Publish the client to npm + curl installer at /install.sh

.gitignore

@@ -10,3 +10,4 @@ data/
 uploads/
 .DS_Store
 coverage/
+npm/

README.md

@@ -36,6 +36,9 @@ pnpm exec tsbb init
 pnpm start
 ```
 
+Just want to use a board from the terminal? `curl -fsSL https://tsbb.dev/install.sh | sh`
+installs the client (`tsbb`, `tsbb-tui`, `tsbb-mcp`) from npm.
+
 Open <http://localhost:3000>, put in your email address, and click the link.
 **The first account to sign in becomes the administrator.**
 
@@ -216,9 +219,12 @@ Turn it off in the admin panel and the `frame-src` permission goes with it.
 ## The terminal client
 
 ```
-pnpm exec tsbb-tui https://forum.example.com
+curl -fsSL https://tsbb.dev/install.sh | sh    # tsbb, tsbb-tui and tsbb-mcp
+tsbb-tui https://forum.example.com
 ```
 
+From a checkout, `pnpm exec tsbb-tui https://forum.example.com` is the same client.
+
 Press `L` to sign in: the client shows a short code, you approve it in a browser,
 and the board hands the terminal a token — once. It is a *client* of a
 centralised install, not a second board: it holds no database and can only see

apps/cli/bin/tsbb.mjs

@@ -87,6 +87,25 @@ if (existsSync(envPath)) {
 
 const baseUrl = process.env.TSBB_BASE_URL ?? 'http://localhost:3000';
 
+/*
+ * Running a board needs the whole repository (server, migrations, plugins). The
+ * npm package (curl -fsSL https://tsbb.dev/install.sh | sh) is only the client
+ * half, so say how to get a board instead of failing on a missing module.
+ */
+const BOARD_COMMANDS = new Set([
+  'init', 'serve', 'start', 'worker', 'migrate', 'status', 'update', 'upgrade',
+  'admin', 'unadmin', 'invite', 'plugin', 'plugins',
+]);
+if (BOARD_COMMANDS.has(command) && !existsSync(join(REPO_ROOT, 'apps/server/src/index.ts'))) {
+  console.error(`tsbb ${command} runs a board, which needs a checkout of the repository:
+
+  git clone https://github.com/profullstack/tsbb && cd tsbb
+  pnpm install && node apps/cli/bin/tsbb.mjs init
+
+This install is the client: tsbb login, forums, latest, read, post, mcp (see tsbb --help).`);
+  process.exit(1);
+}
+
 /**
  * Split the flags out of the arguments.
  *

apps/mcp/bin/tsbb-mcp.mjs

@@ -12,5 +12,10 @@ try {
   /* the version is a label in the handshake, not something to fail over */
 }
 
+if (process.argv[2] === '--version' || process.argv[2] === '-v') {
+  console.log(version);
+  process.exit(0);
+}
+
 const { main } = await import('../src/main.ts');
 process.exitCode = await main(process.argv.slice(2), version);

apps/mcp/src/main.ts

@@ -37,8 +37,8 @@ Claude Desktop MCP config:
   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "myboard": {
-        "command": "node",
-        "args": ["/path/to/tsbb/apps/mcp/bin/tsbb-mcp.mjs", "--server", "https://board.example"],
+        "command": "tsbb-mcp",
+        "args": ["--server", "https://board.example"],
         "env": { "TSBB_TOKEN": "…" }
       }
     }

apps/server/public/install.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# Install the tsbb bulletin board client: tsbb (CLI), tsbb-tui (terminal client)
+# and tsbb-mcp (MCP server). npm: @profullstack/tsbb, -tui, -mcp.
+#
+#   curl -fsSL https://tsbb.dev/install.sh | sh
+#
+# Works against any tsbb board. Needs Node >= 22.6 (the commands run on Node).
+# Installs with bun if present, otherwise npm. When the global npm prefix is not writable it installs into
+# ~/.local instead of asking for sudo. Re-run it to upgrade.
+set -eu
+
+PKGS="@profullstack/tsbb@latest @profullstack/tsbb-tui@latest @profullstack/tsbb-mcp@latest"
+BIN="tsbb"
+
+say() { printf '%s\n' "$*"; }
+die() { printf 'tsbb install: %s\n' "$*" >&2; exit 1; }
