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Environment Checklist — Pre-Installation Verification

Verification checklist to confirm a target machine is ready for BOB installation. You're not installing anything yet — just checking what's already there and what's missing.

Choose Your Path

BOB runs on a Unix-style shell. There are two supported paths:

This is the primary path. All commands below assume bash (Mac Terminal, Linux terminal, or WSL2 on Windows).

  • Mac users: open Terminal — you're done, skip to checks
  • Linux users: open your terminal — skip to checks
  • Windows users: install WSL2 with Ubuntu first. WSL2 gives you a real Linux environment on Windows. It is the recommended path because:
  • All AI tooling (Claude Code, npm, uv, git) works natively
  • Skills using bash scripts run without translation
  • Stable, fewer surprises than mixing PowerShell + native Windows tools
  • See install_wsl2_claude_code for setup

⚠️ Alternative — Pure Windows + PowerShell

Use this only if you already have a fully-configured Windows-native developer setup (Node.js, Python, git all installed natively) and you do not want to install WSL2. PowerShell-equivalent commands are listed in the PowerShell alternative notes under each check.

For everyone else: install WSL2 and use bash. It will save you hours of compatibility issues with AI agent tooling.

Instructions

  1. Open your bash terminal (Mac Terminal / Linux terminal / WSL2 Ubuntu shell)
  2. Run each command below
  3. Note the version number and ✅ Pass or ❌ Missing
  4. If something is missing, refer to troubleshooting or the installation guide

Operating System & Platform

OS & Kernel

# In bash, run:
uname -a

Expected: Linux kernel (WSL2 reports "WSL2" in the string), Darwin (Mac), or your Linux distro

Your result: ________________________

  • [ ] ✅ Mac (Darwin)
  • [ ] ✅ Linux (Ubuntu / Debian / Fedora / etc.)
  • [ ] ✅ Windows + WSL2 (kernel string contains WSL2)
  • [ ] ❌ Pure Windows / unsupported

PowerShell alternative (pure-Windows path only): 

[System.Environment]::OSVersion.VersionString
Expected: Windows 10 (build 19041+) or Windows 11.

WSL2 Status (Windows users only)

If you are on Windows, verify WSL2 is installed and you have a Linux distro running:

# In PowerShell (Windows), run:
wsl --list --verbose

Expected output:

NAME      STATE           VERSION
Ubuntu    Running         2
  • [ ] ✅ WSL2 installed and running (proceed in your WSL Ubuntu shell)
  • [ ] ⚠️ WSL2 installed but stopped — start with wsl
  • [ ] ❌ WSL2 not installed — install it before continuing: install_wsl2_claude_code

Mac and Linux users skip this section.

Programming Languages & Runtimes

Node.js & npm

# In bash, run:
node --version
npm --version

Expected: Node 18+, npm 9+

  • Node: _______________

  • npm: _______________

  • [ ] ✅ Node 18+ and npm 9+ detected

  • [ ] ⚠️ Detected but older version
  • [ ] ❌ Node or npm not found

PowerShell alternative: same commands work in PowerShell if you have native-Windows Node installed.

Python

# In bash, run:
python3 --version

Expected: Python 3.10 or higher Your result: _______________

  • [ ] ✅ Python 3.10+ detected
  • [ ] ⚠️ Detected but older version
  • [ ] ❌ Python not found

Note: Python is needed for some skills, not required for initial BOB installation.

PowerShell alternative: python --version (note: no 3 suffix on native Windows).

uv (Python Package Manager)

# In bash, run:
uv --version

Expected: uv 0.4+ Your result: _______________

  • [ ] ✅ uv detected
  • [ ] ❌ uv not found

Note: uv is a modern Python package manager. Will be installed in Week 1 if missing.

Git (Version Control)

# In bash, run:
git --version

Expected: git 2.30+ Your result: _______________

  • [ ] ✅ git detected
  • [ ] ⚠️ Detected but older version
  • [ ] ❌ git not found

Note: Required for managing BOB vault updates.

Disk Space & System Resources

Available Disk Space

# In bash, run:
df -h

Look for: A drive/partition with 10+ GB free where the BOB vault will live.

Your result: - Drive/path: ____________ - Free space: ____________

  • [ ] ✅ 10+ GB available
  • [ ] ⚠️ Less than 10 GB available
  • [ ] ❌ Very low disk space

PowerShell alternative: 

Get-Volume

RAM

# In bash, run:
free -h        # Linux / WSL2
# OR on Mac:
sysctl hw.memsize | awk '{print $2/1024/1024/1024 " GB"}'

Expected: 8+ GB RAM Your result: ____________

  • [ ] ✅ 8+ GB RAM
  • [ ] ⚠️ 4–8 GB RAM (works but slower)
  • [ ] ❌ Less than 4 GB RAM

PowerShell alternative: 

$totalRAM = (Get-CimInstance Win32_ComputerSystem).TotalPhysicalMemory / 1GB
Write-Host "Total RAM: $totalRAM GB"

Optional: Check for Key Software

Obsidian

Obsidian is a desktop app (installed on the host OS, not inside WSL2). Check on your host:

  • Mac: look in /Applications/Obsidian.app
  • Linux: which obsidian or check your app launcher
  • Windows (host): Test-Path "C:\Program Files\Obsidian" in PowerShell

Your result: ✅ / ❌

  • [ ] ✅ Not installed yet — install via getting_started
  • [ ] ✅ Already installed (note version)

Claude Code

# In bash, run:
which claude
claude --version

Expected: Not installed yet Your result: ✅ / ❌

PowerShell alternative: Get-Command claude -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

Summary Table

Fill this in after running all checks:

Component Status Version/Details Notes
OS / Shell ✅/❌ Mac / Linux / WSL2 / pure Win
WSL2 (Windows only) ✅/❌
Node.js ✅/❌
npm ✅/❌
Python ✅/❌
uv ✅/❌
git ✅/❌
Disk space ✅/❌ __ GB free
RAM ✅/❌ __ GB
Obsidian ✅/❌
Claude Code ✅/❌

What Happens Next

If everything is ✅: - You're ready to install BOB — see getting_started (DIY) or quickstart (DFY)

If some items are ❌ or ⚠️: - Note the missing items - If you're on Windows without WSL2 → install WSL2 first: install_wsl2_claude_code - For other missing items, follow the relevant install guide under {vault.wiki}/02-Setup/ - If you have a technical lead, share these results with them

Troubleshooting Commands

If a command doesn't run, try these:

Issue Fix
Command not found in WSL2 Try which <command> to see if it's on PATH
Command not found in PowerShell Switch to WSL2 (wsl) — it's the recommended environment
Permission denied Try sudo <command> (may prompt for password)
WSL2 won't start In PowerShell as Admin: wsl --shutdown then wsl

Tips

  1. Use WSL2 on Windows. PowerShell-only setups work but are higher friction with AI tooling — every hour saved on environment trouble is an hour Vaishavi can spend learning BOB.
  2. Copy & paste is your friend — right-click in terminal to paste (not Ctrl+V in WSL)
  3. Capture version numbers — useful if you hit issues later
  4. Don't guess on errors — copy the exact message; check quickstart or your install guide
  5. Exact text matters — version numbers and details help troubleshooting