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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.nordic.edgeimpulse.com/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Important: Edge Impulse requires Node.js version 16 or later. For the best experience, we recommend using Node.js 22 (the current LTS version with active support). Using older versions may lead to installation issues or runtime errors. Please ensure you have the correct version installed before proceeding with the setup.

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Linux, Ubuntu, MacOS, and Raspbian OS

  1. Create an Edge Impulse account.
  2. Install Python 3 on your host computer.
  3. Install Node.js v16.x+ or above on your host computer. Alternatively, run the following commands: 
    curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs
node -v
    The last command should return the node version, v16 or above. Let’s verify the node installation directory: 
    npm config get prefix
    If it returns /usr/local/, run the following commands to change npm’s default directory: 
    mkdir ~/.npm-global
npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global'
echo 'export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.profile
    On MacOS you might be using zsh as default, so you will want to update the correct profile 
    mkdir ~/.npm-global
npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global'
echo 'export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.zprofile
  4. Install the CLI tools via: 
    npm install -g edge-impulse-cli
You should now have the tools available in your PATH.

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Windows

It is highly recommended to use the Command Prompt (CMD) vs Powershell when installing and using the Edge Impulse CLI on Windows.During installation you may get an error about needing Visual Studio Build Tools. This is needed for some parts of the Edge Impulse CLI. Please follow the error links to get the correct version from Microsoft.
  1. Create an Edge Impulse account.
  2. Install Python 3 on your host computer.
  3. Install Node.js version 16 or later. For the best experience, we recommend using Node.js 22 (the current LTS version with active support).
    • For Windows users, install the Additional Node.js tools (called Tools for Native Modules on newer versions) when prompted.
  4. Install the CLI tools via: 
    npm install -g edge-impulse-cli --force
You should now have the tools available in your PATH.

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Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)

  1. Create an Edge Impulse account.
  2. Install WSL on your Windows machine.
To install WSL, open PowerShell as an Administrator and run: 
wsl --install
You can find full instructions on how to install WSL here. Once complete you can then enable WSL by running the following command in PowerShell as an Administrator, and follow the rest of the Linux instructions: 
wsl
Then follow the linux installation instructions above.

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Troubleshooting

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General

This error occurs when you have upgraded Node.js since installing the Edge Impulse CLI. Re-install the CLI via:
npm uninstall -g edge-impulse-cli
npm install -g edge-impulse-cli
This will rebuild the dependencies.

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macOS

This is indication that the node_modules is not owned by you, but rather by root. This is probably not what you want. To fix this, run:
sudo chown -R $USER /usr/local/lib/node_modules
This can happen even though you have Xcode CLT installed if you’ve updated macOS since your install. Follow this guide to reinstall Xcode CLT.
If you see this error message and you’re behind a proxy you will need to set your proxy settings via:
HTTPS_PROXY=... edge-impulse-daemon

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Linux

Try to set the npm user to root and re-run the installation command. You can do this via:
npm config set user root
Manually delete the Edge Impulse directory from node_modules and reinstall:
cd ~/.npm-global/lib/node_modules
rm -rf edge-impulse-cli
npm install -g edge-impulse-cli
If you see this error message and you’re behind a proxy you will need to set your proxy settings via:
HTTPS_PROXY=... edge-impulse-daemon

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Windows

If you receive an error such as:
gyp ERR! stack Error: Can’t find Python executable “C:\Users\vale.windows-build-tools\python27\python.exe”, you can set the PYTHON env variable.
You’re running an older version of node-gyp (a way to build binary packages). Upgrade via:
npm install node-gyp@latest -g
This error indicates an issue occurred when installing the edge-impulse-cli for the first time or you have not selected to install the addition tools when installing NodeJS (not selected by default).Remove NodeJS and install it again selecting the option:
Re-install the CLI via
npm uninstall -g edge-impulse-cli
npm install -g edge-impulse-cli
If you see this error message and you’re behind a proxy you will need to set your proxy settings via:
set HTTPS_PROXY=...
edge-impulse-daemon
If you receive an error as such:
npm error gyp http fetch GET https://nodejs.org/download/release/v24.2.0/node-v24.2.0-headers.tar.gz attempt 1 failed with SELF_SIGNED_CERT_IN_CHAIN
npm error gyp WARN install got an error, rolling back install
npm error gyp ERR! configure error
npm error gyp ERR! stack FetchError: request to https://nodejs.org/download/release/v24.2.0/node-v24.2.0-headers.tar.gz failed, reason: self-signed certificate in certificate chain
It might indicates some restrictions due to your IT policies. Try installing the CLI using the WSL method.WSL provides an isolated environment that can be configured independently of your main Windows setup. In some cases, network and SSL/TLS configurations can be more easily managed or bypassed in a Linux environment.
If you receive the following error: The tools version "2.0" is unrecognized. Available tools versions are "4.0", launch a new command window as administrator and run:
npm install --global --production windows-build-tools
npm config set msvs_version 2015 --global