Support and compatibility policy

Support and compatibility policy

This policy describes the configurations STL Studio supports for the v1.0 release line, the upgrade paths that have been qualified, and what to include when asking for help.

Supported platforms

Configuration	Support level	Notes
Windows 11, x64	Supported	Primary desktop configuration. Use the published STL-Studio-Setup-<version>.exe installer.
Windows 10 22H2, x64	Supported while the underlying Electron runtime supports it	Windows 10 may require Microsoft's Extended Security Updates after its normal support lifecycle.
Linux, x64 headless binary	Best effort	Runs as a local web service. The packaged Electron desktop window and automatic updater are Windows-only.
Docker Compose	Best effort	Intended for experienced self-hosters. Host operating systems and NAS platforms are not individually qualified.
Windows on ARM, 32-bit Windows, Windows Server, and macOS desktop	Unsupported	No matching desktop installer is built or qualified. macOS users may try Docker on a best-effort basis.

“Supported” means releases are built and checked in CI and the installer, application lifecycle, backup/restore, migration-failure, and updater paths have repeatable qualification coverage. It does not mean every hardware, filesystem, NAS, security-product, or corporate-policy combination has been tested.

Upgrades, backups, and rollback

• Direct upgrades are supported from v0.18.0 or newer to the current release.
• Before a major upgrade, create a backup under Settings → Data Management → Download Backup and keep it until the new version has been exercised with your library.
• STL files remain in their library folders; the application database stores the catalog and settings.
• A schema upgrade first creates a pre_upgrade_<timestamp>.db snapshot. If the migration fails, startup stops and restores the original database automatically.
• Downgrades are not supported. Schema migrations are not reversed, and a backup created by a newer version is not guaranteed to load in an older version.
• To roll back, reinstall the older application and restore a backup or automatic pre-upgrade snapshot created by that older version.

Getting help

Search the Troubleshooting guide first. For a reproducible problem, open a GitHub bug report and include:

• the STL Studio version and installation method;
• the Windows version and architecture, or Docker/Linux environment;
• concise reproduction steps and the expected versus actual result;
• the sanitized summary from Help → About & support → Copy diagnostics; and
• a sanitized log bundle when it is relevant to the failure.

Privacy and diagnostic sharing

STL Studio does not submit diagnostics or log bundles automatically. The catalog, settings, and persistent logs remain on the local machine unless you choose to share them. Optional AI and storefront integrations make network requests only when configured and used.

Copy diagnostics includes an allowlisted health summary. Persistent support logs are off by default, rotate within a fixed size, and redact credentials and local paths. Sanitization is a safety layer, not a guarantee: review copied text, screenshots, and downloaded logs before attaching them to a public report. Never share API keys, passwords, private model metadata, or library paths that you do not want disclosed.

Release scope

Code signing is not part of the current qualification scope. Until signed installers are published, Windows SmartScreen blocks the downloaded installer on first run and requires More info → Run anyway. This affects every current release and is not a malware detection.

Because the installer is unsigned, every versioned release publishes a SHA256SUMS manifest and GitHub build-provenance attestations so the download can be verified independently — see Verifying your download. The rolling Main Build prerelease carries neither.

For the full walkthrough, including the mark-of-the-web Unblock case and browser-level download blocking, see Windows blocked the installer.