Installation

Homebrew (Recommended – macOS and Linux)

The easiest way to install dtctl:

brew install dynatrace-oss/tap/dtctl

This installs the binary and sets up shell completions automatically.

Binary Download

Download a pre-built binary from the GitHub releases page.

Linux/macOS:

# Extract the archive
tar -xzf dtctl_*.tar.gz

# Make it executable
chmod +x dtctl

# macOS only: remove quarantine attribute
sudo xattr -r -d com.apple.quarantine dtctl

# Move to a directory in your PATH
sudo mv dtctl /usr/local/bin/

# Verify
dtctl version

Windows:

# Extract the zip file, then add the directory to your PATH
dtctl version

Building from Source

Requires Go 1.24+, Git, and Make.

git clone https://github.com/dynatrace-oss/dtctl.git
cd dtctl
make build
./bin/dtctl version

To install system-wide:

make install          # installs to $GOPATH/bin
# or
sudo cp bin/dtctl /usr/local/bin/

Ensure $GOPATH/bin is in your $PATH:

export PATH="$PATH:$(go env GOPATH)/bin"

Shell Completion

Enable tab completion for faster workflows.

Bash

dtctl completion bash > /tmp/dtctl-completion.bash
sudo mkdir -p /etc/bash_completion.d
sudo cp /tmp/dtctl-completion.bash /etc/bash_completion.d/dtctl
source ~/.bashrc

Zsh

mkdir -p ~/.zsh/completions
dtctl completion zsh > ~/.zsh/completions/_dtctl

# Add to ~/.zshrc (if not already present)
echo 'fpath=(~/.zsh/completions $fpath)' >> ~/.zshrc
echo 'autoload -U compinit && compinit' >> ~/.zshrc
rm -f ~/.zcompdump*
source ~/.zshrc

oh-my-zsh users: place the file in ~/.oh-my-zsh/completions/_dtctl instead.

Fish

mkdir -p ~/.config/fish/completions
dtctl completion fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/dtctl.fish

PowerShell

# Add to your PowerShell profile ($PROFILE):
dtctl completion powershell | Out-String | Invoke-Expression

Updating

# Homebrew
brew update && brew upgrade dtctl

# Binary download
# Re-download the latest release from GitHub

# From source
git pull && make build

Uninstalling

# Homebrew
brew uninstall dtctl
brew untap dynatrace-oss/tap   # optional

# Manual install
sudo rm /usr/local/bin/dtctl

# Remove configuration (optional)
rm -rf ~/.config/dtctl          # Linux
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/dtctl   # macOS

Troubleshooting

“command not found: dtctl”

The binary is not in your PATH. Either use the full path (./bin/dtctl) or add the binary’s directory to your PATH:

export PATH="$PATH:/path/to/dtctl/bin"

“permission denied”

Make the binary executable:

chmod +x dtctl

macOS: “Apple could not verify dtctl is free of malware”

This is expected for unsigned open-source binaries. Remove the quarantine attribute:

sudo xattr -r -d com.apple.quarantine dtctl

Or allow it via System Settings > Privacy & Security > Allow Anyway.

“exec format error”

You’re running a binary built for a different OS/architecture (e.g., a Linux binary on macOS). Rebuild for your platform:

make clean && make build

For Apple Silicon Macs, target darwin/arm64. For Intel Macs, target darwin/amd64.

Next: Quick Start – set up your first environment and run your first commands.