diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7b6fa15
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,158 @@
+name: Release
+
+# Pushing a tag such as v0.4.0 builds the `grainx` CLI on native runners,
+# packages it and publishes a GitHub release. Running the workflow by hand
+# (workflow_dispatch) builds and uploads the archives as workflow artifacts
+# but never publishes. See docs/releasing.md.
+
+on:
+  push:
+    tags: [ "v*" ]
+  workflow_dispatch:
+
+env:
+  CARGO_TERM_COLOR: always
+
+jobs:
+  prepare:
+    name: Check version
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    outputs:
+      version: ${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Read workspace version and compare with the tag
+        id: version
+        run: |
+          version="$(cargo metadata --no-deps --format-version 1 --locked \
+            | jq -r '.packages[] | select(.name == "grainx") | .version')"
+          if [ -z "$version" ] || [ "$version" = "null" ]; then
+            echo "::error::could not read the grainx version from Cargo.toml"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          if [ "$GITHUB_REF_TYPE" = "tag" ] && [ "$GITHUB_REF_NAME" != "v$version" ]; then
+            echo "::error::tag $GITHUB_REF_NAME does not match the workspace version $version (expected v$version). Fix the version in Cargo.toml or push the right tag."
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          echo "version=$version" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+
+  build:
+    name: Build ${{ matrix.target }}
+    needs: prepare
+    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
+    strategy:
+      fail-fast: true
+      matrix:
+        include:
+          # Linux builds run on the oldest hosted images so the binaries link
+          # against an older glibc (2.35) and run on most current distributions.
+          - { target: x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu,  os: ubuntu-22.04 }
+          - { target: aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu, os: ubuntu-22.04-arm }
+          - { target: x86_64-apple-darwin,       os: macos-15-intel }
+          - { target: aarch64-apple-darwin,      os: macos-latest }
+          - { target: x86_64-pc-windows-msvc,    os: windows-latest }
+    env:
+      VERSION: ${{ needs.prepare.outputs.version }}
+      TARGET: ${{ matrix.target }}
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Set up Rust
+        uses: dtolnay/rust-toolchain@stable
+        with:
+          toolchain: stable
+          targets: ${{ matrix.target }}
+
+      - name: Build
+        run: cargo build --release --locked -p grainx --target ${{ matrix.target }}
+
+      - name: Package (unix)
+        if: runner.os != 'Windows'
+        shell: bash
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          name="grainx-${VERSION}-${TARGET}"
+          mkdir -p "dist/${name}"
+          cp "target/${TARGET}/release/grainx" LICENSE "dist/${name}/"
+          cp packaging/README.txt "dist/${name}/README.txt"
+          tar -C dist -czf "dist/${name}.tar.gz" "${name}"
+          cd dist
+          if command -v sha256sum >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+            sha256sum "${name}.tar.gz" > "${name}.tar.gz.sha256"
+          else
+            shasum -a 256 "${name}.tar.gz" > "${name}.tar.gz.sha256"
+          fi
+          cat "${name}.tar.gz.sha256"
+
+      - name: Package (windows)
+        if: runner.os == 'Windows'
+        shell: pwsh
+        run: |
+          $ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
+          $name = "grainx-$env:VERSION-$env:TARGET"
+          New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path "dist/$name" | Out-Null
+          Copy-Item "target/$env:TARGET/release/grainx.exe" "dist/$name/"
+          Copy-Item LICENSE "dist/$name/"
+          Copy-Item packaging/README.txt "dist/$name/README.txt"
+          Compress-Archive -Path "dist/$name" -DestinationPath "dist/$name.zip"
+          $hash = (Get-FileHash "dist/$name.zip" -Algorithm SHA256).Hash.ToLower()
+          "$hash  $name.zip" | Set-Content -Path "dist/$name.zip.sha256" -Encoding ascii
+          Get-Content "dist/$name.zip.sha256"
+
+      - name: Smoke test the binary
+        shell: bash
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          exe="target/${TARGET}/release/grainx"
+          if [ "$RUNNER_OS" = "Windows" ]; then exe="${exe}.exe"; fi
+          out="$("$exe" --version)"
+          echo "$out"
+          case "$out" in
+            *"${VERSION}"*) ;;
+            *) echo "::error::binary reports '$out', expected version ${VERSION}"; exit 1 ;;
+          esac
+
+      - name: Upload archives
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: grainx-${{ matrix.target }}
+          path: |
+            dist/*.tar.gz
+            dist/*.zip
+            dist/*.sha256
+          if-no-files-found: error
+
+  release:
+    name: Publish release
+    # Only for pushed tags; a manual run stops after the build job.
