> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.xtrace.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Installation

> Install the x-vec Python SDK and optional extras for local embeddings and the CLI.

Requires Python 3.11 or later.

## Base install

The base package includes the full x-vec SDK — encrypted vector storage, retrieval, execution context management, and the Ollama and OpenAI embedding providers:

```bash theme={null}
pip install xtrace-ai-sdk
```

## Optional extras

### `[embedding]` — Sentence Transformers

Adds local embedding support via [Sentence Transformers](https://www.sbert.net). Models are downloaded from Hugging Face on first use.

Ollama and any OpenAI API-compatible embedding service (including OpenAI, Redpill, and Anthropic) are supported out of the box in the base install — no extra flag needed. Only install this extra if you want to use Sentence Transformers directly:

```bash theme={null}
pip install "xtrace-ai-sdk[embedding]"
```

### `[cli]` — Interactive CLI

Adds the `xtrace` command-line interface — an interactive shell for managing knowledge bases, loading data, and running queries without writing Python:

```bash theme={null}
pip install "xtrace-ai-sdk[cli]"
```

See the [CLI quickstart](/x-vec/cli) for setup and usage.

### Combined

Extras can be combined:

```bash theme={null}
pip install "xtrace-ai-sdk[embedding,cli]"
```

## Install from source

```bash theme={null}
git clone https://github.com/XTraceAI/xtrace-vec-sdk.git
cd xtrace-vec-sdk
pip install -e .
```

To include extras:

```bash theme={null}
pip install -e ".[embedding,cli]"
```