Install

One binary, several ways to get it — npm, npx, Docker, prebuilt binaries, or from source. Plus the agent skills and MCP server.

beamd is a single binary — the same one runs the edge (beamd serve) and the client (beamd open). Install whichever way fits your role.

CLI

The simplest path for a developer — installs the beamd command globally. Pick your package manager:

$npm install -g @beamd/cli

The npx tab runs Beamd ad-hoc without installing anything. Either way, the package fetches only the binary for your platform (~4 MB), so npm is also a clean way to bundle Beamd into a Node app — see Embed in your app.

Docker (for the edge)

The edge image is published to GitHub Container Registry:

docker pull ghcr.io/dynamismlabs/beamd:latest

This is the usual way to run a self-hosted edge in production — see Production.

Prebuilt binaries

Grab a release for your OS/arch from GitHub — no toolchain required:

https://github.com/dynamismlabs/beamd/releases

On a non-root host that needs to bind :443, grant the capability once:

sudo setcap cap_net_bind_service=+ep /usr/local/bin/beamd

From source

Needs Go 1.25+:

git clone https://github.com/dynamismlabs/beamd && cd beamd
make build      # → bin/beamd, bin/beam-testapp

Verify

beamd version

Which install for which role?

You are…	Use	Why
A developer (client)	npm global, or a prebuilt binary	One command; updates with your package manager.
Running the edge	Docker image, or a binary	Long-running server; Docker is easiest to operate.
CI / an agent / embedding	npm (bundled into your app)	Ships the host-platform binary with your project (~4 MB).

Agent skills & MCP

For AI agents, Beamd ships an MCP server and installable skills on top of the same binary:

beamd mcp      # run the MCP stdio server (expose_port, remove_tunnel, list_tunnels, whoami)

Wire beamd mcp into any MCP-aware agent (Claude Code, Cursor, …), or install the CLI skills. Full setup is in Use with an agent and MCP server.