+    if: github.ref_type == 'tag'
+    needs: [prepare, build]
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
+    env:
+      VERSION: ${{ needs.prepare.outputs.version }}
+      GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          path: dist
+          pattern: grainx-*
+          merge-multiple: true
+
+      - name: List files
+        run: ls -l dist
+
+      - name: Create the GitHub release
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          flags=""
+          case "$VERSION" in *-*) flags="--prerelease" ;; esac
+          gh release create "$GITHUB_REF_NAME" \
+            --repo "$GITHUB_REPOSITORY" \
+            --verify-tag \
+            --title "grainx $VERSION" \
+            --generate-notes \
+            $flags \
+            dist/*.tar.gz dist/*.zip dist/*.sha256
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 29e328f..45392a6 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -7,6 +7,9 @@ versions, not published artifacts, so the release below is the first one a reade
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+## [0.1.3] - 2026-10-05
+
+- Prebuilt binaries for Linux (x86_64, aarch64), macOS (Intel, Apple Silicon) and Windows on each release, with SHA-256 files, plus `install.sh` and `install.ps1` installers.
 - Fix dashboard frame clearing, terminal bounds, footer overlap, and scrolling braille graph coordinates with values rising from bottom to top.
 - Add `--hide-processes` to omit the dashboard process table during screen sharing and recordings.
 
diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 4d386b6..977bae5 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -487,7 +487,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "grainx"
-version = "0.1.2"
+version = "0.1.3"
 dependencies = [
  "axum",
  "chrono",
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index ac0168b..f4b9178 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "grainx"
-version = "0.1.2"
+version = "0.1.3"
 edition = "2024"
 rust-version = "1.88"
 
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index f114e91..2fcc2bf 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ grainx shows live computer and process activity in a terminal and can share thos
 [![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT-blue.svg)](LICENSE)
 
 > [!NOTE]
-> **Status:** Experimental CLI tool (v0.1.2, pre-1.0); CI checks Linux and macOS.
+> **Status:** Experimental CLI tool (v0.1.3, pre-1.0); CI checks Linux and macOS.
 
 ![The grainx dashboard with the process table hidden](docs/demo/dashboard.gif)
 
@@ -19,6 +19,22 @@ grainx shows live computer and process activity in a terminal and can share thos
 
 ## Quick start
 
+### Try the released CLI (macOS or Linux)
+
+The prebuilt CLI does not require Rust. The installer downloads a release, checks its SHA-256 checksum, and installs to `~/.local/bin`:
+
+~~~bash
+curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rustfuture/grainx/main/install.sh | sh
+export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
+grainx --version
+grainx            # dashboard; press q to quit
+grainx export --json /tmp/grainx-stats.json --csv /tmp/grainx-stats.csv
+~~~
+
+Prebuilt Linux binaries require glibc; unsupported platforms can build from source. On Windows, use the [PowerShell installer](install.ps1).
+
+### Build from source
+
 You need Git and stable Rust 1.88 or newer with Cargo ([rustup](https://rustup.rs/)), plus an interactive terminal for the dashboard. The first build downloads Cargo dependencies. The crate uses Rust edition 2024; the minimum version is checked against the committed dependency lockfile.
 
 ~~~bash
diff --git a/install.ps1 b/install.ps1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..771f9df
--- /dev/null
+++ b/install.ps1
@@ -0,0 +1,129 @@
+# Installer for the `grainx` CLI (https://github.com/rustfuture/grainx).
+#
+#   irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rustfuture/grainx/main/install.ps1 | iex
+#
+# Downloads the prebuilt Windows release archive, checks its SHA-256 checksum and
+# copies grainx.exe into an install directory. It needs no administrator rights.
+# It does NOT change your PATH: if the install directory is not on it, the script
+# prints the command to add it.