+have() { command -v "$1" >/dev/null 2>&1; }
+
+node_ok() {
+  have node || return 1
+  node -e 'const [a,b]=process.versions.node.split(".").map(Number);process.exit(a>22||(a===22&&b>=6)?0:1)' 2>/dev/null
+}
+
+say "Installing tsbb, tsbb-tui and tsbb-mcp..."
+
+node_ok || die "Node >= 22.6 required (found $(node -v 2>/dev/null || echo none)). Install it from https://nodejs.org"
+
+if have bun; then
+  bun add -g $PKGS
+  BIN_DIR="${BUN_INSTALL:-$HOME/.bun}/bin"
+elif have npm; then
+  prefix=$(npm config get prefix)
+  modules="$prefix/lib/node_modules"
+  [ -d "$modules" ] || modules="$prefix/lib"
+  if [ -w "$modules" ] && [ -w "$prefix/bin" ]; then
+    npm install -g $PKGS
+    BIN_DIR="$prefix/bin"
+  else
+    BIN_DIR="$HOME/.local/bin"
+    say "npm prefix $prefix is not writable; installing into $HOME/.local"
+    npm install -g --prefix "$HOME/.local" $PKGS
+  fi
+else
+  die "needs npm (comes with Node: https://nodejs.org) or bun (https://bun.sh)"
+fi
+
+say ""
+if have "$BIN"; then
+  say "tsbb $("$BIN" --version 2>/dev/null || echo '') installed (with tsbb-tui and tsbb-mcp)."
+else
+  say "$BIN installed to $BIN_DIR, which is not on your PATH. Add it:"
+  say "  export PATH=\"$BIN_DIR:\$PATH\""
+fi
+say ""
+say "Next:"
+say "  tsbb login tsbb.dev     # approve a code in your browser"
+say "  tsbb latest             # recently active topics"
+say "  tsbb-tui tsbb.dev       # read and post in the terminal"
+say "  tsbb --help             # everything else, including tsbb mcp"

apps/server/src/routes/discovery.ts

@@ -240,6 +240,17 @@ export function discoveryRoutes(services: Services) {
     );
   });
 
+  // --- install.sh -----------------------------------------------------------
+  // The client installer: curl -fsSL https://<board>/install.sh | sh. It
+  // installs tsbb, tsbb-tui and tsbb-mcp from npm, which work against any board.
+
+  app.get('/install.sh', (c) =>
+    c.body(readFileSync(join(PUBLIC_DIR, 'install.sh'), 'utf8'), 200, {
+      'content-type': 'text/x-shellscript; charset=utf-8',
+      'cache-control': 'public, max-age=600',
+    }),
+  );
+
   // --- llms.txt -------------------------------------------------------------
 
   app.get('/llms.txt', async (c) => {
@@ -299,6 +310,7 @@ export function discoveryRoutes(services: Services) {
       link('OpenAPI description', '/api/v1/openapi.json', 'The REST API, machine-readable.'),
       link('MCP endpoint', '/api/mcp', 'Streamable HTTP MCP server; a bearer token makes it act as a member.'),
       link('Agent skill', '/skill.md', 'What an agent can do here and how to authenticate.'),
+      `- Terminal client, CLI and stdio MCP server: \`curl -fsSL ${absolute('/install.sh')} | sh\` (npm: @profullstack/tsbb, @profullstack/tsbb-tui, @profullstack/tsbb-mcp)`,
       '',
       '## Optional',
       '',

apps/tui/bin/tsbb-tui.mjs

@@ -1,9 +1,16 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env node
-import { currentBoard, loadConfig, normaliseServer, rememberBoard } from '../src/config.ts';
+import { currentBoard, loadConfig, normaliseServer, rememberBoard } from '@tsbb/client';
 import { run } from '../src/app.ts';
 
 const argv = process.argv.slice(2);
 
+if (argv.includes('--version') || argv.includes('-v')) {
+  const { readFileSync } = await import('node:fs');
+  const pkg = JSON.parse(readFileSync(new URL('../package.json', import.meta.url), 'utf8'));
+  console.log(pkg.version);
+  process.exit(0);
+}
+
 if (argv.includes('--help') || argv.includes('-h')) {
   console.log(`tsbb-tui — terminal client for a tsbb bulletin board
 

docs/CLI.md

@@ -14,16 +14,21 @@ anybody else's.
 The packages are not on npm yet, so both jobs are done from a checkout:
 
