---
title: Install Docker Scout
linkTitle: Install
weight: 10
description: Installation instructions for the Docker Scout CLI plugin
keywords: scout, cli, install, download
---

The Docker Scout CLI plugin comes pre-installed with Docker Desktop.

If you run Docker Engine without Docker Desktop,
Docker Scout doesn't come pre-installed,
but you can install it as a standalone binary.

## Installation script

To install the latest version of the plugin, run the following commands:

```console
$ curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/docker/scout-cli/main/install.sh -o install-scout.sh
$ sh install-scout.sh
```

> [!NOTE]
>
> Always examine scripts downloaded from the internet before running them
> locally. Before installing, make yourself familiar with potential risks and
> limitations of the convenience script.

## Manual installation

{{< tabs >}}
{{< tab name="Linux" >}}

1. Download the latest release from the [releases page](https://github.com/docker/scout-cli/releases).
2. Create a subdirectory under `$HOME/.docker` called `scout`.

   ```console
   $ mkdir -p $HOME/.docker/scout
   ```

3. Extract the archive and move the `docker-scout` binary to the `$HOME/.docker/scout` directory.
4. Make the binary executable: `chmod +x $HOME/.docker/scout/docker-scout`.
5. Add the `scout` subdirectory to your `.docker/config.json` as a plugin directory:

   ```json
   {
     "cliPluginsExtraDirs": [
       "/home/<USER>/.docker/scout"
     ]
   }
   ```

   Substitute `<USER>` with your username on the system.

   > [!NOTE]
   > The path for `cliPluginsExtraDirs` must be an absolute path.

{{< /tab >}}
{{< tab name="macOS" >}}

1. Download the latest release from the [releases page](https://github.com/docker/scout-cli/releases).
2. Create a subdirectory under `$HOME/.docker` called `scout`.

   ```console
   $ mkdir -p $HOME/.docker/scout
   ```

3. Extract the archive and move the `docker-scout` binary to the `$HOME/.docker/scout` directory.
4. Make the binary executable:

   ```console
   $ chmod +x $HOME/.docker/scout/docker-scout
   ```

5. Authorize the binary to be executable on macOS:

   ```console
   xattr -d com.apple.quarantine $HOME/.docker/scout/docker-scout
   ```

6. Add the `scout` subdirectory to your `.docker/config.json` as a plugin directory:

   ```json
   {
     "cliPluginsExtraDirs": [
       "/Users/<USER>/.docker/scout"
     ]
   }
   ```

   Substitute `<USER>` with your username on the system.

   > [!NOTE]
   > The path for `cliPluginsExtraDirs` must be an absolute path.

{{< /tab >}}
{{< tab name="Windows" >}}

1. Download the latest release from the [releases page](https://github.com/docker/scout-cli/releases).
2. Create a subdirectory under `%USERPROFILE%/.docker` called `scout`.

   ```console
   % mkdir %USERPROFILE%\.docker\scout
   ```

3. Extract the archive and move the `docker-scout.exe` binary to the `%USERPROFILE%\.docker\scout` directory.
4. Add the `scout` subdirectory to your `.docker\config.json` as a plugin directory:

   ```json
   {
     "cliPluginsExtraDirs": [
       "C:\Users\<USER>\.docker\scout"
     ]
   }
   ```

   Substitute `<USER>` with your username on the system.

   > [!NOTE]
   > The path for `cliPluginsExtraDirs` must be an absolute path.

{{< /tab >}}
{{< /tabs >}}

## Container image

The Docker Scout CLI plugin is also available as a [container image](https://hub.docker.com/r/docker/scout-cli).
Use the `docker/scout-cli` to run `docker scout` commands without installing the CLI plugin on your host.

```console
$ docker run -it \
  -e DOCKER_SCOUT_HUB_USER=<your Docker Hub user name> \
  -e DOCKER_SCOUT_HUB_PASSWORD=<your Docker Hub PAT>  \
  docker/scout-cli <command>
```

## GitHub Action

The Docker Scout CLI plugin is also available as a [GitHub action](https://github.com/docker/scout-action).
You can use it in your GitHub workflows to automatically analyze images and evaluate policy compliance with each push.

Docker Scout also integrates with many more CI/CD tools, such as Jenkins, GitLab, and Azure DevOps.
Learn more about the [integrations](./integrations/_index.md) available for Docker Scout.
