Install MercaderIA step by step
No technical knowledge needed. We tell you exactly what you'll see on screen at every moment and what to do if you don't see it. If something looks odd, it's almost always normal: we explain it when it happens.
MercaderIA relies on four pieces. You don't need to understand how they work, just that they're there:
- Node.js: The engine that powers the tools underneath.
- Git: A utility those tools use internally.
- Claude Code: The artificial intelligence that will work on your store.
- MercaderIA: The agentic system that automates your entire store.
The most important thing on this whole page
MercaderIA installs Git and Claude Code for you, but you must install Node.js yourself first. Skip that order and the app will tell you something is missing. Start with step 1.
This comes before downloading MercaderIA. Go to the official site and download the version marked LTS.
Download Node.js LTSLTS means “stable version with long-term support”. If you see two buttons, always pick LTS, never the one labelled “Current”.
During install: next, next, next. Change nothing, accept all defaults.
Close every terminal and restart your computer
If this is your first time installing Node, restart the machine. The system takes a while to “notice” there's a new program, and restarting is the foolproof way to make it notice. This avoids the single most common error of the whole install.
Check that it worked:
Open Terminal (we explain how in step 2) and type:
node --versionIt should answer something like v22.14.0. If it does, you're set.
If it says “command not found: node”, it didn't install or you didn't restart: restart and try again.
The terminal is a window where you type text commands, press Enter and the program answers. That's it. You won't break anything.
macOS
- Press Cmd + Space.
- Type terminal.
- Press Enter.
Windows
- Press the Windows key.
- Type powershell.
- Open Windows PowerShell.
maria@MacBook ~ % node --version v22.14.0 maria@MacBook ~ %
The black or blue window full of text is completely normal: that's what a freshly opened terminal looks like.
Copy and paste is allowed (and recommended)
You don't have to type anything by hand. Use the Copy button on each block of this guide and paste into the terminal with Cmd + V.
Useful for the future: if a terminal ever asks you for a password, nothing shows while you type — no dots, no asterisks. That's protection, not a bug. It won't happen with MercaderIA, but it's good to know.
There are two paths. Both work:
Option A — manually from the terminal (recommended)
Open Terminal and paste this line:
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bashOption B — let MercaderIA do it
The first time you open MercaderIA, an assistant detects what's missing and installs Git and Claude Code on its own. That's the easiest route, but it sometimes takes a while to propagate and you may need to close and reopen the app for it to be recognised. Restarting the computer or waiting a few minutes connects everything on its own. This only happens at the beginning: never again once connected.
A lot of text will scroll by. That's normal. It's done when the line where you type appears again ($).
After installing Claude Code you type claude in the terminal and it answers:
zsh: command not found: claude
Relax: this is expected, not a weird failure. The program is installed, but it landed in a folder that isn't on the terminal's list of places to look. It's like having the book at home but not on the shelf you always check: you have to tell the computer where it is.
macOS — paste these two lines, one after the other:
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrcsource ~/.zshrcThe first one adds the folder to the list permanently (for example /Users/maria/.local/bin). The second makes the terminal notice right away, without restarting.
Check with:
claude --versionIf it still doesn't work, nothing serious happens
MercaderIA looks for the program in many different folders and usually finds it even when the terminal can't see it. Move on and try the app.
Claude Code needs an account. The first time it asks you to sign in: a browser tab opens, you log in with your Claude account, accept and go back to the app.
MercaderIA opens that tab automatically when it has just installed Claude Code for the first time. If you already had Claude installed, the app assumes you're signed in and doesn't open it. If you actually aren't, just open the terminal and type:
claude…and follow whatever appears on screen.
They're two different things, don't mix them up
You need a Claude account with an active plan and, separately, a MercaderIA license. One doesn't include the other.
If macOS says it can't verify the developer
Open the .dmg and drag MercaderIA into the Applications folder. If the warning shows when you open it, right-click the app → Open → Open. It appears because the app isn't signed by Apple yet, not because it's dangerous.
You'll see a list with Git, Claude Code and Node.js, each with its status, and the app installing whatever is missing on its own.
- Node.jsFound — v22.14.0
- GitInstalling…
- Claude CodeNot found
If something still shows as “not found” after installing it
Close MercaderIA completely and open it again. The app inherits the system's program list at launch, so anything installed while it's open stays invisible until the next start. It's not a bug, it's how it works. On a computer where none of this existed before, it's normal to restart the app once or twice before everything turns green.
If the list looks frozen, it's checking
Each program check waits up to 10 seconds. Give it time.
The app will ask for your store address in this format:
mitienda.myshopify.comCareful: that's the address, not your store's pretty domain. To find it, go to the Shopify admin → Settings → Domains: your .myshopify.com domain appears there, marked as the internal Shopify domain.
Then the browser opens a Shopify screen asking you to authorise permissions. It's a long list and that's normal: the assistant needs to read and edit products, orders, inventory, shipping and returns to work for you. Review it and accept.
If you had already connected the store
The app may ask for authorisation again to add new permissions from a more recent version. That's expected, not an error.
Tick every point. If all five are done, you can start working by talking to your store.
Common problems
claude: command not found / “not recognized as a command”
The program is installed but the terminal doesn't know where to look. Apply the step 4 (PATH) fix and try claude --version again. On Windows, close and reopen PowerShell.
node: command not found after installing Node
Restart the computer. The system needs a reboot to register the new program. Then try node --version.
The app says something is missing that I already installed
Close MercaderIA completely and open it again. The app reads the environment at launch; anything installed while it was open stays invisible until the next start.
The Shopify permissions screen errors out
Close the tab and launch the connection again from the app. If it persists, email us with a screenshot.
macOS won't let me open the app
Right-click MercaderIA in Applications → Open → Open. That's the unsigned-app warning, not a real security problem.
Windows says the program isn't safe
More info → Run anyway. SmartScreen shows that warning for new installers.
On a brand-new computer nothing is detected
That's the normal case. Correct order: install Node.js, restart the computer, open MercaderIA and let it install Git and Claude Code, then restart the app. All green.
Still stuck?
Write to us and we'll stay with you until it works. Tell us which step you were on and what appeared on screen (a screenshot helps a lot).
todo@mercaderia.co