pixi global install

Install packages globally

Installs packages in globally accessible environments and exposes their command-line applications. This is similar to pipx or condax for conda packages.

Usage

pixi global install [OPTIONS] <PACKAGE>...

Alias: pixi g install, pixi g i

Arguments

PACKAGE · string · required

Package(s) to install. Can be:

• Package name: python
• Package with version: python==3.12
• Package with version constraint: python>=3.11,<3.13
• Local path: /path/to/package or ./relative/path
• URL: https://example.com/package.tar.bz2

Options

--channel · string

The channels to consider as a name or URL.

Multiple channels can be specified by using this field multiple times.

By default, if no channel is provided, conda-forge is used.

--platform · string

The platform to install the packages for.

This is useful when you want to install packages for a different platform than the one you are currently on. Often used to install osx-64 packages on osx-arm64.

--environment · string

Install all packages in the same environment.

By default, each package gets its own environment named after the package.

--expose · mapping

Add one or more mappings describing which executables are exposed.

Syntax: exposed_name=executable_name or just executable_name

Example: --expose python3.10=python

--with · string

Add additional dependencies to the environment.

Their executables will not be exposed.

--force-reinstall · boolean

Force reinstall the environment even if it already exists.

--no-shortcuts · boolean

Do not create shortcuts (desktop/start menu entries) for the installed packages.

Alias: --no-shortcut

Examples

Install a single package

pixi global install cowpy

This installs cowpy in its own environment and exposes its executables.

Install multiple packages

pixi global install starship nushell ripgrep bat

Each package is installed in a separate environment.

Install with additional dependencies

pixi global install jupyter --with polars

Installs jupyter with polars as an additional dependency, but only exposes jupyter executables.

Install with custom exposed names

pixi global install --expose python3.8=python python=3.8

Installs Python 3.8 and exposes it as python3.8.

Install multiple packages in one environment

pixi global install --environment science --expose jupyter --expose ipython jupyter ipython polars

Installs all packages in an environment named “science” and only exposes jupyter and ipython.

Install from a specific channel

pixi global install --channel conda-forge --channel bioconda samtools

Install a specific version

pixi global install "python==3.12"

Cross-platform installation

pixi global install --platform osx-64 some-package

Useful on Apple Silicon Macs to install x86_64 packages.

Force reinstall

pixi global install --force-reinstall python

Install without shortcuts

pixi global install --no-shortcuts jupyter

How It Works

1. Environment Creation: Each package gets its own isolated environment (unless --environment is used)
2. Package Installation: The package and its dependencies are installed
3. Executable Exposure: Command-line tools are exposed to your PATH
4. Shortcut Creation: Desktop/start menu shortcuts are created if applicable

Environment Naming

By default, environments are named after the package:

• pixi global install python creates an environment named python
• pixi global install jupyter creates an environment named jupyter

Use --environment to specify a custom name:

pixi global install --environment myenv python numpy

Exposed Executables

By default, all executables from the main package are exposed. Use --expose to control this:

# Expose only specific executables
pixi global install --expose jupyter jupyter

# Expose with a different name
pixi global install --expose py=python python

Additional Dependencies

Use --with to include dependencies without exposing their executables:

pixi global install jupyter --with matplotlib --with pandas

This installs jupyter, matplotlib, and pandas, but only exposes jupyter commands.

Channels

Specify channels to search for packages:

pixi global install --channel conda-forge --channel bioconda package-name

When specifying a channel, it’s common that the selected channel also depends on conda-forge. Pixi handles this automatically.

Use Cases

Development Tools

pixi global install black ruff mypy pytest

CLI Utilities

pixi global install ripgrep fd-find bat exa

Python Environments

pixi global install python=3.11
pixi global install python=3.12

Data Science Tools

pixi global install --environment ds --with numpy --with pandas jupyter

Shortcuts

On Windows and macOS, pixi can create shortcuts for GUI applications:

• Windows: Start Menu entries
• macOS: Application bundles

Use --no-shortcuts to disable this behavior.

Listing Installed Packages

After installation, pixi shows what was installed:

✓ Installed package-name 1.0.0
  Exposed executables:
  - command1
  - command2

To see all globally installed packages:

pixi global list

Use pixi g i as a shorthand for pixi global install.

Differences from Workspace Installation

Feature	Global Install	Workspace Install
Scope	System-wide	Project-specific
Configuration	Automatic	pixi.toml
Isolation	Per-package	Per-project
Use case	CLI tools	Development

Updating Packages

To update globally installed packages:

pixi global update package-name

Or update all:

pixi global update --all

Removing Packages

To remove a globally installed environment:

pixi global remove package-name