥 DOWNLOAD VERIFICATION 🔥

Okay this part is important, don't skip it 👑

ZVM checks the download's SHA-256 checksum when the source supplies one. If there's no checksum available, it asks you for confirmation before downloading. No silent sketchy downloads here, we ask first 💀

Official Zig archives also require a valid Minisign signature using the configured minisignPubKey, and they get checked against previously recorded hashes. Custom version maps do not use these official-source signature checks — noted, fr fr. ZLS archives use SHA-256 verification without Minisign signatures. 🎀

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⭐ OPTIONS ⭐

• --zls — also install a ZLS release that's compatible with the resolved Zig version. bestie duo behaviour 🫶
• -f, --force — install even when the version is already present. she does not care that you already have it 💅
• -s, --skip-shasum — skip SHA-256 verification and the confirmation normally required for an unverified download. ⚠️ This weakens download verification. Official Zig Minisign signature verification remains enabled though, so not a total free-for-all.
• -k, --skip-use — install Zig and any requested ZLS without changing the global default. respectful of your setup 🌸
• --full — use the full ZLS compatibility mode instead of the default runtime-only mode.
• --nomirror — download Zig directly from ziglang.org instead of a community mirror. straight from the source, main character energy 👑
• --target-os os — override the target operating system. This also sets ZVM_TARGET_OS for the operation. 🦋
• --target-arch architecture — override the target architecture. This also sets ZVM_TARGET_ARCH for the operation. 🦋
• --http.timeout seconds — set the HTTP timeout for installation requests. This also sets ZVM_HTTP_TIMEOUT for the operation. ⏰

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🎀 EXAMPLES 🎀

zvm install 0.14.1
zvm i .14
zvm install --zls --full master
zvm install --target-os freebsd --target-arch x86_64 0.14.1

look at that shorthand on the second one, .14 — so cute, so efficient ✨

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🌟 SEE ALSO 🌟

zvm(1), zvm-use(1), zvm-env(1), zvm-dedupe(1), zvm-list-remote(1), zvm-mirrorlist(1), zvm-vmu(1)

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ok that's the whole page, go install something slay 💜

ZVM v0.9.4 · August 2026 — mwah, this manual page is officially done, ate and left no crumbs 🍓✨