wendy install
Install WendyOS or Wendy Lite firmware on a device
Syntax
wendy install [image] [drive] [flags]Examples
wendy install --helpArguments
Argument notation from the CLI: [image] [drive]. Angle brackets mark required values; square brackets mark optional values. See Details for command-specific validation.
Flags
Flags below include inherited options. Types and defaults come from the CLI source. An empty default means no value is configured.
| Flag | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
--cloud-grpc | string | (empty) | Cloud gRPC endpoint of the auth session to use for pre-enrollment (optional when a default is set via 'wendy auth use') |
--device | string | (empty) | Target device hostname; wendy run accepts a comma-separated list to deploy one build to several devices (needs a remote build host and --detach). Defaults to $WENDY_DEVICE, then the saved default device |
--device-name | string | (empty) | Set device name on first boot (e.g. brave-dolphin) |
--device-type | string | (empty) | Device type from manifest (e.g. raspberry-pi-5) |
--drive | string | (empty) | Target drive path (e.g. /dev/disk4) |
--force | bool | false | Skip confirmation prompt |
--json | bool | false | Output in JSON format |
--nightly | bool | false | Use nightly/prerelease builds |
--no-bmap | bool | false | Disable bmap-accelerated flashing even when a block map is available |
--no-wifi | bool | false | Skip WiFi setup entirely (no interactive prompt, no pre-seeded networks) |
--pr | int | 0 | Install the image built by wendyos-builder PR #N (debug build; mutually exclusive with --nightly, --version, and positional [image] [drive]) |
--pre-enroll | bool | false | Pre-enroll this device with Wendy Cloud during imaging (requires 'wendy auth login') |
--rootfs-only | bool | false | Write only the SD/NVMe rootfs image; does not update Jetson QSPI boot firmware |
--storage | string | (empty) | Force image storage variant: nvme or sd (default: auto-detect — real NVMe drives use nvme; a USB-attached drive uses the device's published image, SD for Raspberry Pi / NVMe for Jetson SSD enclosures). For jetson-agx-orin, emmc flashes the onboard eMMC over USB recovery instead of writing a drive |
--version | string | (empty) | WendyOS version to install (interactive if omitted) |
--wifi | stringArray | [] | Pre-configure a WiFi network. Repeatable. Format: ssid=X[,password=Y][,priority=N][,hidden=true][,security=wpa2] |
--wifi-password | string | (empty) | Password for --wifi-ssid |
--wifi-ssid | string | (empty) | Pre-configure a single WiFi SSID on first boot (shortcut for --wifi) |
--yes-overwrite-internal | bool | false | Required to wipe an internal (non-removable) drive in non-interactive mode |
Output
Output depends on the operation and selected target. Command behavior and detailed examples.
JSON output
The global --json option requests machine-readable output. The CLI also selects JSON mode when no interactive terminal is attached. Support and payloads are command-specific; this flag does not guarantee a single JSON document for commands that stream logs or invoke build tools. Consult Details before parsing command output.
Exit codes
The CLI entry point returns 0 on success and for its user-cancelled or default-cleared results. Other returned errors exit with 1 and print a diagnostic to stderr. Some operations may terminate through subprocess or signal handling; do not infer application health from the CLI exit code alone.
Common errors
Check argument values and flag combinations against the synopsis above. For discovery, build, port, and readiness failures, see deployment troubleshooting. Command-specific constraints are in Details.
See also
Details
Interactively select a supported device, download the latest OS image or firmware, and write it to the target.
When called with positional arguments, skips interactive prompts: wendy os install <image-path> <drive-id> --force
When called with manifest-backed flags, installs a specific version: wendy os install --device-type raspberry-pi-5 --version 0.10.4 --drive /dev/disk4 --force
Pre-seed multiple WiFi networks (repeatable, highest-priority first):
wendy os install --device-type raspberry-pi-5 --drive /dev/disk4 --force
--wifi "ssid=Home,password=hunter2,priority=100"
--wifi "ssid=Office,password=corp,priority=50"
--wifi "ssid=Cafe,hidden=true"
Flags can be provided progressively — omitted values trigger interactive pickers.