Pipulate Installation Guide
Pipulate is a simpler alternative to using Jupyter Notebooks for SEO automation. It lets you create step-by-step workflows that run locally on your machine, without needing to write Python code. Think of it as Jupyter Notebooks, but designed specifically for SEO practitioners who want to automate their work without becoming developers. It runs like a website on your local machine. Follow instructions to install…
Process
1. Install Nix (One-Time Setup)
First, install the Nix package manager:
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf -L https://install.determinate.systems/nix | sh -s -- install
- Follow the on-screen prompts (type “Yes” when asked)
- You will be prompted for your (Apple) hardware login.
- You will not be able to see yourself type in the password.
- There will be 2 “Yes” to confirm messages.
- Important: After installation completes, close your terminal and open a new one.
2. Install Pipulate
With Nix installed, run this command to install Pipulate:
curl -L https://pipulate.com/install.sh | sh -s Botifython
- Replace
Botifython
with your preferred name (or omit for default “pipulate”) - The installer downloads and configures everything automatically
- First-time installation creates a directory at
~/Botifython
Click to see example installation output
Last login: Fri May 23 11:18:16 on ttys000 username@FooMacBook-Pro ~ % curl -L https://pipulate.com/install.sh | sh -s Botifython % Total % Received % Xferd Average Speed Time Time Time Current Dload Upload Total Spent Left Speed 100 8733 100 8733 0 0 100k 0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:-- 100k -------------------------------------------------------------- 🚀 Welcome to Pipulate Installer 🚀 Free and Open Source SEO Software -------------------------------------------------------------- 🔍 Checking prerequisites... ✅ All required tools found. 📁 Checking target directory: /Users/username/Botifython ✅ Target directory is available. 📁 Creating directory '/Users/username/Botifython' 📥 Downloading Pipulate source code... % Total % Received % Xferd Average Speed Time Time Time Current Dload Upload Total Spent Left Speed 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:-- 0 100 1690k 0 1690k 0 0 2954k 0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:-- 2954k ✅ Download complete. 📦 Extracting source code... ✅ Extraction complete. Source code installed to '/Users/username/Botifython'. 📍 Now in directory: /Users/username/Botifython 🔑 Setting up deployment key... Fetching deployment key from https://pipulate.com/key.rot... ✅ Deployment key downloaded successfully. 🔒 Deployment key file saved and secured. 🚀 Starting Pipulate environment... -------------------------------------------------------------- All set! Pipulate is installed at: /Users/username/Botifython To use Pipulate in the future, simply run: cd /Users/username/Botifython && nix develop -------------------------------------------------------------- Setting up app identity as 'Botifython'... ✅ Application identity set. Creating startup convenience script... Pipulate Installer v1.1.2 - Test checkpoint reached Setup complete! To start using Pipulate, run: cd /Users/username/Botifython nix develop This will activate the Nix development environment and complete the 'magic cookie' transformation process. username@MichaelMacBook-Pro ~ % curl -L https://pipulate.com/install.sh | sh -s Botifython % Total % Received % Xferd Average Speed Time Time Time Current Dload Upload Total Spent Left Speed 100 8733 100 8733 0 0 188k 0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:-- 189k -------------------------------------------------------------- 🚀 Welcome to Pipulate Installer 🚀 Free and Open Source SEO Software -------------------------------------------------------------- 🔍 Checking prerequisites... ✅ All required tools found. 📁 Checking target directory: /Users/username/Botifython ❌ Error: Directory '/Users/username/Botifython' already exists. The installer cannot proceed when the target directory already exists. This prevents accidental overwrites of existing data. To resolve this, you can: 1. Choose a different name: curl -sSL https://pipulate.com/install.sh | bash -s your-custom-name 2. Remove the existing directory: rm -rf /Users/username/Botifython 3. Rename the existing directory: mv /Users/username/Botifython /Users/username/Botifython.backup Note: The existing directory appears to be a Pipulate installation. You can start it directly with: cd /Users/username/Botifython && nix develop username@FooMacBook-Pro ~ % cd
3. Starting Pipulate
After initial installation, you can start Pipulate anytime with:
cd ~/Botifython && nix develop
Or if you prefer (same thing):
cd ~/Botifython
nix develop
This command:
- Updates to the latest version automatically
- Starts JupyterLab and the Pipulate server
- Opens web interfaces in your browser
Troubleshooting & Management
Running Pipulate Again
Exit out and restart. But how? Close the terminal, open a new one, cd
into
~/Botifython
and type nix develop
It’s also okay to force-close the terminal. If you’re having trouble, you can
Ctrl
+c
until it exits. At that point you can restart the server by typing
python server.py
or nix develop
(depending). Because it’s hard to tell
which, I suggest just closing out of the terminal all the way, starting a new one.
