diff --git a/install.sh b/install.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..c95cdda
--- /dev/null
+++ b/install.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,394 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Claw Code installer
+#
+# Detects the host OS, verifies the Rust toolchain (rustc + cargo),
+# builds the `claw` binary from the `rust/` workspace, and runs a
+# post-install verification step. Supports Linux, macOS, and WSL.
+#
+# Usage:
+#   ./install.sh                # debug build (fast, default)
+#   ./install.sh --release      # optimized release build
+#   ./install.sh --no-verify    # skip post-install verification
+#   ./install.sh --help         # print usage
+#
+# Environment overrides:
+#   CLAW_BUILD_PROFILE=debug|release   same as --release toggle
+#   CLAW_SKIP_VERIFY=1                 same as --no-verify
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Pretty printing
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+if [ -t 1 ] && command -v tput >/dev/null 2>&1 && [ "$(tput colors 2>/dev/null || echo 0)" -ge 8 ]; then
+    COLOR_RESET="$(tput sgr0)"
+    COLOR_BOLD="$(tput bold)"
+    COLOR_DIM="$(tput dim)"
+    COLOR_RED="$(tput setaf 1)"
+    COLOR_GREEN="$(tput setaf 2)"
+    COLOR_YELLOW="$(tput setaf 3)"
+    COLOR_BLUE="$(tput setaf 4)"
+    COLOR_CYAN="$(tput setaf 6)"
+else
+    COLOR_RESET=""
+    COLOR_BOLD=""
+    COLOR_DIM=""
+    COLOR_RED=""
+    COLOR_GREEN=""
+    COLOR_YELLOW=""
+    COLOR_BLUE=""
+    COLOR_CYAN=""
+fi
+
+CURRENT_STEP=0
+TOTAL_STEPS=6
+
+step() {
+    CURRENT_STEP=$((CURRENT_STEP + 1))
+    printf '\n%s[%d/%d]%s %s%s%s\n' \
+        "${COLOR_BLUE}" "${CURRENT_STEP}" "${TOTAL_STEPS}" "${COLOR_RESET}" \
+        "${COLOR_BOLD}" "$1" "${COLOR_RESET}"
+}
+
+info()  { printf '%s  ->%s %s\n' "${COLOR_CYAN}" "${COLOR_RESET}" "$1"; }
+ok()    { printf '%s  ok%s %s\n' "${COLOR_GREEN}" "${COLOR_RESET}" "$1"; }
+warn()  { printf '%s  warn%s %s\n' "${COLOR_YELLOW}" "${COLOR_RESET}" "$1"; }
+error() { printf '%s  error%s %s\n' "${COLOR_RED}" "${COLOR_RESET}" "$1" 1>&2; }
+
+print_banner() {
+    printf '%s' "${COLOR_BOLD}"
+    cat <<'EOF'
+   ____  _                   ____          _
+  / ___|| |  __ _ __      __ / ___|___   __| | ___
+ | |    | | / _` |\ \ /\ / /| |   / _ \ / _` |/ _ \
+ | |___ | || (_| | \ V  V / | |__| (_) | (_| |  __/
+  \____||_| \__,_|  \_/\_/   \____\___/ \__,_|\___|
+EOF
+    printf '%s\n' "${COLOR_RESET}"
+    printf '%sClaw Code installer%s\n' "${COLOR_DIM}" "${COLOR_RESET}"
+}
+
+print_usage() {
+    cat <<'EOF'
+Usage: ./install.sh [options]
+
+Options:
+  --release       Build the optimized release profile (slower, smaller binary).
+  --debug         Build the debug profile (default, faster compile).
+  --no-verify     Skip the post-install verification step.
+  -h, --help      Show this help text and exit.
