Buildkite CLI installation

Debian/Ubuntu

Ensure you have curl and gpg installed first:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install curl gpg -y

Install the signing key:

sudo mkdir -p /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL "https://packages.buildkite.com/buildkite/cli-deb/gpgkey" | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/buildkite_cli-deb-archive-keyring.gpg

Configure the registry:

echo -e "deb [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/buildkite_cli-deb-archive-keyring.gpg] https://packages.buildkite.com/buildkite/cli-deb/any/ any main\ndeb-src [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/buildkite_cli-deb-archive-keyring.gpg] https://packages.buildkite.com/buildkite/cli-deb/any/ any main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/buildkite-buildkite-cli-deb.list

Install the Buildkite CLI:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y bk

Red Hat/CentOS

Configure the registry:

echo -e "[cli-rpm]\nname=Buildkite CLI\nbaseurl=https://packages.buildkite.com/buildkite/cli-rpm/rpm_any/rpm_any/\$basearch\nenabled=1\nrepo_gpgcheck=1\ngpgcheck=0\ngpgkey=https://packages.buildkite.com/buildkite/cli-rpm/gpgkey\npriority=1" | sudo tee /etc/yum.repos.d/cli-rpm.repo

Then, install the Buildkite CLI:

sudo dnf install -y bk

macOS

The Buildkite CLI is packaged into the Buildkite Homebrew tap, which is the recommended approach for installing this CLI tool on macOS as it allows you to use the Buildkite Homebrew formulae repository.

To install the Buildkite CLI on macOS, run:

brew install buildkite/buildkite/bk@3

Windows

1. Download the latest Windows release from the Buildkite CLI releases page.
2. Extract the files to a folder of your choice.
3. Add that folder to your PATH, or run bk.exe from that folder.

Manual installation

If your system is not listed above, you can manually install a binary from the Buildkite CLI releases page.

Choose the archive for your operating system and architecture. Releases include macOS, Linux, and Windows binaries for AMD64 and ARM64. Extract the archive and put the bk binary in a directory on your PATH.

Install with mise

To install with mise:

mise use -g github:buildkite/cli@latest

Verify and authenticate

Check the installed version, then authenticate:

bk version
bk auth login

For device authorization, API tokens, and automation, see Buildkite CLI configuration.

Update the CLI

For a standalone release-binary installation, run:

bk update

This downloads the latest release for your platform, verifies its checksum, and replaces the binary in place. If Homebrew or mise manages the installation, bk update prints instructions for that tool instead:

brew upgrade buildkite/buildkite/bk@3
# Or, for mise:
mise use -g github:buildkite/cli@latest

For Debian/Ubuntu or RPM installations, update bk using your system package manager.