#Recommended: WSL2
Run Cockpit inside WSL2, with Node, Git, Python, and AI CLIs in the same environment. In PowerShell as administrator:
wsl --install
Restart when asked, open the installed Ubuntu distribution, and create your Linux user. The command installs Ubuntu by default, and new installations use WSL2. This procedure requires Windows 10 version 2004/build 19041 or later, or Windows 11. See the official WSL guide.
Check in PowerShell:
wsl --list --verbose
Inside Ubuntu, follow the Linux guide. Keep the checkout in a Linux folder such as ~/Projetos/cockpit. Open http://localhost:4000 in your Windows browser.
Paths passed to the server are Linux paths, such as /home/your-user/Projetos/my-app. Windows folders may appear under /mnt/c/...; using the Linux filesystem simplifies permissions and symlinks. A CLI installed only on Windows is not automatically configured in WSL.
#Native Windows limitations
npm start uses POSIX expansion (COCKPIT_HOST=${COCKPIT_HOST:-0.0.0.0}), which is incompatible with Windows' default npm shell. The Python bridge is disabled on win32; /bin/bash, session sockets, and permissions also need adaptations. Git Bash alone does not address all these differences.
From an installed and built checkout, you can inspect the CLI in PowerShell:
node .\bin\cockpit.js --help
node .\bin\cockpit.js --version
This does not establish full support for native Windows terminals or sessions. Use WSL2 for normal operation.