diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index a5384acb6..34bf1e514 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ jobs:
           gh release upload ${{ needs.release-drafter.outputs.tag_name }} .artifacts/publish/docs-builder/release/*.zip
           gh release upload ${{ needs.release-drafter.outputs.tag_name }} .artifacts/publish/docs-assembler/release/*.zip
         shell: bash
-    
+
   publish-release:
     needs:
       - release
diff --git a/docs/contribute/locally.md b/docs/contribute/locally.md
index 81963a460..c499984ef 100644
--- a/docs/contribute/locally.md
+++ b/docs/contribute/locally.md
@@ -30,44 +30,43 @@ This guide uses the first option. If you'd like to clone the repository and buil
 
 :::{tab-item} macOS
 
-1. **Download the Binary:**
-   Download the latest macOS binary from [releases](https://github.com/elastic/docs-builder/releases/latest/):
-   ```sh
-   curl -LO https://github.com/elastic/docs-builder/releases/latest/download/docs-builder-mac-arm64.zip
-   ```
+1. **Download and run the install script**   
+
+   Run this command to download and install the latest version of `docs-builder`:
 
-2. **Extract the Binary:**
-   Unzip the downloaded file:
    ```sh
-   unzip docs-builder-mac-arm64.zip
+   sudo curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/elastic/docs-builder/refs/heads/main/install.sh | sh
    ```
+   This downloads the latest binary, makes it executable, and installs it to your user PATH.
+
+2. **Run docs-builder from a docs folder**
+
+   Use the `serve` command from any docs folder to start serving the documentation at http://localhost:3000. The path to the `docset.yml` file that you want to build can be specified with `-p`:
 
-3. **Run the Binary:**
-   Use the `serve` command to start serving the documentation at http://localhost:3000. The path to the `docset.yml` file that you want to build can be specified with `-p`:
    ```sh
-   ./docs-builder serve -p ./path/to/docs
+   docs-builder serve
    ```
 
 :::
 
 :::{tab-item} Windows
 
-1. **Download the Binary:**
-   Download the latest Windows binary from [releases](https://github.com/elastic/docs-builder/releases/latest/):
-   ```sh
-   Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://github.com/elastic/docs-builder/releases/latest/download/docs-builder-win-x64.zip -OutFile docs-builder-win-x64.zip
-   ```
+1. **Download and run the install script**   
 
-2. **Extract the Binary:**
-   Unzip the downloaded file. You can use tools like WinZip, 7-Zip, or the built-in Windows extraction tool.
-   ```sh
-   Expand-Archive -Path docs-builder-win-x64.zip -DestinationPath .
+   Run this command to download and install the latest version of `docs-builder`:
+
+   ```powershell
+   iex (New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/elastic/docs-builder/refs/heads/main/install.ps1')
    ```
 