+
+Environment overrides:
+  CLAW_BUILD_PROFILE   debug | release
+  CLAW_SKIP_VERIFY     set to 1 to skip verification
+EOF
+}
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Argument parsing
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+BUILD_PROFILE="${CLAW_BUILD_PROFILE:-debug}"
+SKIP_VERIFY="${CLAW_SKIP_VERIFY:-0}"
+
+while [ "$#" -gt 0 ]; do
+    case "$1" in
+        --release)
+            BUILD_PROFILE="release"
+            ;;
+        --debug)
+            BUILD_PROFILE="debug"
+            ;;
+        --no-verify)
+            SKIP_VERIFY="1"
+            ;;
+        -h|--help)
+            print_usage
+            exit 0
+            ;;
+        *)
+            error "unknown argument: $1"
+            print_usage
+            exit 2
+            ;;
+    esac
+    shift
+done
+
+case "${BUILD_PROFILE}" in
+    debug|release) ;;
+    *)
+        error "invalid build profile: ${BUILD_PROFILE} (expected debug or release)"
+        exit 2
+        ;;
+esac
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Troubleshooting hints
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+print_troubleshooting() {
+    cat <<EOF
+
+${COLOR_BOLD}Troubleshooting${COLOR_RESET}
+${COLOR_DIM}---------------${COLOR_RESET}
+
+  ${COLOR_BOLD}1. Rust toolchain missing${COLOR_RESET}
+     Install Rust via rustup:
+       curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
+     Then reload your shell or run:
+       source "\$HOME/.cargo/env"
+
+  ${COLOR_BOLD}2. Linux: missing system packages${COLOR_RESET}
+     The build needs git, pkg-config, and OpenSSL headers.
+     Debian/Ubuntu:
+       sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y \\
+         git pkg-config libssl-dev ca-certificates build-essential
+     Fedora/RHEL:
+       sudo dnf install -y git pkgconf-pkg-config openssl-devel gcc
+     Arch:
+       sudo pacman -S --needed git pkgconf openssl base-devel
+
+  ${COLOR_BOLD}3. macOS: missing Xcode CLT${COLOR_RESET}
+     Install the command line tools:
+       xcode-select --install
+
+  ${COLOR_BOLD}4. Windows users${COLOR_RESET}
+     Run this script from inside a WSL distro (Ubuntu/Debian recommended).
+     Native Windows builds are not supported by this installer.
+
+  ${COLOR_BOLD}5. Build fails partway through${COLOR_RESET}
+     Try a clean build:
+       cd rust && cargo clean && cargo build --workspace
+     If the failure mentions ring/openssl, double check step 2.
+
+  ${COLOR_BOLD}6. 'claw' not found after install${COLOR_RESET}
+     The binary lives at:
+       rust/target/${BUILD_PROFILE}/claw
+     Add it to your PATH or invoke it with the full path.
+
+EOF
+}
+
+trap 'rc=$?; if [ "$rc" -ne 0 ]; then error "installation failed (exit ${rc})"; print_troubleshooting; fi' EXIT
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Helpers
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+require_cmd() {
+    command -v "$1" >/dev/null 2>&1
+}
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Step 1: detect OS / arch / WSL
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+print_banner
+step "Detecting host environment"
+
+UNAME_S="$(uname -s 2>/dev/null || echo unknown)"
+UNAME_M="$(uname -m 2>/dev/null || echo unknown)"
+OS_FAMILY="unknown"
+IS_WSL="0"
+
+case "${UNAME_S}" in
+    Linux*)
+        OS_FAMILY="linux"
+        if grep -qiE 'microsoft|wsl' /proc/version 2>/dev/null; then
+            IS_WSL="1"
+        fi
+        ;;
+    Darwin*)
+        OS_FAMILY="macos"
+        ;;
+    MINGW*|MSYS*|CYGWIN*)
+        OS_FAMILY="windows-shell"
+        ;;
+esac
+
+info "uname:        ${UNAME_S} ${UNAME_M}"
+info "os family:    ${OS_FAMILY}"
+if [ "${IS_WSL}" = "1" ]; then
+    info "wsl:          yes"
+fi
+
+case "${OS_FAMILY}" in
+    linux|macos)
+        ok "supported platform detected"
+        ;;
+    windows-shell)
+        error "Detected a native Windows shell (MSYS/Cygwin/MinGW)."
+        error "Please re-run this script from inside a WSL distribution."
+        exit 1
+        ;;
+    *)
+        error "Unsupported or unknown OS: ${UNAME_S}"
+        error "Supported: Linux, macOS, and Windows via WSL."
+        exit 1
+        ;;
+esac
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Step 2: locate the Rust workspace
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+step "Locating the Rust workspace"
+
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")" && pwd)"
+RUST_DIR="${SCRIPT_DIR}/rust"
+
+if [ ! -d "${RUST_DIR}" ]; then
+    error "Could not find rust/ workspace next to install.sh"
+    error "Expected: ${RUST_DIR}"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+if [ ! -f "${RUST_DIR}/Cargo.toml" ]; then
+    error "Missing ${RUST_DIR}/Cargo.toml — repository layout looks unexpected."
