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.