Critical Friction: Missing Prerequisites (Bun) & Architecture, missing next installation steps

[dxcore35]

Hi, I recently tried to install PAI and hit several major roadblocks that made the experience very confusing. I believe the documentation needs a "Prerequisites" section and a clearer explanation of where PAI actually "lives." Also have option to chose alternative destination in CLI.

1. The "Bun" Dependency is not explicit
The Quick Start guide immediately says to run:
bun run install.ts

However, nowhere in the "Getting Started" or "Quick Start" does it explicitly list Bun as a required dependency. If a user doesn't have Bun installed, the command fails immediately with command not found.
Suggestion: Please add a "Prerequisites" step before the Quick Start that provides the install command for Bun (curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash).

2. Confusion regarding "Where" PAI is installed
I went through the installation, set up my AI name, and configured it. However, when I tried to use it in a default .Claude environment, after all was done I open Claude but my AI wasn't there.
The documentation implies this is an "Infrastructure," but it doesn't clearly explain that PAI is local configuration files sitting on the specific machine where the CLI is running.
Suggestion: Please add a high-level architecture diagram or a simple "How it works" sentence explaining that PAI lives in the local ~/.claude folder.

3. "Next Steps" are missing (The "What Now?" problem)
After the installation script finishes, there is no clear instruction on what to do next. The process just ends. A user is left wondering:

• "Do I run a specific command?"
• "Do I just open claude?"
• "How do I actually speak to the AI I just named?" Suggestion: Please add a final "Post-Installation" step that explicitly tells the user to run claude code (or the relevant start command) to initialize their new assistant. Without this, the user is left stranded after a successful install.

[dxcore35]

Why these next steps are not part of this installation process?
Why there is at least not a link to relevant documentation how to install it?
Why when I chose complete installation this is not installed?

[orangeswim]

This is what I did.

1. Install claude
2. Install bun
3. Install vscode
4. git clone PAI into a folder
5. do the initial setup for claude (api key etc) by running claude or check claude docs. You can also use GLM, see GLM docs.
6. cd into PAI, or open it with vscode
7. run bun Bundles/Kai/install.ts this does a very light setup
8. The script tells you to

 1. Install the packs IN ORDER by giving each pack file to your AI:
     - kai-hook-system.md
     - kai-history-system.md
     - kai-core-install.md
     - kai-voice-system.md (optional, requires ElevenLabs)

9. run claude in the terminal
10. ask it to do a task by typing in the terminal: "install pack Packs/kai-hook-system"
11. Run through the prompts for that install. understand what is going on or just accept it all.
12. My install tried to write the files, its much faster if you tell it to copy the files instead when possible
13. After that is done, maybe 5-10 minutes depending. You will have to exit claude. You can exit by typing "exit"
14. Open claude again, now install kai history with a similar prompt.
15. After its done, restart, open, now install kai-core
16. I would skip the voice and install kai-observability server
17. I also installed prompting skill next.
    18 At this point, the claude cli tool now has enough scripts and skills running in its loop and context to function effectively as an AI agent/helper.

I spent at least 1-3 hours on the setup. Had to do some troubleshooting manually on why the kai observability server wasnt running. I was missing PAI_DIR in the environment. PAI_DIR is setup when claude is running, but not on your shell. So you can ask claude/pai to update your shell env to add PAI_DIR.

[dxcore35]

Thank you for your tutorial. This should be the default tutorial, actually, for installation!!! 👀 @danielmiessler

One thing, uh, if I don't want to mess up my .claude code directory and I want to keep it clean Claude code. I want to install the PAI system in different directory. What are the benefits and what's the problems with that? and where your manual will deviate to accommodate this? Love to see GLM!

[jogi-poikola]

I confirm the "What now" problem.

I would have expected that the agent somehow greets me (hello world) after installation the first time I open CC.

Since there was now sich greeting I started to chat and ask if PAI is working and what skills it has. It said that it was working and it had skills that I had installed.

Then I asked it to write me a step-by-step post intallation testing routime that I can do to check everything works as supposed.

When going trough that testing I discovered some problems (I reported some as bugs here) and got confirmation on some things that did work.