SAF CLI

There are two ways to install SAF CLI. Choose the approach that best suits your workflow.

Note

If you are using Windows, you will need to enable Windows long paths. For more information, see Windows long paths.

Central installation

Install SAF CLI directly into your base Python interpreter:

pip install ansys-saf-cli

This makes the saf command available system-wide without activating any virtual environment. It is the quickest approach and suitable when you only need a single version of SAF CLI.

(Recommended) Installation in a virtual environment

Installing SAF CLI in a dedicated virtual environment keeps your base Python interpreter clean and lets you maintain multiple versions of SAF CLI side by side—for example, one per project or one per SAF release.

Note

Name the virtual environment .cli to distinguish it from the solution virtual environments created by SAF CLI itself, which are named .venv.

1. Create the dedicated virtual environment at a convenient location (for example, your home directory or a shared tools folder):

   python -m venv .cli
   

2. Activate the virtual environment:

   Windows PowerShell

   .cli\Scripts\Activate.ps1
   

   Linux/macOS

   source .cli/bin/activate
   

3. Install SAF CLI:

   pip install ansys-saf-cli
   

4. Verify the installation:

   saf --version
   

The saf command is available whenever the .cli virtual environment is active.