+#
+# Environment variables (all optional):
+#   GRAINX_VERSION        Version to install, e.g. 0.3.0 or v0.3.0 (default: latest release)
+#   GRAINX_INSTALL_DIR    Where to put grainx.exe (default: $env:LOCALAPPDATA\grainx\bin)
+#   GRAINX_DOWNLOAD_BASE  Base URL, local directory or file:// URL holding the archive
+#                         and its .sha256 file, instead of the GitHub release. Needs
+#                         GRAINX_VERSION. Meant for mirrors and testing.
+#   GRAINX_REPO           GitHub repository (default: rustfuture/grainx)
+#
+# Everything runs inside a function and reports problems with `throw`, never `exit`,
+# so piping this script to `iex` cannot close your terminal.
+
+function Install-Tool {
+    Set-StrictMode -Version 2
+    $ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
+    $ProgressPreference = 'SilentlyContinue'   # the progress bar makes Windows PowerShell 5.1 downloads very slow
+
+    $repo = if ($env:GRAINX_REPO) { $env:GRAINX_REPO } else { 'rustfuture/grainx' }
+    $fromSource = "cargo install --git https://github.com/$repo grainx"
+
+    # Windows PowerShell 5.1 does not enable TLS 1.2 by default.
+    try { [Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12 } catch { }
+
+    # --- platform -------------------------------------------------------------
+    if ($PSVersionTable.PSVersion.Major -ge 6 -and -not $IsWindows) {
+        throw "This installer is for Windows. On macOS or Linux use: curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/$repo/main/install.sh | sh"
+    }
+    $osArch = [System.Runtime.InteropServices.RuntimeInformation]::OSArchitecture.ToString()
+    switch ($osArch) {
+        'X64'   { }
+        'Arm64' { Write-Host 'Windows on ARM: installing the x64 build, which runs under emulation.' }
+        default { throw "Unsupported CPU architecture: $osArch. No prebuilt binary is available; if you have Rust (1.88 or newer), build from source: $fromSource" }
+    }
+    $target = 'x86_64-pc-windows-msvc'
+
+    # --- version --------------------------------------------------------------
+    if ($env:GRAINX_VERSION) {
+        $version = $env:GRAINX_VERSION.TrimStart('v')
+    } elseif ($env:GRAINX_DOWNLOAD_BASE) {
+        throw 'GRAINX_DOWNLOAD_BASE is set, so also set GRAINX_VERSION (for example $env:GRAINX_VERSION = ''0.3.0'').'
+    } else {
+        Write-Host 'Looking up the latest release...'
+        try {
+            $release = Invoke-RestMethod -UseBasicParsing -Uri "https://api.github.com/repos/$repo/releases/latest" -Headers @{ 'User-Agent' = 'grainx-installer' }
+        } catch {
+            throw 'Could not look up the latest release (no release published yet, no network, or the GitHub API rate limit). Set $env:GRAINX_VERSION, e.g. $env:GRAINX_VERSION = ''0.3.0'''
+        }
+        $version = ([string]$release.tag_name).TrimStart('v')
+    }
+    if ($version -notmatch '^[0-9A-Za-z.+-]+$') { throw "Invalid version: $version" }
+
+    $installDir = if ($env:GRAINX_INSTALL_DIR) { $env:GRAINX_INSTALL_DIR } else { Join-Path $env:LOCALAPPDATA 'grainx\bin' }
+    $name = "grainx-$version-$target"
+    $archive = "$name.zip"
+    $base = if ($env:GRAINX_DOWNLOAD_BASE) { $env:GRAINX_DOWNLOAD_BASE } else { "https://github.com/$repo/releases/download/v$version" }
+    $base = $base.TrimEnd('/', '\')
+
+    $tmp = Join-Path ([IO.Path]::GetTempPath()) ("grainx-install-" + [Guid]::NewGuid().ToString('N'))
+    New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $tmp | Out-Null
+    try {
+        Write-Host "Installing grainx $version for $target"
+
+        # --- download ---------------------------------------------------------
+        foreach ($file in @($archive, "$archive.sha256")) {
+            $dest = Join-Path $tmp $file
+            try {
+                if ($base -match '^https?://') {
+                    Invoke-WebRequest -UseBasicParsing -Uri "$base/$file" -OutFile $dest
+                } else {
+                    $localBase = if ($base -match '^file://') { ([Uri]$base).LocalPath } else { $base }
+                    Copy-Item -LiteralPath (Join-Path $localBase $file) -Destination $dest
+                }
+            } catch {
+                throw "Could not download $base/$file (is $version a published version for $target?)"
