3. Installation

The recommended path for end users is the installer (Aefos-Setup-<version>.exe). It copies the packages (BPLs), registers the Chat and the Terminal in the IDE, and prepares the MCP configuration — no manual folder work required.

If you build from source (plugin developer), see the the project repository. This page covers the end-user path.

Step by step

Close RAD Studio. The installer registers packages in the IDE; it cannot be open.
Run Aefos-Setup-<version>.exe. It is per-user (no administrator needed). - During installation, Aefos detects the AI CLI, Python, and WebView2. The WebView2 Runtime (Microsoft's official component, required by the Chat) is installed automatically when missing, from Microsoft's official bootstrapper. For the AI CLI and Python, Aefos only points you to the official source — it never installs third-party binaries for you.
Restart RAD Studio. The Aefos AI - Chat and Aefos AI - Terminal packages come pre-registered.
Confirm: the View menu shows the Aefos AI (Chat) and Aefos AI (Terminal) submenus.

Post-install verification

After reopening the IDE, check:

[ ] The View menu shows Aefos AI (Chat) and Aefos AI (Terminal).
[ ] Under Tools → Options there is an Aefos node (with its config pages).
[ ] View → Aefos AI (Chat) → Open Chat opens the chat panel.
[ ] (If you installed it) View → Aefos AI (Terminal) opens the terminal.

Rich Markdown (WebView2)

The Chat renders through WebView2, which the installer provisions automatically. If the Chat appears blank/black or shows plain text, it's usually a missing WebView2 — re-run the installer (it installs the runtime) or install it manually: https://aka.ms/webview2. Then restart the IDE.

Where things live

Item	Path
Global MCP configuration	`%APPDATA%\Aefos\aefos-mcp.json`
MCP bridge (Terminal)	`%APPDATA%\Aefos\mcp-bridge.ps1`
PyTools (Python tools)	`%APPDATA%\Aefos\pytools`

Updating to a new version

On the same machine your license is preserved — you don't need to deactivate anything.

Recommended (same machine):

Close RAD Studio.
Run the new Aefos-Setup-<version>.exe — you can install over the current version (no need to uninstall).
Reopen the IDE. Your license (including the Free tier) stays active, and the Chat now uses the WebView2 the installer provisions.

Clean reinstall — or moving to another machine:

Open the IDE → Aefos → License… → copy your key and click Deactivate (free seat).
Close the IDE and uninstall the current version.
Install the new version.
Reopen the IDE → Aefos → License… → paste the key → Activate.

Deactivate is only required to move the seat to another machine. The license lives in %APPDATA%\Aefos\license.dat and is not removed on uninstall — so, on the same machine, updating needs no deactivation and no re-entering the key.

Uninstall

Uninstalling removes the BPLs, the bridge, the generated .mcp.json, the IDE package registrations, and the PATH entry. Your own PyTools (the ones you dropped into the folder) are preserved.

➡️ Next: Getting started