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Installation Guide

MINT can be installed via multiple methods. Choose the one that best fits your environment.

A standalone Windows installer is available for Windows 10 and 11.

Download: Latest Windows Installer

Installation: 1. Download and run the installer 2. An icon will be added to your Start Menu 3. Launch MINT from the Start Menu 4. A terminal window will appear (you may see harmless error messages—these can be ignored) 5. Wait for the server to start (10–30 seconds) 6. Your browser will open automatically to http://localhost:9999 - If it doesn't, open the URL manually once the terminal shows Serving on http://127.0.0.1:9999

The easiest way to install MINT is via pip. This works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Requirements: - Python 3.9 or higher

Installation: 

pip install ms-mint-app

This installs MINT and all dependencies.

Launch MINT: 

Mint

Options: - --data-dir /path/to/data - Specify custom data directory (default: ~/MINT) - --port 8080 - Change the port (default: 9999) - --no-browser - Don't open browser automatically - --debug - Enable debug mode with auto-reload - --help - Show all options

Example with custom data directory: 

Mint --data-dir /data/metabolomics

Docker (For Server Deployments)

MINT is available as a Docker container, ideal for server deployments or reproducible environments.

Pull the latest image: 

docker pull msmint/msmint:latest

Run MINT: 

docker run -p 9999:9999 -v /path/to/data:/data msmint/msmint:latest Mint --data-dir /data --no-browser --host 0.0.0.0

Access MINT: Open your browser to http://localhost:9999

What this command does: - -p 9999:9999 - Maps port 9999 from container to host - -v /path/to/data:/data - Mounts your local data directory into the container - --no-browser - Prevents auto-opening browser (useful for remote servers) - --host 0.0.0.0 - Allows external connections (important for containers)

Installation from Source (For Developers)

For development or to use the latest unreleased features, install from source.

Recommended: Use conda or mamba to create a virtual environment.

Steps: 

# Create and activate conda environment
conda create -n ms-mint python=3.9 pip
conda activate ms-mint

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/LewisResearchGroup/ms-mint-app
cd ms-mint-app

# Install in development mode (editable)
pip install -e .

# Or install normally
pip install .

Development mode (-e) allows you to edit the source code and see changes without reinstalling.

Troubleshooting

Browser doesn't open automatically

  • Wait for the terminal to show: INFO:waitress:Serving on http://127.0.0.1:9999
  • Manually open http://localhost:9999

Port already in use

Change the port with --port: 

Mint --port 8080

Permission errors on Windows

Run the installer or terminal as Administrator.

Python version issues

MINT requires Python 3.9 or higher. Check your version: 

python --version

Next Steps

Once installed, proceed to the Quickstart Tutorial to learn how to use MINT.

Technical Details

  • Frontend: Built with Plotly Dash
  • Backend: Python with the ms-mint library
  • Server: Runs locally using Waitress WSGI server
  • Data Storage: Files stored in ~/MINT by default (configurable with --data-dir)

The MINT GUI is under active development. For programmatic access, you can import and use functions from the ms-mint Python library directly in your own scripts.