+            }
+        }
+
+        # --- verify -----------------------------------------------------------
+        $sumLine = (Get-Content -LiteralPath (Join-Path $tmp "$archive.sha256") -TotalCount 1)
+        $expected = ($sumLine -split '\s+')[0].ToLower()
+        if ($expected -notmatch '^[0-9a-f]{64}$') { throw "The checksum file $archive.sha256 is not valid." }
+        $actual = (Get-FileHash -LiteralPath (Join-Path $tmp $archive) -Algorithm SHA256).Hash.ToLower()
+        if ($expected -ne $actual) {
+            Write-Error "Checksum mismatch for $archive`n  expected: $expected`n  actual:   $actual" -ErrorAction Continue
+            throw 'Refusing to install a file that does not match its checksum.'
+        }
+        Write-Host 'Checksum OK'
+
+        # --- unpack and install ----------------------------------------------
+        Expand-Archive -LiteralPath (Join-Path $tmp $archive) -DestinationPath $tmp -Force
+        $exe = Join-Path $tmp "$name\grainx.exe"
+        if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $exe)) { throw "The archive does not contain $name\grainx.exe" }
+
+        New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path $installDir | Out-Null
+        $installed = Join-Path $installDir 'grainx.exe'
+        try {
+            Copy-Item -LiteralPath $exe -Destination $installed -Force
+        } catch {
+            throw "Could not write $installed. If grainx is running (for example as an agent hook), close it and try again; or set `$env:GRAINX_INSTALL_DIR to another directory."
+        }
+
+        Write-Host "Installed: $installed"
+        & $installed --version
+        if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) { throw "The installed binary did not run. Build from source instead: $fromSource" }
+
+        # --- PATH hint (never edited automatically) --------------------------
+        $dirs = @($env:PATH -split ';' | Where-Object { $_ } | ForEach-Object { $_.TrimEnd('\') })
+        if ($dirs -notcontains $installDir.TrimEnd('\')) {
+            Write-Host ''
+            Write-Host "$installDir is not on your PATH. To add it for your user account, run:"
+            Write-Host "  [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('Path', [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable('Path','User') + ';$installDir', 'User')"
+            Write-Host 'then open a new terminal. (This installer does not change your PATH.)'
+        }
+        Write-Host ''
+        Write-Host "Next: run 'grainx --help' to get started."
+    } finally {
+        Remove-Item -LiteralPath $tmp -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+    }
+}
+
+Install-Tool
diff --git a/install.sh b/install.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..9637787
--- /dev/null
+++ b/install.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,186 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# Installer for the `grainx` CLI (https://github.com/rustfuture/grainx).
+#
+#   curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rustfuture/grainx/main/install.sh | sh
+#
+# Downloads the prebuilt release archive for this machine, checks its SHA-256
+# checksum and copies `grainx` into an install directory. It never uses sudo
+# and never edits shell startup files.
+#
+# Environment variables (all optional):
+#   GRAINX_VERSION        Version to install, e.g. 0.3.0 or v0.3.0 (default: latest release)
+#   GRAINX_INSTALL_DIR    Where to put the binary (default: $HOME/.local/bin)
+#   GRAINX_DOWNLOAD_BASE  Base URL (or file:// URL) holding the archive and its
+#                         .sha256 file, instead of the GitHub release. Needs
+#                         GRAINX_VERSION. Meant for mirrors and testing.
