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Install

Quick Start

heliaAOT ships as the helia-aot Python package on PyPI. Use pipx for an isolated CLI install, or install with uv / pip when that better fits your development workflow. From-source options are at the end.

Using pipx is the recommended way to install helia-aot as it allows installing and running Python CLIs in isolated environments. Upon installation, helia-aot will be available in your PATH. The pipx interpreter must be Python >=3.11,<3.13 (for example, python3.12).

  • Install helia-aot:

    pipx install --python python3.12 helia-aot

  • Upgrade helia-aot: pipx upgrade helia-aot

  • Invoke helia-aot: helia-aot --help
  • Remove helia-aot: pipx uninstall helia-aot

Tip

pipx requires a local Python (see requirements below), but isolates heliaAOT from your global environment.

uv can install heliaAOT as an isolated tool from PyPI.

  • Install helia-aot:

    uv tool install --python python3.12 helia-aot

  • Upgrade helia-aot: uv tool upgrade helia-aot

  • Invoke helia-aot: helia-aot --help
  • Remove helia-aot: uv tool uninstall helia-aot

Use pip inside a virtual environment when you want heliaAOT installed alongside project-specific Python tooling.

python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate  # Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate
python -m pip install helia-aot
helia-aot --help

If you want the latest, editable install for development, use one of the methods below.

git clone https://github.com/AmbiqAI/helia-aot.git
cd helia-aot
python -m venv .venv && source .venv/bin/activate   # Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -e .
helia-aot --help

git clone https://github.com/AmbiqAI/helia-aot.git
cd helia-aot
uv sync
uv run helia-aot --help

Verify the install

Once installed, verify the CLI is working:

helia-aot version
helia-aot --help

You should see usage text and a semantic version. If the command isn’t found, ensure the install location is on your PATH.

Requirements

Software (tooling)

  • For pipx, uv, and pip installs: Python >=3.11,<3.13

The project’s Python dependencies are listed in pyproject.toml and are automatically handled by pipx, pip, or uv.

Firmware (for generated C modules)

See platform-specific integration guides:

Usage (CLI)

$ helia-aot --help

usage: helia-aot [-h] <command> ...

positional arguments:
  <command>
    version   Display the version of the heliaAOT library.
    convert   Convert a model to standalone C inference module.

options:
  -h, --help  show this help message and exit

See the CLI Reference for all commands and flags.

Advanced: Install from source

If you want the latest, editable install for development, use one of the methods below.

git clone https://github.com/AmbiqAI/helia-aot.git
cd helia-aot
python -m venv .venv && source .venv/bin/activate   # Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -U pip setuptools wheel
pip install -e .
helia-aot --help

git clone https://github.com/AmbiqAI/helia-aot.git
cd helia-aot
uv sync
uv run helia-aot --help

Updating

  • pipx: pipx upgrade helia-aot
  • uv tool: uv tool upgrade helia-aot
  • pip: python -m pip install --upgrade helia-aot
  • source installs: pull main and reinstall (pip install -e . or uv sync)

Uninstall

  • pipx: pipx uninstall helia-aot
  • uv tool: uv tool uninstall helia-aot
  • pip: python -m pip uninstall helia-aot
  • source installs: remove the virtual environment and repo folder

Next Steps