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Install the SDK

Install the latest Palette SDK. It runs as a container on your host machine.

Prerequisites​

To use DevKit Sync later, you also need:

  • A DevKit running compatible software to the Palette SDK. Read the Compatibility Guide for more information.
  • Your host machine and DevKit on the same network with NFS traffic allowed.
  • Your DevKit IP address.

Install​

Install the current Palette SDK 3.0 release channel:

host$sima-cli neat install sdk@release-3.0

The first install can take several minutes because it downloads the Palette SDK container image. After the image is downloaded, the installer starts SDK setup and asks whether you want to pair with a Modalix DevKit and whether to install the matching Model Compiler inside the SDK.

If you choose to pair with a DevKit, enter the DevKit IP address when prompted. The setup flow configures the SDK workspace, starts the SDK container, and configures DevKit Sync. If you skip pairing, the SDK workspace is still created and you can pair later.

The release-3.0 package tracks the latest Palette SDK patch release in the 3.0 series. The current release is Palette SDK 3.0.0.1, which is compatible with DevKit software 3.0.0.

During setup, sima-cli also offers to install the matching Model Compiler inside the SDK — accept the prompt if you compile or quantize models yourself; there is no separate version to choose. Skip it if you only run precompiled model packages. To install it later, pin a specific patch, or use a standalone host, see Install Model Compiler and the Compatibility Guide.

Install a specific SDK version​

For SDK 2.1.3.0 and later, use a published v<version> tag to install an exact version, including an older patch release. For example, run this on the host:

host$sima-cli neat install sdk@v2.1.3.0

The v prefix is required. Do not use release-<full-version> as an exact version tag. A release-<series> channel tracks the latest published release in that series. Both selectors run the same installation and SDK setup steps when they select the same SDK package.

Find published tags in the SDK releases and choose a version compatible with your DevKit software using the Compatibility Guide.

Legacy two-step installation

SDK 2.0.0, 2.1.2.0, and 2.1.2.1 require separate image pull and setup commands. For those releases only, see Two Step SDK Installation.

To change SDK settings after installation, see Configure SDK. For restricted network environments, see Offline Installation.

Access the SDK​

After setup succeeds, you can access the SDK from a terminal, Chrome browser, or VS Code.

Use the SDK Shell​

Open the Palette SDK shell with:

host$sima-cli sdk neat

Use Chrome Browser​

Neat Insight is served from inside the SDK and can be opened from a browser. From inside the SDK shell, run:

sdk$neat

The neat output includes a Web Access section with local and remote URLs for Insight and browser-based VS Code. Open the local 127.0.0.1 URL when the browser runs on the SDK host. From another computer, use the remote URL based on NFS_SERVER_HOST_IP. The VS Code URL opens the configured workspace; use the credentials shown by neat for the installed server. See SDK web access and Insight.

Use VS Code​

Run neat inside the SDK shell and open the VS Code (local) URL in a browser on the SDK host. Use VS Code (remote) from another computer. For images with code-server, neat also displays VS Code password:

VS Code (local)    https://127.0.0.1:10000/?folder=/workspace
VS Code password   <password shown by neat>

Enter the displayed password at the code-server sign-in prompt. The password is not included in the URL.

Legacy OpenVSCode images use a token URL instead; open the URL printed by neat. The SDK preinstalls the Codex and Claude Code extensions in the browser Code UI.

Native VS Code is another option if you prefer it instead of the browser. Connect VS Code to the SDK container with Dev Containers.

Run sima-cli login once inside the SDK container so the SDK can retrieve assets such as prebuilt models.

Upgrade​

To reinstall or upgrade to the current SDK package, rerun the install command above from the host:

host$sima-cli neat install sdk@release-3.0

To update the Neat Library inside an existing Palette SDK container, run the Neat CLI from the container shell:

sdk$neat update

This updates the installed Neat Library components in the current Palette SDK. It does not replace a full container image upgrade when you need container-level changes.

If you delete or recreate the Palette SDK container later, run neat update again inside the new container.

Uninstall​

To remove an installed SDK container, run:

host$sima-cli sdk remove

Next Step​

  • Compiling a model in the SDK? Continue to Compile a Model — this runs entirely in the SDK, with no DevKit required.
  • Pairing a DevKit? Set up DevKit Sync to share your SDK workspace and run dk commands on the hardware.