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Version: 1.2.0

Getting Started

Provision your first development environment in under 5 minutes

thresh is a lightweight CLI tool for orchestrating development environments across Windows (WSL), Linux, and macOS. Create isolated, reproducible environments with AI-powered blueprint generation.

Quick Start​

Prerequisites​

Windows (WSL):

wsl --version

Expected: WSL 2.x.x or higher

Linux/macOS:

  • Docker or containerd installed

Installation​

winget install dealer426.thresh

Verify Installation​

thresh version

Expected output:

thresh v1.2.0
Runtime: .NET 10.0
Platform: Windows (WSL)
Binary: 14 MB (Native AOT)

Your First Environment​

1. List Available Blueprints​

thresh blueprints

You'll see 8 built-in blueprints:

  • ubuntu-dev - General purpose Ubuntu development
  • python-dev - Python 3.11 with pip, venv, common packages
  • node-dev - Node.js 20 LTS with npm, yarn, pnpm
  • alpine-minimal - Lightweight Alpine Linux base
  • debian-stable - Debian stable base
  • azure-cli - Azure CLI tools pre-configured
  • alpine-python - Python on Alpine Linux
  • ubuntu-python - Python on Ubuntu with extras

2. Create an Environment​

thresh up python-dev

This provisions a Python development environment with:

  • ✓ Python 3.11
  • ✓ pip, venv, virtualenv
  • ✓ Common packages (requests, pytest, black, flake8)
  • ✓ Git pre-configured

Output:

✓ Creating environment: python-dev
✓ Using blueprint: python-dev
✓ Provisioning WSL distribution...
✓ Installing packages...
✓ Configuring environment...
✓ Environment ready!

To access: thresh exec python-dev

3. Access Your Environment​

thresh exec python-dev

You're now in your Python environment! Try:

python --version  # Python 3.11.x
pip list          # See installed packages

4. List Environments​

thresh list

See all your environments:

NAME         STATUS   DISTRO          MEMORY    DISK
python-dev   Running  Ubuntu 22.04    256 MB    2.1 GB

5. Destroy When Done​

thresh destroy python-dev

Completely removes the environment (after confirmation).

AI-Powered Blueprint Generation​

Generate custom blueprints using AI:

thresh generate "Create a Node.js development environment with Express, TypeScript, and PostgreSQL"

The AI will:

  1. Analyze your request
  2. Generate a complete blueprint JSON
  3. Save it to your blueprints directory
  4. You can then use it: thresh up my-custom-env

What's New in v1.2.0​

🚀 Performance Optimization

  • Native AOT compilation re-enabled
  • Binary size: 75 MB → 14 MB (81% reduction)
  • Faster startup, lower memory usage

✨ Features from v1.1.0

  • MCP (Model Context Protocol) server integration
  • Cross-platform support (Windows/Linux/macOS)
  • Host metrics monitoring
  • 7 MCP tools for AI editor integration

See the Changelog for full details.

Next Steps​

  • CLI Reference - All 15 commands
  • Blueprints Guide - Create custom environments
  • AI Providers - Configure OpenAI, Azure, or GitHub Copilot
  • MCP Integration - Use with VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf

Need Help?​