+#   GRAINX_REPO           GitHub repository (default: rustfuture/grainx)
+
+set -eu
+
+REPO="${GRAINX_REPO:-rustfuture/grainx}"
+FROM_SOURCE="cargo install --git https://github.com/${REPO} grainx"
+
+say() { printf '%s\n' "$*"; }
+err() { printf 'grainx-install: error: %s\n' "$*" >&2; }
+die() { err "$*"; exit 1; }
+
+have() { command -v "$1" >/dev/null 2>&1; }
+
+unsupported() {
+  err "$1"
+  err "No prebuilt binary is available for this platform. If you have Rust (1.88 or newer), build from source:"
+  err "  ${FROM_SOURCE}"
+  exit 1
+}
+
+detect_target() {
+  os="$(uname -s)"
+  arch="$(uname -m)"
+
+  case "$arch" in
+    x86_64 | amd64) arch="x86_64" ;;
+    aarch64 | arm64) arch="aarch64" ;;
+    *) unsupported "unsupported CPU architecture: ${arch}" ;;
+  esac
+
+  case "$os" in
+    Linux)
+      # The Linux binaries are linked against glibc; musl (e.g. Alpine) cannot run them.
+      if have ldd && ldd --version 2>&1 | grep -qi musl; then
+        unsupported "this Linux uses musl libc, but the prebuilt binaries need glibc"
+      fi
+      TARGET="${arch}-unknown-linux-gnu"
+      ;;
+    Darwin)
+      # A shell running under Rosetta reports x86_64 on an Apple Silicon Mac.
+      if [ "$arch" = "x86_64" ] && [ "$(sysctl -n sysctl.proc_translated 2>/dev/null || true)" = "1" ]; then
+        arch="aarch64"
+      fi
+      TARGET="${arch}-apple-darwin"
+      ;;
+    MINGW* | MSYS* | CYGWIN*)
+      die "this looks like Windows. Use the PowerShell installer instead: irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/${REPO}/main/install.ps1 | iex"
+      ;;
+    *)
+      unsupported "unsupported operating system: ${os}"
+      ;;
+  esac
+}
+
+# fetch URL DEST
+fetch() {
+  if have curl; then
+    curl -fsSL --retry 3 -o "$2" "$1" || return 1
+  elif have wget; then
+    wget -q -O "$2" "$1" || return 1
+  else
+    die "need curl or wget to download files"
+  fi
+}
+
+# fetch_stdout URL
+fetch_stdout() {
+  if have curl; then
+    curl -fsSL --retry 3 "$1"
+  elif have wget; then
+    wget -q -O - "$1"
+  else
+    die "need curl or wget to download files"
+  fi
+}
+
+resolve_version() {
+  if [ -n "${GRAINX_VERSION:-}" ]; then
+    VERSION="${GRAINX_VERSION#v}"
+  elif [ -n "${GRAINX_DOWNLOAD_BASE:-}" ]; then
+    die "GRAINX_DOWNLOAD_BASE is set, so also set GRAINX_VERSION (for example GRAINX_VERSION=0.3.0)"
+  else
+    say "Looking up the latest release..."
+    json="$(fetch_stdout "https://api.github.com/repos/${REPO}/releases/latest")" ||
+      die "could not look up the latest release (no release published yet, no network, or the GitHub API rate limit). Set GRAINX_VERSION, e.g. GRAINX_VERSION=0.3.0"
+    tag="$(printf '%s\n' "$json" | sed -n 's/.*"tag_name"[[:space:]]*:[[:space:]]*"\([^"]*\)".*/\1/p' | head -n 1)"
+    [ -n "$tag" ] || die "could not read the latest release tag. Set GRAINX_VERSION, e.g. GRAINX_VERSION=0.3.0"
+    VERSION="${tag#v}"
+  fi
+  case "$VERSION" in
+    '' | *[!0-9A-Za-z.+-]*) die "invalid version: ${VERSION}" ;;
+  esac
+}
+
+sha256_of() {
+  if have sha256sum; then
+    sha256sum "$1" | awk '{print $1}'
+  elif have shasum; then
+    shasum -a 256 "$1" | awk '{print $1}'
+  else
+    die "need sha256sum or shasum to verify the download"
+  fi
+}
+
+main() {
+  have tar || die "need tar to unpack the download"
+  have curl || have wget || die "need curl or wget to download files"
+
+  detect_target
+  resolve_version
+
+  INSTALL_DIR="${GRAINX_INSTALL_DIR:-${HOME:?HOME is not set}/.local/bin}"
+  NAME="grainx-${VERSION}-${TARGET}"
+  ARCHIVE="${NAME}.tar.gz"
+  BASE="${GRAINX_DOWNLOAD_BASE:-https://github.com/${REPO}/releases/download/v${VERSION}}"
+  BASE="${BASE%/}"
+
+  TMP="$(mktemp -d 2>/dev/null || mktemp -d -t grainx-install)"
+  trap 'rm -rf "$TMP"' EXIT INT TERM HUP
+
+  say "Installing grainx ${VERSION} for ${TARGET}"
+  fetch "${BASE}/${ARCHIVE}" "${TMP}/${ARCHIVE}" ||
+    die "could not download ${BASE}/${ARCHIVE} (is ${VERSION} a published version for ${TARGET}?)"
