Installation and Setup

Installation & Setup

This guide covers installing CyberLauncher, building from source, and keeping it up to date (current version v1.12.0).

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System Requirements

Requirement	Detail
OS	Windows 10/11, 64-bit (x64)
Runtime	None (Electron bundles all dependencies)
Installer	CyberLauncher-Setup-{version}.exe (NSIS, ~tens of MB)
Data	%APPDATA%/CyberLauncher/ for config + icon cache

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Installation Methods

Installer (Recommended)

1. Download CyberLauncher-Setup-1.12.0.exe from Releases (Windows 64-bit)
2. Run the .exe (Thematic NSIS wizard with custom branding and welcome page)
3. Choose install directory when prompted (allowToChangeInstallationDirectory, elevation allowed)
4. Finish; the app launches automatically (runAfterFinish)

What the Installer Does

• Installs the application + Start Menu shortcuts (NSIS standard)
• Always creates a Desktop shortcut (createDesktopShortcut: always)
• Runs the app after setup, it does not offer start-with-Windows during install (enable it later in-app)

First Run

1. Press Alt+Shift+L to summon the launcher
2. Optional: Settings → SYSTEM → LAUNCH AUTO WITH WINDOWS (+ START MINIMIZED for tray-only start)
3. Optional: Settings → BACKUP & DATA → Restore shortcuts to seed Windows utilities

Windows SmartScreen

Windows may show a SmartScreen warning the first time you run the CyberLauncher installer; this is expected until Windows builds enough reputation for the file.

To continue:

1. Click More info.
2. Click Run anyway.

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Building from Source

Prerequisites

Tool	Version
Node.js	v18+ (CI builds with Node 22)
Git	Any recent version
Windows	Required for packaging (NSIS + open-taskbar-settings.exe)

Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/CyberGems/CyberLauncher.git
cd CyberLauncher

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run in development mode
npm run dev

Build for Production

# Build web + package Electron installer (output: release/)
npm run build:electron

Releases are cut by pushing a v* tag: CI (Release Installer workflow) builds on windows-latest, uploads release/*.exe + latest.yml, and publishes GitHub Releases as drafts first so notes (template + SHA256 checksum) can be reviewed before going public.

Checks & Icons

npm run lint      # tsc --noEmit, must pass before PRs
npm run icons     # regenerate public/ icons (needs gitignored artifacts/ masters: 1024px PNG + multi-size ICO)

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Auto-Start

• Settings → SYSTEM → LAUNCH AUTO WITH WINDOWS (+ START MINIMIZED = open to tray without showing the window)
• Alternative: Windows Settings → Apps → Startup → toggle CyberLauncher

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Auto-Update Flow

Updates notify; they never force-install:

1. Automatic background check (also triggerable from tray or About modal) → An update is available ({version})
2. Preview changes with the bilingual release-notes peek (in English or Spanish matching your app language).
3. Choose your action:
   • Download update / Install on restart: The update downloads in the background and installs silently on restart.
   • Skip this version: Suppress all further update notifications for the current release until a newer one arrives.
4. The update notice shows a What's new peek with a direct link to the GitHub release page.

Manual Update

• About → Check for updates, or download CyberLauncher-Setup-{version}.exe from Releases and install over the existing copy (config is preserved)

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Data Location (Electron userData)

Data	Location
Config	%APPDATA%/CyberLauncher/cyber-launcher-config.json
Indexer settings	%APPDATA%/CyberLauncher/indexer_settings.json
Window state	%APPDATA%/CyberLauncher/window-state.json
Icon cache	%APPDATA%/CyberLauncher/icon-cache/

About → Open folder reveals it in Explorer; About → Copy diagnostics copies environment info for bug reports. Close the app before editing JSON by hand.

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Uninstallation

Standard Uninstall

1. Windows Settings → Apps → Installed Apps
2. Find CyberLauncher → Uninstall (NSIS uninstaller uses the app ICO)

What Gets Removed

• Program files
• Start Menu + Desktop shortcuts
• Auto-start entry

What Is Kept

• %APPDATA%/CyberLauncher (config, indexer settings, icon cache)

To remove all data, manually delete %APPDATA%/CyberLauncher after uninstalling.