-3. **Run the Binary:**
-   Use the `serve` command to start serving the documentation at http://localhost:3000. The path to the `docset.yml` file that you want to build can be specified with `-p`:
+   This downloads the latest binary, makes it executable, and installs it to your user PATH.
+
+2. **Run docs-builder from a docs folder**
+
+   Use the `serve` command from any docs folder to start serving the documentation at http://localhost:3000. The path to the `docset.yml` file that you want to build can be specified with `-p`:
+
    ```sh
-   .\docs-builder serve -p ./path/to/docs
+   docs-builder serve
    ```
 
 :::
diff --git a/install.ps1 b/install.ps1
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..f410dee38
--- /dev/null
+++ b/install.ps1
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+# PowerShell script to install docs-builder binary
+
+# Use AppData\Local for user-specific installation instead of Program Files
+$targetDir = Join-Path -Path $env:LOCALAPPDATA -ChildPath "docs-builder"
+$targetPath = Join-Path -Path $targetDir -ChildPath "docs-builder.exe"
+
+# Check if docs-builder already exists
+if (Test-Path -Path $targetPath) {
+    Write-Host "docs-builder is already installed."
+    $choice = Read-Host -Prompt "Do you want to update/overwrite it? (y/n)"
+    switch ($choice.ToLower()) {
+        'y' { Write-Host "Updating docs-builder..." }
+        'n' { Write-Host "Installation aborted."; exit 0 }
+        Default { Write-Host "Invalid choice. Installation aborted."; exit 1 }
+    }
+}
+
+# Create target directory if it doesn't exist
+if (-not (Test-Path -Path $targetDir)) {
+    New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $targetDir -Force | Out-Null
+}
+
+# Download the latest Windows binary from releases
+$tempZipPath = "$env:TEMP\docs-builder-win-x64.zip"
+Write-Host "Downloading docs-builder binary..."
+Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://github.com/elastic/docs-builder/releases/latest/download/docs-builder-win-x64.zip" -OutFile $tempZipPath
+
+# Create a temporary directory for extraction
+$tempExtractPath = "$env:TEMP\docs-builder-extract"
+if (Test-Path -Path $tempExtractPath) {
+    Remove-Item -Path $tempExtractPath -Recurse -Force
+}
+New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $tempExtractPath -Force | Out-Null
+
+# Extract the binary
+Write-Host "Extracting binary..."
+Expand-Archive -Path $tempZipPath -DestinationPath $tempExtractPath -Force
+
+# Copy the executable to the target location
+Write-Host "Installing docs-builder..."
+Copy-Item -Path "$tempExtractPath\docs-builder.exe" -Destination $targetPath -Force
+
+# Add to PATH if not already in PATH (using User scope instead of Machine)
+$currentPath = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("PATH", [EnvironmentVariableTarget]::User)
+if ($currentPath -notlike "*$targetDir*") {
+    Write-Host "Adding docs-builder to the user PATH..."
+    [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable(
+        "PATH",
+        "$currentPath;$targetDir",
+        [EnvironmentVariableTarget]::User
+    )
+    $env:PATH = "$env:PATH;$targetDir"
+}
+
+# Clean up temporary files
+Remove-Item -Path $tempZipPath -Force
+Remove-Item -Path $tempExtractPath -Recurse -Force
+
+Write-Host "docs-builder has been installed successfully and is available in your PATH."
+Write-Host "You may need to restart your terminal or PowerShell session for the PATH changes to take effect."
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/install.sh b/install.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..dc6332a1a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/install.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+set -e
+
+# Determine OS type and architecture
+OS=$(uname -s | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')
+ARCH=$(uname -m)
+
+# Map architecture naming
+if [ "$ARCH" = "x86_64" ]; then
+  ARCH="amd64"
+elif [ "$ARCH" = "aarch64" ] || [ "$ARCH" = "arm64" ]; then
+  ARCH="arm64"
+fi
+
+# Determine binary to download based on OS
+if [ "$OS" = "darwin" ]; then
+  BINARY="docs-builder-mac-$ARCH.zip"
+  DEFAULT_INSTALL_DIR="/usr/local/bin"
+elif [ "$OS" = "linux" ]; then
+  BINARY="docs-builder-linux-$ARCH.zip"
+  DEFAULT_INSTALL_DIR="/usr/local/bin"
+else
+  echo "Unsupported operating system: $OS"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# Determine if we need sudo for the install directory
+INSTALL_DIR="$DEFAULT_INSTALL_DIR"
+if [ ! -w "$INSTALL_DIR" ]; then
+  USE_SUDO=true
+  echo "Note: Installing to $INSTALL_DIR requires administrator privileges."
+else
+  USE_SUDO=false
+fi
+
+# Check if docs-builder already exists
+if [ -f "$INSTALL_DIR/docs-builder" ]; then
+  echo "docs-builder is already installed."
+  printf "Do you want to update/overwrite it? (y/n): "
+  read choice
+  case "$choice" in
+    y|Y ) echo "Updating docs-builder..." ;;
+    n|N ) echo "Installation aborted."; exit 0 ;;
+    * ) echo "Invalid choice. Installation aborted."; exit 1 ;;
+  esac
+fi
+
+echo "Downloading docs-builder for $OS/$ARCH..."
+
+# Download the appropriate binary
+curl -LO "https://github.com/elastic/docs-builder/releases/latest/download/$BINARY"
+
+# Extract only the docs-builder file to /tmp directory
+# Use -o flag to always overwrite files without prompting
+unzip -j -o "$BINARY" docs-builder -d /tmp
+
+# Ensure the binary is executable
+chmod +x /tmp/docs-builder
+
+# Move the binary to the install directory
+echo "Installing docs-builder to $INSTALL_DIR..."
+if [ "$USE_SUDO" = true ]; then
+  sudo mv -f /tmp/docs-builder "$INSTALL_DIR/docs-builder"
+else
+  mv -f /tmp/docs-builder "$INSTALL_DIR/docs-builder"
+fi
+
+# Clean up the downloaded zip file
+rm -f "$BINARY"
+
+echo "docs-builder has been installed successfully and is available in your PATH."
+echo "You can run 'docs-builder --help' to see available commands."
\ No newline at end of file