The jPipe compiler is the jpipe command-line tool: it parses .jd files, validates them, and exports diagrams. Installing it as a standalone CLI lets you script and automate jPipe tasks from a terminal, a build script, or a CI server.

Installing with a package manager (Homebrew or APT, below) is the smoothest option: it pulls in the correct dependencies (Java and Graphviz) for you. The manual JAR route works too, but you install those prerequisites yourself.

Once the CLI is on your machine, we recommend switching the IDE to its cli execution mode, so the editor and your terminal always run the exact same compiler version (see Install the IDE).

🍎 macOS (Homebrew)

Tap the McSCert repository and install:

$ brew tap jpipe-mcscert/mcscert
$ brew install jpipe

🐧 Linux & Windows (WSL): APT

We build packages for the Ubuntu releases in active support, following our release-target policy: every LTS from 24.04 (Noble) onward while it stays in standard support, plus any interim release still inside its 9-month support window. Add the McSCert Personal Package Archive (PPA):

$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mcscert/ppa
$ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt install jpipe

Troubleshooting

  • If you see add-apt-repository: command not found, install the prerequisites: 
    $ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt install software-properties-common
  • If you see Depends: openjdk-25-jre but it is not installable, your distribution doesn’t ship Java 25 by default; add the OpenJDK 25 PPA to satisfy the requirement.

☕️ Manual installation (JAR)

Prefer not to use a package manager? Run jPipe as a JAR.

Prerequisites (both on your $PATH):

From an official release

  1. Open the jPipe Compiler releases page.

  2. Download jpipe-cli-<VERSION>.jar from the Assets of the latest release.

  3. Move it somewhere on your machine (e.g. ~/bin).
  4. Add an alias to your shell profile (.zshrc or .bashrc): 
    alias jpipe='java -jar ~/bin/jpipe.jar'

From source

$ git clone https://github.com/jpipe-mcscert/jpipe-compiler.git
$ cd jpipe-compiler
jpipe-compiler $ mvn install

The fat JAR is produced at jpipe-cli/target/jpipe-cli-<VERSION>.jar; alias it as above.

🩺 Verify your installation

jpipe doctor confirms the compiler starts and can reach Graphviz:

$ jpipe doctor
McMaster University - McSCert (c) 2023-...
    _   ___ _
   (_) / _ (_)_ __   ___
   | |/ /_)/ | '_ \ / _ \
   | / ___/| | |_) |  __/
  _/ \/    |_| .__/ \___|
 |__/        |_|

jPipe 2.1.0
Checking external tools:
  dot (Graphviz): OK

Next steps

Updated: