MCPInstall

devtools-hub-installer

Install and manage Windows development tools with DevTools Hub, a desktop app and CLI for provisioning developer environments

Installs
209
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Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://github.com/reason-machines/devtools-skills --skill devtools-hub-installer
  1. 01

    Install

    Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.

  2. 02

    Describe the task

    Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads devtools-hub-installer automatically when relevant.

  3. 03

    Review the result

    The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.

SKILL.md

The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.

DevTools Hub Installer

Skill by ara.so — Devtools Skills collection.

DevTools Hub is a Windows desktop application and CLI for installing and managing developer tools. It provides a unified interface for provisioning development machines with version control, runtimes, package managers, editors, databases, containers, and system dependencies.

Installation

Download the latest release from GitHub Releases:

# Download and run the installer
DevTools Hub Setup 1.2.0.exe

The installer requires Windows 10/11 (x64). Most operations require administrator permissions for system-level tool installation and PATH updates.

Desktop Application

Launch DevTools Hub from the Start menu or desktop shortcut. The GUI provides:

  • Tool Discovery: Browse available developer tools by category
  • Status Detection: Real-time installed/not-installed status from registry PATH
  • Batch Installation: Select multiple tools and install in parallel
  • Developer Profiles: One-click installation of curated tool sets
  • Install Logs: Troubleshooting output for failed installations

The app uses UAC elevation for install/uninstall operations and streams stdout progress in real-time.

CLI Usage

After building the project, the CLI is available at dist/cli/cli.js. Link it globally or invoke directly:

# List all available tools
devtoolshub list

# Install single or multiple tools
devtoolshub install git
devtoolshub install node python docker

# Check installation status
devtoolshub status

# Show detailed diagnostics
devtoolshub diagnose

# Export current configuration
devtoolshub export-config > devtools-config.json

# Update installed tools (via winget)
devtoolshub update git
devtoolshub update --all

# Uninstall tools (UAC-elevated)
devtoolshub uninstall docker

Available Tools

DevTools Hub includes installers for:

Version Control

  • git, github-desktop, git-lfs

CLI Tools

  • github-cli, codex-cli, claude-cli

Runtimes

  • node, python, go, rust, deno, bun, java

Package Managers

  • yarn, maven, gradle

Editors

  • vscode

Databases

  • postgresql, mongodb, redis, mysql, mariadb, sqlserver-express

DevOps

  • docker, docker-compose

API Testing

  • postman

Web Server Stack

  • wampserver, apache, php, phpmyadmin, adminer, xdebug

System Libraries

  • vcredist (Visual C++ Redistributables)

Development Setup

Clone and build the project:

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/lszdeveloping/devtoolshub.git
cd devtoolshub

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run in development mode
npm run dev

# Build renderer, main process, and CLI
npm run build

# Create distributable
npm run dist

Requires Node.js >= 18.

Project Structure

src/
  cli/              # Command-line interface
  main/             # Electron main process and IPC handlers
  renderer/         # React application (Vite + Tailwind CSS)
  shared/           # Shared tool metadata and types
installers/
  windows/          # PowerShell installers (asar-unpacked)
resources/          # App icons and packaged assets

Adding New Tools

To add a new tool to the catalog:

  1. Update Tool Metadata (src/shared/tools.ts):
export interface Tool {
  id: string;
  name: string;
  category: string;
  description: string;
  installer: string;  // PowerShell script filename
  wingetId?: string;  // For update support
}

export const tools: Tool[] = [
  // ... existing tools
  {
    id: 'newtool',
    name: 'New Tool',
    category: 'Runtimes',
    description: 'Description of the tool',
    installer: 'newtool.ps1',
    wingetId: 'Publisher.NewTool'
  }
];
  1. Create PowerShell Installer (installers/windows/newtool.ps1):
# newtool.ps1
param(
    [string]$InstallPath = "C:\Program Files\NewTool"
)

Write-Host "Installing New Tool..."

try {
    # Download installer
    $url = "https://example.com/newtool-installer.exe"
    $installer = "$env:TEMP\newtool-installer.exe"
    Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $url -OutFile $installer

    # Run installer
    Start-Process -FilePath $installer -ArgumentList "/S" -Wait

    # Add to PATH if needed
    $currentPath = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("Path", "Machine")
    if ($currentPath -notlike "*$InstallPath*") {
        [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable(
            "Path",
            "$currentPath;$InstallPath",
            "Machine"
        )
    }

    Write-Host "New Tool installed successfully"
    exit 0
} catch {
    Write-Error "Installation failed: $_"
    exit 1
}
  1. Update Tool Detection (src/main/detection.ts):
export async function detectInstalledTools(): Promise<Map<string, boolean>> {
  const installed = new Map<string, boolean>();
  
  for (const tool of tools) {
    try {
      // Check PATH, registry, or filesystem
      const isInstalled = await checkToolInstalled(tool.id);
      installed.set(tool.id, isInstalled);
    } catch {
      installed.set(tool.id, false);
    }
  }
  
  return installed;
}

async function checkToolInstalled(toolId: string): Promise<boolean> {
  // Check common installation indicators
  const checks = [
    () => checkPath(toolId),
    () => checkRegistry(toolId),
    () => checkFileSystem(toolId)
  ];
  
  for (const check of checks) {
    if (await check()) return true;
  }
  
  return false;
}

Configuration Export

Export current tool configuration for reproducible environments:

devtoolshub export-config > my-dev-setup.json

Example output:

{
  "version": "1.2.0",
  "platform": "win32",
  "installed": [
    "git",
    "node",
    "python",
    "docker",
    "vscode"
  ],
  "timestamp": "2026-05-17T12:34:56.789Z"
}

Batch Installation

Install multiple tools from a profile or custom list:

// src/renderer/profiles.ts
export interface Profile {
  id: string;
  name: string;
  description: string;
  tools: string[];
}

export const profiles: Profile[] = [
  {
    id: 'web-dev',
    name: 'Web Development',
    description: 'Essential tools for web development',
    tools: ['git', 'node', 'vscode', 'docker', 'postgresql']
  },
  {
    id: 'python-dev',
    name: 'Python Development',
    description: 'Python development environment',
    tools: ['git', 'python', 'vscode', 'postgresql']
  }
];

From CLI:

# Install all tools from a profile (requires custom implementation)
devtoolshub install git node vscode docker postgresql

Error Handling

The install queue uses per-tool try/catch — one failure doesn't abort the batch:

// src/main/installer.ts
export async function installTools(toolIds: string[]): Promise<InstallResult[]> {
  const results: InstallResult[] = [];
  
  for (const toolId of toolIds) {
    try {
      const tool = tools.find(t => t.id === toolId);
      if (!tool) {
        results.push({ toolId, success: false, error: 'Tool not found' });
        continue;
      }
      
      // Execute PowerShell installer with elevated privileges
      const scriptPath = path.join(installersDir, tool.installer);
      const result = await execElevated(scriptPath);
      
      results.push({ toolId, success: true, output: result.stdout });
    } catch (error) {
      results.push({
        toolId,
        success: false,
        error: error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)
      });
    }
  }
  
  return results;
}

Troubleshooting

Installation fails silently

  • Check install logs in the app's log viewer
  • Run CLI with verbose output: devtoolshub diagnose
  • Verify UAC elevation was granted

Tool not detected after install

  • Restart the app to refresh PATH detection
  • Manually check registry: HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment
  • Verify tool executable is in PATH: where <tool-name>

PowerShell execution policy errors

# Allow script execution (run as Administrator)
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope LocalMachine

Missing dependencies

  • Install Visual C++ Redistributables: devtoolshub install vcredist
  • Ensure Windows 10/11 x64
  • Check Node.js >= 18 for development builds

Build failures

# Clean and rebuild
rm -rf node_modules dist
npm install
npm run build

Security

DevTools Hub implements hardened Electron security:

  • Sandbox mode enabled: sandbox: true
  • Content Security Policy enforced
  • External navigation guard prevents malicious redirects
  • UAC elevation for privileged operations
  • Installers bundled in asar.unpacked (no runtime downloads)

All installer scripts should be reviewed before execution. The app does not download executables at runtime — all installers are packaged with the application.

FAQ

What does the devtools-hub-installer skill do?

Install and manage Windows development tools with DevTools Hub, a desktop app and CLI for provisioning developer environments

How do I install devtools-hub-installer?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/reason-machines/devtools-skills --skill devtools-hub-installer in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/devtools-hub-installer/ (personal) or .claude/skills/devtools-hub-installer/ (project).

Which AI agents can use devtools-hub-installer?

Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.

Is devtools-hub-installer safe to install?

No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.

Who maintains devtools-hub-installer?

It is published by reason-machines in reason-machines/devtools-skills. It has 209 recorded installs.

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