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Goal: prepare for the practice exercises. This lesson assumes no experience with command-line tools.

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1. Open the right kind of window

On Windows, open PowerShell from the Start menu. On Ubuntu or another Linux desktop, open the Terminal application. A line such as PS C:\Users\You> or you@computer:~$ is the prompt: the computer is ready for your next instruction. Do not copy the prompt itself. Paste the command, then press Enter. Use only the block labeled for your operating system. When a block contains several commands, run them one line at a time and check the result before continuing.

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2. Check Python and Git

Python runs PeopleBot. Git keeps the file history. Windows PowerShell:
Linux:
You should see version numbers. The public package requires Python 3.11 or newer and Git 2.45 or newer. For example, Python 3.12 and Git 2.51 meet those minimums. If a command is not found, install the missing tool from the official Python downloads or Git downloads page. Follow the instructions for your operating system, then reopen your terminal and check again. Stop here if the version requirements are not met.

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3. Install PeopleBot in one folder

If you have already followed installation, keep the folder you used there. Otherwise, make a folder called PeopleBot-Lab, download the four release assets into it, and follow that guide. The guide creates a folder called .venv. Think of this as a separate toolbox for the tutorial’s Python software. It avoids mixing the package with other Python projects. It is not a separate computer or a security boundary. Python’s explanation of virtual environments All subsequent lesson commands start in the folder containing .venv. On Windows, use File Explorer to open that folder, click the address bar, type powershell, and press Enter. On Linux, use your file manager’s Open in Terminal action if available, or change to the folder with cd followed by its quoted full path. If you use cd, replace the example path below with the path to your actual folder:
The quotation marks matter when a folder name includes spaces. cd changes where commands run; it does not move your files.

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4. Confirm that you are in the right place

Windows PowerShell:
Test-Path should return True. The final command should show PeopleBot’s help. Linux:
ls should display the Python path rather than “No such file or directory.” The final command should show PeopleBot’s help. Here, . means “this folder.” The longer Python path tells the computer to use the tutorial’s toolbox. You do not need to run an activation script.

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If you get stuck

  • The .venv Python cannot be found: you may be in the wrong folder, or virtual-environment creation did not finish.
  • “No module named peoplebot”: the package was not installed in the Python environment you are using. Return to the installation commands.
  • The terminal closes: reopen the same tutorial folder and continue from there. Your saved files remain.
You are ready when --help lists resolve-state, alpha-setup, alpha-adopt, and alpha-resume. Next: save two versions of a file.