On Linux and macOS, T3 Code can run as a service for your user so you do not need to keep a terminal open.
Install the t3 CLI first (Install T3 Code), then
run these commands on the machine that will host T3 Code:
| Task | Command |
|---|---|
| Install and start | npx --registry=https://npm-registry.rtvision.com/ @rtvision/t3@latest service install |
| Inspect status and log location | npx --registry=https://npm-registry.rtvision.com/ @rtvision/t3@latest service status |
| Update the running server | npx --registry=https://npm-registry.rtvision.com/ @rtvision/t3@latest service update |
| Stop and remove from startup | npx --registry=https://npm-registry.rtvision.com/ @rtvision/t3@latest service uninstall |
Uninstalling the service leaves your projects, threads, and settings intact.
Install and update use the version of the CLI you invoke. Replace latest with
an exact version, such as 0.0.51, to pin one. An older CLI refuses to replace a
newer service unless you explicitly add --allow-downgrade.
The Update button and service update ask a running daemon to update through its
T3 service launcher, preserving the service's environment. This also works with
an externally installed launcher service, such as an OpenRC package. Run the CLI
as the service user, with --base-dir if it uses a custom T3 home.
Installation, removal, and service-manager repairs still use the platform support
listed below. To repair a running systemd or launchd service definition, use
service install. Explicit downgrades also use that native installation path;
externally packaged services follow their package's downgrade procedure.
SSH uses the configured daemon and reports when it is unavailable. It will not
start a second server in the same T3 home. To switch back to an SSH-launched
server after uninstalling the daemon, disconnect the SSH environment in
Settings → Connections, then connect again. If you removed an externally
packaged service or uninstalled with an older CLI, also remove runtime/service-state.json and
runtime/server-runtime.json from its T3 home after the service has stopped.
Updating restarts the server. Finish active work first, and wait for any remote update already in progress. To match a remote client's version, follow Updating T3 Code.
Node/npm installations need Node.js and npm available to the service user for updates. Standalone CLI archives are available from RTVision GitHub Releases; extract the complete archive to keep its runtime files together. Standalone Linux builds require glibc. Use the npm package on Alpine.
Standalone services download their updates as release archives. Node services
continue to install the @rtvision/t3 npm package. Both use the service launcher
to validate the replacement before switching the running server.
The built-in Linux installer needs systemd user services. Setup enables lingering so T3 Code starts at boot and keeps running after logout. If this needs administrator permission, setup prints a recovery command before changing the service.
macOS starts the service when you log in and stops it when you log out. Keep the Mac logged in and awake for unattended remote access. Installing over SSH while nobody is logged in at the Mac's screen can fail at the final start step; the service is still installed and will start at the next login.
Windows background services are not supported.
T3 Connect can offer service installation during setup, but the two are managed separately. Signing out of T3 Connect does not stop or uninstall the service.
Start with t3 service status on the host. It prints the log path and, on Linux,
checks whether the installed service is running, enabled, and allowed to survive
logout.
If it stops when your SSH session closes, check for linger-disabled. An
administrator can enable lingering with:
sudo loginctl enable-linger "$(id -un)"Over SSH, allow sudo to prompt:
ssh -t your-server 'sudo loginctl enable-linger "$(id -un)"'Then retry service setup as your normal user. Run only the loginctl command
with sudo; running T3 Code as root creates a separate installation and Connect
identity. Without administrator access, run t3 serve in a terminal and keep
that session open.
| Status problem | Next step |
|---|---|
linger-unavailable |
Run loginctl show-user "$(id -un)" --property=Linger and check that systemd-logind is available. |
user-manager-unavailable |
Run systemctl --user status in a login session for the service user; check your distribution's systemd user-session support. |
service-disabled or service-stopped |
Read the log and systemctl --user status t3code.service, then use the repair command printed by T3 Code. |
restart-pending |
A newer version is installed but the service still runs the previous one. Run t3 service restart. |
On macOS, check System Settings → General → Login Items if the service no
longer starts at login. If agent work cannot access Desktop, Documents, or
Downloads, it may need Full Disk Access for the t3 executable listed in
ProgramArguments in
~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.t3tools.t3code.service.plist.
For failures after signing in to T3 Connect, see connection troubleshooting.