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+ok "workspace at ${RUST_DIR}"
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Step 3: prerequisite checks
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+step "Checking prerequisites"
+
+MISSING_PREREQS=0
+
+if require_cmd rustc; then
+    RUSTC_VERSION="$(rustc --version 2>/dev/null || echo 'unknown')"
+    ok "rustc found: ${RUSTC_VERSION}"
+else
+    error "rustc not found in PATH"
+    MISSING_PREREQS=1
+fi
+
+if require_cmd cargo; then
+    CARGO_VERSION="$(cargo --version 2>/dev/null || echo 'unknown')"
+    ok "cargo found: ${CARGO_VERSION}"
+else
+    error "cargo not found in PATH"
+    MISSING_PREREQS=1
+fi
+
+if require_cmd git; then
+    ok "git found:  $(git --version 2>/dev/null || echo 'unknown')"
+else
+    warn "git not found — some workflows (login, session export) may degrade"
+fi
+
+if [ "${OS_FAMILY}" = "linux" ]; then
+    if require_cmd pkg-config; then
+        ok "pkg-config found"
+    else
+        warn "pkg-config not found — may be required for OpenSSL-linked crates"
+    fi
+fi
+
+if [ "${OS_FAMILY}" = "macos" ]; then
+    if ! require_cmd cc && ! xcode-select -p >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+        warn "Xcode command line tools not detected — run: xcode-select --install"
+    fi
+fi
+
+if [ "${MISSING_PREREQS}" -ne 0 ]; then
+    error "Missing required tools. See troubleshooting below."
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Step 4: build the workspace
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+step "Building the claw workspace (${BUILD_PROFILE})"
+
+CARGO_FLAGS=("build" "--workspace")
+if [ "${BUILD_PROFILE}" = "release" ]; then
+    CARGO_FLAGS+=("--release")
+fi
+
+info "running: cargo ${CARGO_FLAGS[*]}"
+info "this may take a few minutes on the first build"
+
+(
+    cd "${RUST_DIR}"
+    CARGO_TERM_COLOR="${CARGO_TERM_COLOR:-always}" cargo "${CARGO_FLAGS[@]}"
+)
+
+CLAW_BIN="${RUST_DIR}/target/${BUILD_PROFILE}/claw"
+
+if [ ! -x "${CLAW_BIN}" ]; then
+    error "Expected binary not found at ${CLAW_BIN}"
+    error "The build reported success but the binary is missing — check cargo output above."
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+ok "built ${CLAW_BIN}"
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Step 5: post-install verification
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+step "Verifying the installed binary"
+
+if [ "${SKIP_VERIFY}" = "1" ]; then
+    warn "verification skipped (--no-verify or CLAW_SKIP_VERIFY=1)"
+else
+    info "running: claw --version"
+    if VERSION_OUT="$("${CLAW_BIN}" --version 2>&1)"; then
+        ok "claw --version -> ${VERSION_OUT}"
+    else
+        error "claw --version failed:"
+        printf '%s\n' "${VERSION_OUT}" 1>&2
+        exit 1
+    fi
+
+    info "running: claw --help (smoke test)"
+    if "${CLAW_BIN}" --help >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+        ok "claw --help responded"
+    else
+        error "claw --help failed"
+        exit 1
+    fi
+fi
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Step 6: next steps
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+step "Next steps"
+
+cat <<EOF
+${COLOR_GREEN}Claw Code is built and ready.${COLOR_RESET}
+
+  Binary:  ${COLOR_BOLD}${CLAW_BIN}${COLOR_RESET}
+  Profile: ${BUILD_PROFILE}
+
+Try it out:
+
+  ${COLOR_DIM}# interactive REPL${COLOR_RESET}
+  ${CLAW_BIN}
+
+  ${COLOR_DIM}# one-shot prompt${COLOR_RESET}
+  ${CLAW_BIN} prompt "summarize this repository"
+
+  ${COLOR_DIM}# health check (run /doctor inside the REPL)${COLOR_RESET}
+  ${CLAW_BIN}
+  /doctor
+
+Authentication:
+
+  export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-..."
+  ${COLOR_DIM}# or use OAuth:${COLOR_RESET}
+  ${CLAW_BIN} login
+
+For deeper docs, see USAGE.md and rust/README.md.
+EOF
+
+# clear the failure trap on clean exit
+trap - EXIT