Installation

This guide covers how to install the XAct.jl package for research use, as well as the optional verification framework for developers.

Canonical onboarding path: README → Installation → Getting Started → Typed Expressions (TExpr).

1. Quick Install (Research Use)

If you just want to use xAct for tensor calculus in Julia, you only need the Julia package.

Open your Julia REPL and run:

using Pkg
Pkg.add(url="https://github.com/sashakile/XAct.jl.git")

Wait for the installation to finish, then you can start using it:

using XAct

Next: continue to Getting Started for the first working examples.

The Python wrapper provides an idiomatic interface to the Julia core. For the full verification framework, see Developer Install.

xact-py is published on PyPI. For normal use, install the latest release with:

pip install xact-py

Only install from a repository checkout if you explicitly need unreleased changes from main or are contributing to the wrapper:

git clone https://github.com/sashakile/XAct.jl.git
cd sxAct
uv pip install -e packages/xact-py

Note: The wrapper automatically manages its Julia dependencies using juliapkg.

Next: continue to Getting Started for the first Python workflow.

The full suite includes a Python wrapper and a Dockerized Wolfram Oracle for proving implementation parity.

git clone https://github.com/sashakile/XAct.jl.git
cd sxAct
uv sync

The verification suite requires a Dockerized Wolfram Engine. You must activate it once using a free Wolfram ID:

docker compose run --rm wolfram wolframscript -activate

docker compose up -d oracle

uv run pytest

Once the environment is ready, use Getting Started for user-facing workflows and Contributing for development guidance.

The Docker container needs a one-time activation. Ensure you have run:

docker compose run --rm wolfram wolframscript -activate

Ensure your user is in the docker group or prefix commands with sudo.

Ensure you are using the correct URL when adding via Pkg.add(url=...).