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Install mforth

Goal: install mforth and verify the mforth command works.

Prerequisites: Python 3.11 or newer, and pip.

Steps

  1. Install from PyPI.

    pip install mforth

    Or, to keep it isolated in a virtual environment (recommended if you're going to work on multiple Python projects):

    python -m venv ~/.venvs/mforth
source ~/.venvs/mforth/bin/activate
pip install mforth

  2. Verify the install.

    mforth version

    Should print mforth 0.1.0 (or whatever the current version is) and exit zero.

  3. (Optional) Confirm the full toolchain works.

    mforth --help

    Should list at least the repl, run, compile, lsp, and version subcommands.

Install from source (for contributors)

If you want to hack on mforth itself rather than use it as a tool, install from a git checkout in editable mode:

git clone https://github.com/fkberthold/mforth
cd mforth
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -e ".[dev]"

The .[dev] extra pulls in pytest and pytest-cov for the test suite. Verify:

pytest -q              # full test suite
pytest --cov           # with coverage gate on the compiler core

Troubleshooting

  • mforth: command not found after pip install. Confirm Python's user-script directory is on your $PATH. On most systems, pip install --user mforth puts the script at ~/.local/bin/mforth. Add ~/.local/bin to $PATH if it isn't already (or use a virtual environment, which puts the script on the venv's PATH automatically when activated).
  • ERROR: Package 'mforth' requires a different Python: ... — mforth needs Python 3.11 or newer. Check python --version; if older, install a newer Python and retry. Most distributions ship multiple versions side-by-side (python3.11, python3.12, etc).
  • mforth lsp doesn't talk to Helix/Neovim. The install step is fine; the editor wiring is separate. See Use with Helix or Use with Neovim.