Installation

This page lists the prerequisites for working with Innovation Patterns (IPA). Install each tool before proceeding to the Quickstart.

Prerequisites

Tool	Version	Purpose
Python	3.12 (>=3.12,<3.13)	Backend application library (app-lib/)
Node.js	18+ (LTS recommended)	Frontend web client (web-client/) and documentation site (docs/)
uv	Latest	Python project and dependency management
AWS CLI	v2	AWS service interaction and CloudFormation deployments
Docker	Latest	Container image builds for Lambda deployment
GNU Make	Any	Execution of generated Makefiles (scripts/*.mk)
Claude Code	Latest	AI agent that runs IPA skills (/ipa-*)
Terraform	>= 1.5.0 (optional)	Required only when APP_IAC=terraform is selected during /ipa-init

Python 3.12

IPA requires Python 3.12 exactly (>=3.12,<3.13). Verify your installation:

python3 --version

If you do not have Python 3.12, install it via your system package manager or python.org.

macOS (Homebrew):

brew install python@3.12

Linux (apt):

sudo apt update && sudo apt install python3.12 python3.12-venv

Node.js

Node.js 18 or later is required for the web client and the documentation site. Verify:

node --version

Install via nodejs.org or a version manager such as nvm:

nvm install --lts

uv

uv is the Python package and project manager used by app-lib/. Verify:

uv --version

Install via the standalone installer:

curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

Or via Homebrew:

brew install uv

AWS CLI v2

The AWS CLI is required for all CloudFormation operations. Verify:

aws --version

Install following the AWS CLI installation guide.

After installation, configure credentials for your target AWS account. IPA supports the default credential chain (environment variables, SSO, instance profiles) or a named profile. The /ipa-init skill configures which profile to use.

Docker

Docker is required to build container images for Lambda deployment. Verify:

docker --version

Install Docker Desktop (macOS/Windows) or Docker Engine (Linux).

Ensure the Docker daemon is running before invoking /ipa-deploy.

GNU Make

GNU Make executes the generated Makefiles that drive build, deploy, and teardown operations. Verify:

make --version

macOS: Pre-installed with Xcode Command Line Tools (xcode-select --install).

Linux: Pre-installed on most distributions. If missing:

sudo apt install make

Claude Code

Claude Code is the AI agent CLI that executes IPA skills. All IPA workflows (/ipa-init, /ipa-compose, /ipa-deploy, etc.) run as Claude Code skills.

Install following the Claude Code documentation.

Terraform (Optional)

Terraform is required only when you choose terraform as the IaC engine during /ipa-init. If you plan to use the default CloudFormation engine, skip this section.

IPA requires Terraform >= 1.5.0. Verify:

terraform --version

Install following the Terraform installation guide.

macOS (Homebrew):

brew tap hashicorp/tap
brew install hashicorp/tap/terraform

Linux (apt):

wget -O- https://apt.releases.hashicorp.com/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/hashicorp-archive-keyring.gpg
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/hashicorp-archive-keyring.gpg] https://apt.releases.hashicorp.com $(lsb_release -cs) main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/hashicorp.list
sudo apt update && sudo apt install terraform

Verify All Prerequisites

Run the following commands to confirm all tools are installed:

python3 --version
node --version
uv --version
aws --version
docker --version
make --version
claude --version
terraform --version  # only if using Terraform mode

All commands should return version information without errors. Proceed to the Quickstart to configure and deploy your first IPA project.