# Installation

> The poly command-line tool ships with the desktop app — install it in one click.

`poly` is Poly's command-line tool: your files, searchable and scriptable from the terminal. It ships inside the desktop app—there's no separate download.

## Install

1. Install the [Poly desktop app](/getting-started/installation) if you haven't already.
2. In the app, choose **Install CLI Tools** from the app menu.
3. Open a new terminal and verify:

```bash
poly app status
```

What the install step does per platform:

- **macOS / Linux** — creates a [symlink](/mime-types/inode/symlink) at `~/.local/bin/poly` pointing at the binary inside the app. If `~/.local/bin` isn't on your `PATH` yet, the app shows you the one line to add to your shell profile.
- **Windows** — copies the binary to `%LOCALAPPDATA%\Poly\bin` and adds that directory to your user `PATH`. Open a new terminal to pick it up.

Because the CLI lives inside the app bundle, it updates automatically whenever the desktop app updates — the [symlink](/mime-types/inode/symlink) always points at the current version.

## Sign in

The CLI uses the desktop app's session. If you're already signed into the app, `poly` just works. Otherwise:

```bash
poly auth login
```

This opens a browser window to sign you in — the CLI itself never stores your credentials. See [`auth`](/cli/commands/auth) for details.

## The app must be running

The CLI talks to the desktop app, which manages the local cache and the connection to Poly's servers. If the app isn't running, any command will tell you — and starting it from the terminal is one command:

```bash
poly app start
```

This launches the app hidden, in background mode, without stealing focus. More on this relationship in [How it Works](/cli/how-it-works).

## First commands

```bash
# List the roots you have access to
poly ls //

# List your home drive
poly ls //Home

# Search your files by meaning
poly search "the contract with the March deadline"

# Show everything Poly knows about a file
poly file show //Home/docs/report.pdf
```

From here, the [command reference](/cli/commands) covers every command in detail.