Install Isaac Lab

Repo: https://github.com/isaac-sim/IsaacLab.git Modes: Isaac Sim-backed full install, or Isaac Lab 3.0+ kit-less/Newton install.

Choose Install Mode

• Full Isaac Sim-backed install: use for PhysX, ROS, URDF/MJCF importers, Omniverse visualization, and most benchmarking/profiling work. This requires Isaac Sim first.
• Kit-less/Newton install (Isaac Lab 3.0+): use only when the user explicitly wants core Isaac Lab/Newton workflows that do not require Isaac Sim features.

If the user does not specify, default to the full Isaac Sim-backed install for performance benchmarking.

Kit-less / Newton Quick Install (Isaac Lab 3.0+)

Use this path only when Isaac Sim features are not needed.

git clone https://github.com/isaac-sim/IsaacLab.git
cd IsaacLab
git checkout develop   # or a specific commit/tag

# Installs core Isaac Lab packages plus the Newton backend.
./isaaclab.sh -i

Do not use this mode for PhysX, ROS, URDF/MJCF importers, or Omniverse visualizers.

Full Isaac Sim-Backed Install

Step 1: Install Isaac Sim

See the install-isaacsim skill. You need a working Isaac Sim before proceeding.

Step 2: Install an Environment Manager (if not present)

Conda is the most common path; uv is also supported by recent Isaac Lab versions.

# Prefer an existing environment manager.
command -v conda >/dev/null && echo "CONDA OK" || echo "CONDA MISSING"
command -v uv >/dev/null && echo "UV OK" || echo "UV MISSING (needed for ./isaaclab.sh -u)"

If neither conda nor uv is available, ask before installing one. Do not run conda init from this skill; it mutates user shell startup files. If the user approves a local Miniconda install, use a non-mutating activation path:

wget https://repo.anaconda.com/miniconda/Miniconda3-latest-Linux-x86_64.sh -O /tmp/miniconda.sh
bash /tmp/miniconda.sh -b -p "$HOME/miniconda3"
source "$HOME/miniconda3/etc/profile.d/conda.sh"
conda --version

Step 3: Clone Isaac Lab

git clone https://github.com/isaac-sim/IsaacLab.git
cd IsaacLab
git checkout develop   # or a specific commit/tag

Step 4: Link Isaac Sim

# If Isaac Sim was source-built:
ln -s /path/to/IsaacSim/_build/linux-x86_64/release _isaac_sim

# If Isaac Sim was pip-installed, the link may not be needed —
# isaaclab.sh should detect the pip installation automatically.
# Check: ./isaaclab.sh -p -c "import isaacsim; print('OK')"

Step 5: Create Environment

# Choose one. Default environment name is env_isaaclab if omitted.
# Conda:
./isaaclab.sh -c env_isaaclab

# uv on supported versions:
./isaaclab.sh -u env_isaaclab

This creates an environment with the correct Python version and base dependencies. The default name (if you omit the argument) is env_isaaclab.

Note: You may need to accept conda channel TOS first if this is a fresh install:

conda tos accept --override-channels --channel https://repo.anaconda.com/pkgs/main
conda tos accept --override-channels --channel https://repo.anaconda.com/pkgs/r

Step 6: Install Dependencies

# Conda
source "$(conda info --base)/etc/profile.d/conda.sh"
conda activate env_isaaclab

# Or uv
# source env_isaaclab/bin/activate

./isaaclab.sh -i

Important: Make sure to run these commands in bash (not sh). The source builtin and conda activate require bash.

Verify

source "$(conda info --base)/etc/profile.d/conda.sh"
conda activate env_isaaclab
cd IsaacLab

# Quick import check
./isaaclab.sh -p -c "import isaaclab; print('OK')"

# Run a minimal benchmark (few frames)
./isaaclab.sh -p scripts/benchmarks/benchmark_non_rl.py \
  --task=Isaac-Cartpole-Direct-v0 --viz none --num_frames 10 --num_envs=16

Note: --headless is deprecated in recent versions. Omit --viz for headless mode, or use --viz none to force headless when visualizers are configured.

Day-to-Day Activation

source "$(conda info --base)/etc/profile.d/conda.sh"
conda activate env_isaaclab
cd IsaacLab

Common Issues

./isaaclab.sh -i fails finding Isaac Sim

Make sure the _isaac_sim symlink points to a valid Isaac Sim build/install:

ls -la _isaac_sim/
# Should show Isaac Sim files (python.sh, kit/, exts/, etc.)

Conda env already exists

conda env remove -n env_isaaclab
./isaaclab.sh -c env_isaaclab

GPU not found / CUDA errors

Verify NVIDIA driver and CUDA:

nvidia-smi
python -c "import torch; print(torch.cuda.is_available())"