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This guide takes a new machine from no Jolter installation to a project that automatically uses its declared JavaScript toolchain.
1

Install Jolter

Run the installer for your operating system.
irm https://get.jolter.dev/install.ps1 | iex

curl -fsSL https://get.jolter.dev/install.sh | sh
2

Enable command shims

Generate shims and apply the PATH command Jolter prints.
jolter setup
Restart the terminal or IDE after applying the persistent PATH command.
3

Install a runtime

Select the current Node.js LTS release as your global fallback.
jolter use node@lts
node --version
4

Install a tool

Install a managed pnpm version. Managed npm, pnpm, and Yarn releases run through the active Node.js runtime.
jolter use pnpm@10
pnpm --version
5

Pin the project

From the project root, write project requirements.
jolter pin node@24
jolter pin pnpm@10
Jolter creates or updates jolter.json without removing unrelated tools.
6

Synchronize and verify

Install or reuse the exact versions required by the current project.
jolter sync
jolter doctor
node --version
pnpm --version

​
What you created

Your project now has a portable declaration:
jolter.json
{
  "$schema": "https://schemas.jolter.dev/project/v2/schema.json",
  "schemaVersion": 2,
  "runtime": {
    "node": "24"
  },
  "tools": {
    "pnpm": "10"
  }
}
Commit jolter.json. Do not commit JOLTER_HOME, .jolter, downloaded runtimes, or tool directories.

​
Move between projects

Jolter does not need a directory-change hook. The generated node, pnpm, yarn, npm, bun, and deno shims resolve the current directory every time they run. 
cd project-a
node --version

cd ../project-b
node --version
If a project has requirements, those win. Outside a configured project, the global fallback from jolter use is used.

​
Next steps

Installation details

Inspect scripts before running, install release archives, build from source, or upgrade Jolter.

First project

Prepare a real repository for local development and CI.

Automatic switching

Understand shims, PATH precedence, and command dispatch.

Troubleshooting

Fix PATH, proxy, offline cache, permission, and incomplete-install problems.

Related topics

Jolter