+  fetch "${BASE}/${ARCHIVE}.sha256" "${TMP}/${ARCHIVE}.sha256" ||
+    die "could not download ${BASE}/${ARCHIVE}.sha256"
+
+  expected="$(awk 'NR == 1 {print tolower($1)}' "${TMP}/${ARCHIVE}.sha256")"
+  actual="$(sha256_of "${TMP}/${ARCHIVE}")"
+  case "$expected" in
+    '' | *[!0-9a-f]*) die "the checksum file ${ARCHIVE}.sha256 is not valid" ;;
+  esac
+  if [ "${#expected}" -ne 64 ]; then
+    die "the checksum file ${ARCHIVE}.sha256 is not valid"
+  fi
+  if [ "$expected" != "$actual" ]; then
+    err "checksum mismatch for ${ARCHIVE}"
+    err "  expected: ${expected}"
+    err "  actual:   ${actual}"
+    die "refusing to install a file that does not match its checksum"
+  fi
+  say "Checksum OK"
+
+  tar -xzf "${TMP}/${ARCHIVE}" -C "$TMP" || die "could not unpack ${ARCHIVE}"
+  [ -f "${TMP}/${NAME}/grainx" ] || die "the archive does not contain ${NAME}/grainx"
+
+  mkdir -p "$INSTALL_DIR" || die "could not create ${INSTALL_DIR}; set GRAINX_INSTALL_DIR to a writable directory"
+  # Copy under a temporary name and rename, so a running grainx is replaced safely.
+  cp "${TMP}/${NAME}/grainx" "${INSTALL_DIR}/.grainx.new.$$" ||
+    die "could not write to ${INSTALL_DIR}; set GRAINX_INSTALL_DIR to a writable directory"
+  chmod 755 "${INSTALL_DIR}/.grainx.new.$$"
+  mv -f "${INSTALL_DIR}/.grainx.new.$$" "${INSTALL_DIR}/grainx"
+
+  say "Installed: ${INSTALL_DIR}/grainx"
+  "${INSTALL_DIR}/grainx" --version ||
+    die "the installed binary did not run; it may not suit this system. Build from source instead: ${FROM_SOURCE}"
+
+  case ":${PATH}:" in
+    *":${INSTALL_DIR}:"*) ;;
+    *)
+      say ""
+      say "${INSTALL_DIR} is not on your PATH. Add it, for example:"
+      say "  export PATH=\"${INSTALL_DIR}:\$PATH\""
+      say "(put that line in your shell startup file to keep it; this installer does not edit it)"
+      ;;
+  esac
+
+  say ""
+  say "Next: run 'grainx --help' to get started."
+}
+
+main "$@"
diff --git a/packaging/README.txt b/packaging/README.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4a2d889
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packaging/README.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+grainx (grainx)
+===============
+
+Shows live computer and process activity in a terminal. This archive holds the `grainx` command-line tool, built from the tagged release.
+
+Install
+-------
+Put the `grainx` binary (`grainx.exe` on Windows) in a directory on your PATH,
+or use the installer, which does that for you and checks the checksum:
+
+  macOS / Linux:  curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rustfuture/grainx/main/install.sh | sh
+  Windows:        irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rustfuture/grainx/main/install.ps1 | iex
+
+Then:
+
+  grainx --version
+  grainx --help
+
+Verify this download
+--------------------
+Each archive has a matching .sha256 file on the release page:
+
+  sha256sum -c grainx-<version>-<target>.tar.gz.sha256      (Linux)
+  shasum -a 256 -c grainx-<version>-<target>.tar.gz.sha256  (macOS)
+
+Docs and source: https://github.com/rustfuture/grainx
+License: see LICENSE