Various Errors on fresh install

[clibu]

I just installed Perry on Windows 11 and got the following errors trying to build the hello.ts example. The examples on https://www.perryts.com/en/ show perry build xyz. I assume they shey should say perry compile xyz

C:\webapps\play2\perry>perry build hello.ts
error: unrecognized subcommand 'build'

Usage: perry [OPTIONS] [COMMAND]

For more information, try '--help'.

C:\webapps\play2\perry>perry compile hello.ts
Help improve Perry by sending anonymous usage statistics? yes
Collecting modules...
Found 1 module(s): 1 native, 0 JavaScript
Generating code...
Error compiling module 'hello.ts' (\\?\C:\webapps\play2\perry\hello.ts) with --backend llvm: clang not found. Install LLVM from https://github.com/llvm/llvm-project/releases or set PERRY_LLVM_CLANG to the path of clang.exe

════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
✗ ENTRY MODULE FAILED TO COMPILE — REFUSING TO LINK
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  - hello.ts (entry)

Aborting: the entry module's `main` symbol is required by the linker.
Fix the codegen errors above (search for `Error compiling module`)
and re-run. The driver previously emitted an empty `_perry_init_*`
stub here and continued to link, which produced the misleading
`Undefined symbols: "_main"` error far downstream.

Error: entry module 'hello.ts' failed to compile (see errors above)

[proggeramlug]

Hi @clibu, thanks for reporting this — and sorry about the docs.

On the perry build vs perry compile confusion — you're right, the marketing page is wrong. The CLI subcommand is perry compile; build was an old name that stuck in some of the public copy. I''ll fix the marketing page shortly.

On the clang not found error — Perry uses LLVM to turn its IR into native object files, so clang needs to be on your machine. On a fresh Windows 11 box, the fastest way is:

winget install LLVM.LLVM

Then open a new terminal (so the updated PATH takes effect) and retry:

perry compile hello.ts
./hello.exe

If you prefer another package manager, choco install llvm or scoop install llvm both work. Or grab the LLVM-<version>-win64.exe installer from https://github.com/llvm/llvm-project/releases directly.

You can verify the install with perry doctor — in v0.5.191 (releasing shortly) it explicitly checks for clang, so you''ll see an [OK] line once LLVM is on PATH.

What''s changing in Perry itself (9e5196e):

1. The clang not found error now leads with the winget install LLVM.LLVM copy-paste command (plus the Chocolatey/Scoop alternates and a perry doctor pointer). Before, it just pointed at the raw LLVM releases page, which wasn''t very actionable.
2. perry doctor now has a dedicated clang check so you can verify the install without having to run a full compile.

Separately I''ll also look at declaring LLVM.LLVM as a winget PackageDependencies entry on the upstream PerryTS.Perry manifest so future fresh installs via winget install PerryTS.Perry auto-pull LLVM first.

Let me know if the install works for you.

[clibu]

LLVM Installed, thanks. Now I get:

Perry Doctor

Environment Checks
──────────────────
  ✓ perry version: 0.5.178
  ✓ update status: no cached info (run `perry update --check-only`)
  ✗ system linker (MSVC link.exe): link.exe not found: program not found. Install Visual Studio Build Tools.
  ✓ runtime library: C:\Users\nevil\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WinGet\Packages\PerryTS.Perry_Microsoft.Winget.Source_8wekyb3d8bbwe\perry_runtime.lib
  ⚠ project config (perry.toml): not found - run: perry init

Some checks failed. Please fix the issues above.

FYI I have Visual Studio installed, but don't actively use it.

[proggeramlug]

Good progress! You''re now past the LLVM step. The next one is MSVC''s linker + Windows SDK — Perry on Windows needs LLVM''s clang to produce the object file, then hands it to MSVC''s link.exe to produce the final .exe, and link.exe links against system libraries (kernel32.lib, msvcrt.lib, etc.) from the Windows SDK.

Your existing Visual Studio install probably just doesn''t have the C++ workload enabled. Two ways to fix, pick whichever is easier:

Option A — add the C++ workload to your existing VS install (fastest)

1. Open "Visual Studio Installer" from the Start menu.
2. On your existing Visual Studio entry, click Modify.
3. Check "Desktop development with C++" (left column, under "Desktop & Mobile").
4. Click Modify at the bottom to start the install. Takes ~3–8 GB depending on options.

Option B — install Build Tools standalone with the workload in one command

If you''d rather not touch your full VS install, this is the lightweight path:

winget install Microsoft.VisualStudio.2022.BuildTools --override "--quiet --wait --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.VCTools --includeRecommended"

---

Either option installs the MSVC linker (link.exe) plus the Windows SDK libraries Perry needs. After it finishes:

1. Open a fresh terminal (so vswhere can find the new install).
2. Run perry doctor — you should see all-green.
3. Run perry compile hello.ts and ./hello.exe.

Sorry this wasn''t obvious from the error — I''m tightening the perry doctor "system linker" error message in the next patch to point directly at these two options instead of the current one-liner.

Apologies for the multi-step install on Windows. The upstream winget PR (microsoft/winget-pkgs#364706) will handle LLVM automatically on future fresh installs, but the MSVC piece is harder to paper over — the winget dependency mechanism doesn''t let us pass a workload selector for Build Tools, so it has to stay manual. I''ll look at whether switching Perry to lld-link + xwin-style stub SDK libs could eliminate the MSVC requirement entirely in a future release.