 ```
-git clone https://github.com/profullstack/tsbb
-cd tsbb && pnpm install
-pnpm exec tsbb --help
+curl -fsSL https://tsbb.dev/install.sh | sh
 ```
 
-Put it on your path if you are going to use it from elsewhere, which is what the
-rest of this page assumes:
+That installs `tsbb`, `tsbb-tui` and `tsbb-mcp` from npm (`@profullstack/tsbb`,
+`-tui`, `-mcp`; Node 22.6+), with bun if you have it, and into `~/.local` rather
+than asking for sudo. Re-run it to upgrade.
+
+The installed `tsbb` is the client half: everything under "Using a board". The
+commands that *run* a board (`init`, `serve`, `migrate`, `admin`, …) need a
+checkout:
 
 ```
-ln -s "$PWD/apps/cli/bin/tsbb.mjs" ~/.local/bin/tsbb
+git clone https://github.com/profullstack/tsbb
+cd tsbb && pnpm install
+pnpm exec tsbb --help
 ```
 
 ## Signing in

docs/MCP.md

@@ -18,18 +18,20 @@ missing from `list_forums` is a forum that member cannot read.
 
 ## Over stdio
 
-`tsbb-mcp` is not on npm yet, so point your client at the binary in a checkout:
+Install it (with `tsbb` and `tsbb-tui`; Node 22.6+):
+
+```
+curl -fsSL https://tsbb.dev/install.sh | sh
+```
+
+Then point your client at it:
 
 ```json
 {
   "mcpServers": {
     "myboard": {
-      "command": "node",
-      "args": [
-        "/path/to/tsbb/apps/mcp/bin/tsbb-mcp.mjs",
-        "--server",
-        "https://forum.example.com"
-      ],
+      "command": "tsbb-mcp",
+      "args": ["--server", "https://forum.example.com"],
       "env": { "TSBB_TOKEN": "tsbb_…" }
     }
   }
@@ -39,12 +41,11 @@ missing from `list_forums` is a forum that member cannot read.
 Or, in Claude Code:
 
 ```
-claude mcp add myboard -- node /path/to/tsbb/apps/mcp/bin/tsbb-mcp.mjs --server https://forum.example.com
+claude mcp add myboard -- tsbb-mcp --server https://forum.example.com
 ```
 
-Nothing needs building — Node runs the TypeScript directly — but the checkout
-does need `pnpm install` once, because the server shares the board's client
-package.
+Without installing anything: `"command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@profullstack/tsbb-mcp", "--server", "…"]`.
+From a checkout, `node /path/to/tsbb/apps/mcp/bin/tsbb-mcp.mjs` is the same program.
 
 Where the token comes from, in order: `--token`, `TSBB_TOKEN`, then whichever
 board you last ran `tsbb login` against. If you have already signed in with the

package.json

@@ -16,12 +16,14 @@
     "tui": "node apps/tui/src/index.ts",
     "test": "node --test \"test/*.test.ts\"",
     "typecheck": "tsc -p tsconfig.json --noEmit",
+    "build:npm": "node scripts/build-npm.mjs",
     "format": "prettier --write ."
   },
   "devDependencies": {
     "@profullstack/bridges": "^0.2.0",
     "@profullstack/hqtui": "^0.5.0",
     "@types/node": "^24.3.0",
+    "esbuild": "0.25.10",
     "hono": "^4.6.14",
     "prettier": "^3.3.3",
     "typescript": "^5.9.2"