This guide helps you resolve common installation and setup issues with AskUI.

Installation Errors

Mac Web Installer Crashes with Killed: 9

If the AskUI installer crashes on macOS with a Killed: 9 error, this is typically due to macOS security restrictions.

Solution:

  1. Open System Preferences > Security & Privacy
  2. Click the lock to make changes
  3. Look for a message about the blocked installer
  4. Click “Open Anyway” or “Allow”
  5. Run the installer again

If the issue persists:

# Remove quarantine attribute
xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /path/to/installer

Windows Long Path Support

Some Windows systems have issues with long file paths during installation.

Solution:

  1. Open askui-shell as Administrator
  2. Run: AskUI-EnableLongPath
  3. Restart your system
  4. Try the installation again

To verify long path support:

AskUI-TestLongPathSupport

IDE Integration

VSCode Custom Terminal Setup

To use askui-shell as your default terminal in VSCode:

  1. Open VS Code Settings (Ctrl+,)
  2. Click “Open Settings (JSON)” icon
  3. Add this configuration:
{
    "terminal.integrated.profiles.windows": {
        "askui-shell": {
            "path": [
                "${env:USERPROFILE}\\AppData\\Local\\Programs\\askui\\askui-shell\\AskUI-Shell.exe"
            ],
            "args": ["-ExecutionPolicy", "Bypass", "-NoExit", "-NoLogo"],
            "icon": "terminal-powershell"
        }
    },
    "terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.windows": "askui-shell"
}

For macOS/Linux:

{
    "terminal.integrated.profiles.osx": {
        "askui-shell": {
            "path": "/usr/local/bin/askui-shell"
        }
    },
    "terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.osx": "askui-shell"
}

PyCharm Terminal Setup

  1. Go to Settings > Tools > Terminal
  2. Set Shell path to:
    • Windows: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Programs\askui\askui-shell\AskUI-Shell.exe
    • macOS/Linux: /usr/local/bin/askui-shell
  3. Apply and restart PyCharm

Environment Configuration

Using .env Files Instead of askui-shell

If you prefer not to use askui-shell, you can configure credentials via environment files:

  1. Install python-dotenv:
pip install python-dotenv
  1. Create .env file in your project root:
ASKUI_WORKSPACE_ID=<your workspace id>
ASKUI_TOKEN=<your access token>
  1. Load in your Python script:
from dotenv import load_dotenv
import os

load_dotenv()

from askui import VisionAgent

# Credentials are loaded from .env automatically
with VisionAgent() as agent:
    pass  # Your agent code here

Need tokens? See Create Access Tokens

Python Environment Issues

Virtual Environment Setup

Always use a virtual environment to avoid conflicts:

# Create virtual environment
python -m venv askui_env

# Activate (Windows)
askui_env\Scripts\activate

# Activate (macOS/Linux)
source askui_env/bin/activate

# Install AskUI
pip install askui

Managing Multiple Python Versions

Use askui-shell to manage Python environments:

# Create new environment
AskUI-NewPythonEnvironment -Name "myproject"

# List environments
AskUI-ShowPythonEnvironments

# Activate environment
AskUI-EnablePythonEnvironment -Name "myproject"

Verification Steps

After installation, verify everything works:

  1. Open askui-shell
  2. Run: AskUI-TestConnection
  3. Check versions: AskUI-ShowVersions

If tests fail, see Network and Connectivity guide.

Common Installation Locations

  • Windows: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Programs\askui
  • macOS: /Applications/AskUI or /usr/local/bin/askui-shell
  • Linux: /opt/askui or /usr/local/bin/askui-shell

Next Steps