Reinstalling Pipulate
If you need to start fresh:
# Remove the existing installation
rm -rf ~/Botifython
# Reinstall
curl -L https://pipulate.com/install.sh | sh -s Botifython
Uninstalling the Nix Package Manager
If you need to remove Nix completely:
/nix/nix-installer uninstall
This removes the Nix package manager from your system (but preserves any Pipulate installations).
System Requirements
- macOS: 10.15 or later
- Linux: Most modern distributions
- Windows: WSL2 with Ubuntu 20.04+
- 8GB RAM recommended
- 2GB free disk space
About Nix
Pipulate uses Nix to ensure a consistent, reproducible environment across all operating systems. This means:
- Identical Environments: The same Python version, packages, and system libraries on every machine
- No Conflicts: Isolated from your system’s Python installation
- Easy Updates: One command to update everything
- Cross-Platform: Works identically on macOS, Linux, and Windows (via WSL)
The Nix environment includes:
- Python 3.x with all required packages
- JupyterLab for development and experimentation
- Local LLM support via Ollama
- All necessary system libraries
This approach eliminates the “works on my machine” problem and ensures Pipulate runs reliably everywhere.
Learn more about our local-first approach in our Guide →
Why Pipulate Changes Everything
The Perfect Complement to Your Existing SEO Stack
Pipulate runs entirely on your computer, handling the nimble analysis tasks that work best locally while integrating seamlessly with enterprise platforms like Botify and others for the heavy lifting.
Enterprise SaaS (Botify, etc.) + Local Pipulate
├── Million-page crawls + Custom workflow automation
├── Large-scale data processing + Rapid prototyping & testing
├── Team collaboration features + Personal analysis pipelines
├── Enterprise reporting + Ad-hoc data exploration
└── Robust infrastructure + Complete privacy & control
Turn Complex Scripts Into Guided Workflows
Pipulate transforms powerful Python SEO scripts into step-by-step workflows that anyone can use. No coding required—just follow the guided process from start to finish.
Before: Complex Python Script After: Guided Workflow
┌─────────────────────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│ # Fetch Botify data │ │ Step 1: Enter Project URL │
│ auth = get_botify_token() │ --> │ [https://example.com_______] ✓ │
│ project = fetch_project(url) │ │ │
│ analysis = get_latest_crawl() │ │ Step 2: Select Analysis Type │
│ # 47 more lines of code... │ │ ○ Full Site ● Link Analysis │
│ │ │ │
│ # Generate network graph │ │ Step 3: Generate Graph │
│ nodes = process_links() │ │ [Generate Visualization] ✓ │
│ # etc... │ │ │
└─────────────────────────────────┘ └─────────────────────────────────┘
AI Assistant That Actually Understands SEO
Built-in AI (running locally on your machine) provides contextual help throughout your workflows. No API keys, no external services—just intelligent assistance when you need it.
- Workflow Guidance: Get help understanding each step
- Data Interpretation: AI explains what your results mean
- Content Generation: Create SEO content without external APIs
- Technical Support: Troubleshoot issues with context-aware assistance
Real SEO Workflows You Can Use Today
Enhanced Botify Analysis
Transform your Botify crawl exports into interactive network visualizations and custom analysis pipelines that extend your enterprise platform’s capabilities.
Cross-Platform Data Integration
Combine data from multiple sources—Botify APIs, Search Console, custom crawls—into unified analysis workflows that provide insights across your entire SEO stack.
Rapid Prototyping & Testing
Quickly test new SEO hypotheses and analysis approaches locally before implementing them at scale in your enterprise tools.
Custom Reporting & Automation
Build personalized reporting workflows that pull from your existing tools and present data exactly how you need it.
The Local-First Advantage
Privacy by Design: Keep sensitive competitive analysis and proprietary methodologies secure on your local machine.
Unlimited Local Processing: Use your full CPU/GPU power for AI analysis, data manipulation, and custom algorithms—perfect for the tasks that work best locally.
Seamless Integration: Pull data from any source—Botify APIs, Search Console, CSVs, manual exports—into unified local workflows.
Development Freedom: Prototype and test new analysis approaches without affecting your production enterprise tools.
Perfect for SEO Teams
Agencies: Standardize complex processes across team members while protecting client data.
In-House Teams: Share SEO methodology without sharing code or technical complexity.
Freelancers: Extend your existing tool capabilities with custom local analysis workflows.
Technical SEOs: Transform your Python scripts into shareable workflows that complement your enterprise SEO platform.
Ready to Get Started?
Everything you need is included:
- Pipulate Workflows: Guided SEO processes
- JupyterLab: For creating and testing custom analyses
- Local AI: Ollama integration for intelligent assistance
- All Dependencies: Managed automatically by Nix
Extends your existing SEO tools. Works with any platform. Completely local.
Get started with the installation above ↑
Learn More
- About Pipulate - Detailed overview of features and capabilities
- Philosophy - Why we built Pipulate this way
- Guide - In-depth tutorials and workflow creation
- GitHub - Source code and development
Built by the most technical SEOs in the world, for the least technical SEOs in the world. Open source and always will be.