| name | shimmy-install |
| description | Install, update, validate, activate, or remove Shimmy profiles. Use for Shimmy lifecycle work outside the source checkout, profile selection, disposable-install validation, or manifest-based state inspection. |
Shimmy Installation Lifecycle
Source of truth
- In this repository, use
./shimmy for lifecycle operations.
- In an installed environment, use the activated
shimmy command.
- Inspect selected state with
shimmy status --format manifest.
- Profile manifests are authoritative for installed tool kinds and concrete
versions. Do not edit manifests directly when a Shimmy command supports the
action.
Profiles
Shimmy provides default and upstream profiles. Selection precedence is an
explicit --profile, then SHIMMY_PROFILE_ACTIVE, then default.
default is the normal external-user profile.upstream dispatches through the recorded source checkout and is intended
for maintainers.SHIMMY_UPSTREAM_DIR is profile state; use
SHIMMY_UPSTREAM_CHECKOUT_DIR only to select a source checkout while
installing the upstream profile.
Lifecycle commands
./shimmy install --profile default --shim jq
./shimmy install --profile upstream --shim jq
./shimmy status --format manifest
./shimmy update --profile default --shim jq
./shimmy uninstall --profile default
Use --install-dir <disposable-path> and --no-startup --no-skills for
repository validation. An uninstall must name the profile explicitly.
shimmy install --shim <kind> installs the kind dispatcher and its default
concrete version. Use --shim <kind>@<major.minor> for a non-default version.
Activation and startup
Activation prints shell code; it cannot modify the caller's shell itself.
eval "$(./shimmy activate --profile upstream)"
Use explicit --shell and --startup-file only when the user authorizes
startup-file changes. Managed blocks must remain idempotent.
Podman and validation
Podman is an explicit dependency. Do not provision it. Run podman info only
when appropriate; if a Shimmy wrapper is sandbox-blocked despite direct Podman
access, use the exact-wrapper approval workflow before any fallback.
Validate with status, a disposable profile install, and non-mutating tool
smokes. Legacy layout-version-1 installs must be uninstalled and reinstalled;
do not migrate their manifests.
