Auto-Install Overview

The pkg/install package auto-installs Ruby and RubyGems on a fresh machine — detecting the OS, distribution, architecture, and package manager, then running the right install commands. It's what makes a fully autonomous AI-agent workflow possible: the agent can provision the toolchain it needs without human setup.

Why it exists

Many workflows don't just call the RubyGems HTTP API — they also need to run gem, bundle, or ruby:

• Building a .gem file before publishing via PushGem.
• Resolving a local Gemfile.lock.
• Running a gem's tests in CI.

On a fresh CI runner, container, or sandbox, those binaries are absent. pkg/install fills the gap with one call:

import "github.com/scagogogo/rubygems-skills/pkg/install"

installer := install.NewInstaller()
result, err := installer.Install(ctx)

What it does

1. Detects the platform — OS (linux/darwin/windows), architecture (amd64/arm64/...), and (on Linux) the distribution via /etc/os-release.
2. Picks a package manager — apt, yum, dnf, apk, pacman, brew, choco, scoop, or zypper, with command-existence fallbacks.
3. Checks if Ruby is already installed — skips the install unless WithForceReinstall(true).
4. Runs the install — package-index update (optional), Ruby, dev headers (optional), Bundler (optional), and any extra packages you specify.
5. Returns an InstallResult — what was installed, the Ruby/gem versions detected, the commands run.

Tested platforms

Docker-based integration tests verify the installer on real distributions:

Distro	Package manager	Status
Ubuntu	apt	✅
Debian	apt	✅
Alpine	apk	✅
Fedora	dnf	✅
Rocky Linux	dnf	✅

See Supported Platforms for the full matrix and Usage for code.

When to use it

• AI agent workflows that need to run Ruby tooling on a sandboxed machine.
• CI pipelines that start from a minimal base image.
• Setup scripts that should work across distros without if/else on /etc/os-release.

When NOT to use it

• You only call the HTTP API (read or write) — pkg/repository needs no Ruby on the host at all.
• You're on a developer workstation where Ruby is already managed by rbenv/rvm/asdf — let the version manager handle it; forcing apt install ruby can conflict.

---

Next: Supported Platforms.