diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 1f4f84f02038..d1deed6d55e9 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -20,6 +20,14 @@ docker run -it -p 127.0.0.1:8080:8080 -v "$PWD:/home/coder/project" -u "$(id -u)
 
 ## Getting Started
 
+### Installation
+
+#### Linux
+
+```bash
+curl --silent https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cdr/code-server/issue-1396/install_helper.sh | bash
+```
+
 ### Requirements
 
 - 64-bit host.
diff --git a/install_helper.sh b/install_helper.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000000..fa705fc410a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/install_helper.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,147 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# install_helper allows for easy installation of code-server on Linux systems
+# the latest official release is pulled from the Github API, where the proper asset
+# is then unpackaged and installed into ~/.local/share/code-server/<version>
+
+# The code-server binary is linked to ~/.local/share/code-server/bin/code-server
+
+set -eo pipefail
+
+get_releases() {
+  curl --silent "https://api.github.com/repos/cdr/code-server/releases/latest" |
+    grep '"browser_download_url":\|"tag_name":'
+}
+
+RED='\033[0;31m'
+NC='\033[0m' # No Color
+CYAN='\033[0;36m'
+
+releases=$(get_releases)
+package=$(echo "$releases" | grep 'linux' | grep 'x86' | sed -E 's/.*"([^"]+)".*/\1/')
+version=$(echo $releases | sed -E 's/.*"tag_name": "([^"]+)".*/\1/')
+
+bin_dir=$HOME/.code-server/bin
+bin_path=$bin_dir/code-server
+lib_path=$HOME/.code-server/$version
+
+linux_install() {
+  temp_path=/tmp/code-server-$version
+
+  if [ -d $temp_path ]; then
+    rm -rf $temp_path
+  fi
+
+  mkdir $temp_path
+  cd $temp_path
+
+  echo "-- Downloading code-server v$version"
+  wget $package > /dev/null
+
+  echo "-- Unpacking code-server release"
+  tar -xzf code-server*.tar.gz > /dev/null
+  rm code-server*.tar.gz
+
+  if [ -d $lib_path ]; then
+    echo -e "$RED-- ERROR: v$version already found in $lib_path"
+    echo -e "-- ERROR: To reinstall, first delete this directory$NC"
+    rm -rf -f $temp_path1
+    exit 1
+  fi
+
+  mkdir -p $lib_path
+
+  mv -f code-server*/* $lib_path/
+
+  mkdir -p $bin_dir
+  ln -f -s $lib_path/code-server $bin_path
+
+  rm -rf -f $temp_path
+  echo "-- Successfully installed code-server at $bin_path"
+}
+
+# @see https://yarnpkg.com/install.sh
+detect_profile() {
+  if [ -n "${PROFILE}" ] && [ -f "${PROFILE}" ]; then
+    echo "${PROFILE}"
+    return
+  fi
+
+  local DETECTED_PROFILE
+  DETECTED_PROFILE=''
+  local SHELLTYPE
+  SHELLTYPE="$(basename "/$SHELL")"
+
+  if [ "$SHELLTYPE" = "bash" ]; then
+    if [ -f "$HOME/.bashrc" ]; then
+      DETECTED_PROFILE="$HOME/.bashrc"
+    elif [ -f "$HOME/.bash_profile" ]; then
+      DETECTED_PROFILE="$HOME/.bash_profile"
+    fi
+  elif [ "$SHELLTYPE" = "zsh" ]; then
+    DETECTED_PROFILE="$HOME/.zshrc"
+  elif [ "$SHELLTYPE" = "fish" ]; then
+    DETECTED_PROFILE="$HOME/.config/fish/config.fish"
+  fi
+
+  if [ -z "$DETECTED_PROFILE" ]; then
+    if [ -f "$HOME/.profile" ]; then
+      DETECTED_PROFILE="$HOME/.profile"
+    elif [ -f "$HOME/.bashrc" ]; then
+      DETECTED_PROFILE="$HOME/.bashrc"
+    elif [ -f "$HOME/.bash_profile" ]; then
+      DETECTED_PROFILE="$HOME/.bash_profile"
+    elif [ -f "$HOME/.zshrc" ]; then
+      DETECTED_PROFILE="$HOME/.zshrc"
+    elif [ -f "$HOME/.config/fish/config.fish" ]; then
+      DETECTED_PROFILE="$HOME/.config/fish/config.fish"
+    fi
+  fi
+
+  if [ ! -z "$DETECTED_PROFILE" ]; then
+    echo "$DETECTED_PROFILE"
+  fi
+}
+
+add_to_path() {
+  cd "$HOME"
+  echo '-- Adding to $PATH...'
+  DETECTED_PROFILE="$(detect_profile)"
+  SOURCE_STR="\nexport PATH=\"\$HOME/.code-server/bin:\$PATH\"\n"
+
+  if [ -z "${DETECTED_PROFILE}" ]; then
+    echo -e "$RED-- Profile not found. Tried ${DETECTED_PROFILE} (as defined in \$PROFILE), ~/.bashrc, ~/.bash_profile, ~/.zshrc, and ~/.profile."
+    echo "-- Create one of them and run this script again"
+    echo "-- Create it (touch ${DETECTED_PROFILE}) and run this script again"
+    echo "   OR"
+    echo -e "-- Append the following line to the correct file yourself$NC"
+
+    echo -e "$CYAN${SOURCE_STR}$NC"
+  else
+    if [[ $DETECTED_PROFILE == *"fish"* ]]; then
+      command fish -c 'set -U fish_user_paths $fish_user_paths ~/.code-server/bin'
+      echo "-- We've added ~/.code-server/bin to your fish_user_paths universal variable"
+    else
+      echo -e "$SOURCE_STR" >> "$DETECTED_PROFILE"
+      echo "-- We've added the following to your $DETECTED_PROFILE"
+    fi
+
+    echo "-- If this isn't the profile of your current shell then please add the following to your correct profile:"
+
+    echo -e "$CYAN $SOURCE_STR $NC"
+
+    version=$($bin_path --version) || (
+      echo -e "$RED-- code-server was installed, but doesn't seem to be working :($NC"
+      exit 1
+    )
+
+    echo "-- Successfully installed code-server $version! Please open another terminal where the \`code-server\` command will now be available."
+  fi
+}
+
+if [[ $OSTYPE == "linux-gnu" ]]; then
+  linux_install
+  add_to_path
+else
+  echo "Unknown operating system. Not installing."
+  exit 1
+fi