conda-global#

Install CLI tools into isolated conda environments and make them available on PATH via trampolines — no activation needed.

conda-global brings the same ideas pioneered by pixi global and pipx into the conda CLI. It covers the entire conda package ecosystem: Python, R, Rust, C/C++, and anything else conda can install.

Install#

conda install -c conda-forge conda-global

Then add the global binary directory to your PATH:

conda global ensurepath

A standalone cg alias is also available — cg install ruff is equivalent to conda global install ruff.

Quick example#

Install ruff, use it, list tools, and show dependency tree

$ conda global install ruff
  Installing tool ruff...
  Installed tool ruff
  Commands now available:
    ruff    → ~/.cg/bin/ruff

$ ruff --version
ruff 0.11.6

$ conda global list
Tool   Dependencies   Channel       Exposed   Pinned
ruff   ruff           conda-forge   ruff

How it works#

Each tool gets its own isolated conda environment. A small Rust trampoline binary reads a JSON config, sets up the environment variables, and launches the real binary — with zero activation overhead.

~/.cg/
├── bin/
│   ├── ruff              ← trampoline (hardlink)
│   ├── gh                ← trampoline (hardlink)
│   └── trampoline/
│       ├── _cg_trampoline  ← master binary
│       ├── ruff.json       ← config for ruff
│       └── gh.json         ← config for gh
├── envs/
│   ├── ruff/             ← isolated env
│   │   ├── bin/ruff        ← real binary
│   │   └── conda-meta/
│   └── gh/               ← isolated env
│       ├── bin/gh          ← real binary
│       └── conda-meta/
└── global.toml           ← manifest