First Launch

First Launch Setup

Argosy's first-run wizard walks you through everything it needs to get from a fresh install to a playable library. You can revisit most of these steps later in Settings, so it's fine to skip something and come back.

Wizard steps

1. RomM login — enter your server URL. Argosy probes the server and picks the sign-in method: on RomM 5.0+ it uses device-managed registration and shows a QR code to scan and approve from the RomM web UI; older servers fall back to an 8-character pairing code. Either way it finishes the handshake and shows your library stats.
2. Permissions — grant the permissions Argosy needs in one consolidated step: Storage (to manage ROM files and saves), Notifications (download and sync progress), Display Over Other Apps (in-game save detection), and Usage Access (accurate play time tracking and resume). Tap each row to open the Android settings page; granted rows show a checkmark. You can skip any permission and grant it later from Settings > Permissions.
3. Games path — pick the folder where downloaded ROMs should land. See Storage and Paths for how this interacts with per-platform overrides.
4. Image cache (optional) — by default artwork lives in the app's internal cache. If your device has limited internal storage, pick an external folder to hold an argosy_images subfolder.
5. Platform sync (only if you have more than 10 platforms) — pick which platforms from your RomM library Argosy should sync.
6. Core downloads (optional) — opt into downloading Built-in Emulator cores up front so you can play immediately without the first-launch download prompt per platform.

Save sync and accurate play time tracking are on by default once setup completes. You can toggle either in Settings if you prefer otherwise.

RomM connection notes

Your RomM server must be reachable from the device. If you're on the same LAN, use your server's local IP. If you're connecting from outside your network, you need to expose RomM externally (reverse proxy, VPN, Tailscale, etc.) — Argosy doesn't provide a tunnel.

If the connection test fails, double-check the URL (including http:// vs https://), the port, and that RomM is actually reachable from a browser on the same device.

Sign-in methods

Argosy commits the URL automatically when the field loses focus or the on-screen keyboard is dismissed, then detects how to sign in:

• Device-managed registration (RomM 5.0+) — Argosy shows a QR code and short code. Scan it with your phone (or open the link) and approve the device in RomM; the wizard finishes as soon as it's approved.
• Pairing code (older servers) — enter the 8-character code from the RomM web UI (Settings > Auth > Pair Device). It's single-use and expires after a short window; a wrong code clears the field so you can retry.

Password-based login is no longer supported anywhere in Argosy; device-managed registration and pairing codes are the two sign-in methods.

Skipping steps

You can skip any permission and finish without touching the optional steps (image cache, platform sync, core downloads). Only the RomM login and games path are required to finish the wizard — there's no local-only mode on a fresh install.