| name | rl-protect-install |
| description | Installs the rl-protect CLI from PyPI and configures it for first use. Use when the user wants to set up rl-protect, when rl-protect is not found on PATH, or when the user asks how to get started with Spectra Assure supply chain scanning. |
rl-protect installation
Use this skill when the user wants to install rl-protect, or when any other skill fails because rl-protect is not found on PATH. After installation, hand off to the rl-protect-connect skill to configure the first server connection.
Step 1 — Check if rl-protect is already installed
Before installing, check whether rl-protect is already available:
rl-protect --version
If this succeeds, inform the user of the installed version and ask whether they want to upgrade or proceed directly to connection setup via rl-protect-connect. Do not reinstall unless the user asks.
Step 2 — Check Python and pip
rl-protect is distributed as a Python wheel and requires Python 3.8 or later.
python --version
If python is not found, try python3:
python3 --version
Use whichever command succeeds for all subsequent steps. If neither is found, stop and tell the user:
"Python 3.8 or later is required to install rl-protect. Please install Python from https://www.python.org/downloads/ and try again."
Confirm pip is available:
python -m pip --version
If pip is missing, stop and tell the user:
"pip is required but was not found. Run python -m ensurepip --upgrade to install it, then try again."
Step 3 — Install rl-protect
Install the latest release from PyPI:
python -m pip install rl-protect
If the user is in a managed or restricted environment and the above fails with a permissions error, suggest installing into the user's local site-packages instead:
python -m pip install --user rl-protect
If the user is working inside a virtual environment, use the environment's Python directly — no additional flags are needed.
Step 4 — Verify installation
Confirm the install succeeded and rl-protect is available on PATH:
rl-protect --version
If this fails after a --user install, the user's local bin directory may not be on PATH. Diagnose with:
python -m site --user-base
Then advise the user to add {user-base}/bin (macOS/Linux) or {user-base}\Scripts (Windows) to their PATH, and to restart their terminal or shell session before retrying.
Step 5 — First-time configuration
Once installation is confirmed, hand off to the rl-protect-connect skill to set up the first server connection:
"rl-protect is installed. Let's connect it to your Spectra Assure account. Do you have a Community (free) account or an Enterprise Portal account?"
The rl-protect-connect skill will handle the rest based on the user's answer.
Upgrading
Trigger: user asks to update or upgrade rl-protect to the latest version.
python -m pip install --upgrade rl-protect
After upgrading, run rl-protect --version to confirm the new version and report it to the user. Existing connections and configuration are preserved across upgrades.
General rules
- Always check for an existing installation before attempting to install.
- Never install into the system Python with
sudo or elevated privileges unless the user explicitly requests it.
- If installation fails for any reason other than permissions, show the full pip error output to the user and stop — do not attempt workarounds.
- Always confirm the version after install or upgrade before proceeding to connection setup.
- If the user is in a virtual environment, note that in the confirmation summary.
