Installation

Vaxtly is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Each platform offers a recommended package manager install and a manual download option. The package manager method is strongly recommended — it handles updates automatically and avoids OS security warnings that affect unsigned apps.

Why Package Managers Are Recommended

Vaxtly is not code-signed. Code signing certificates require identity verification programs that aren't available in all countries, and third-party alternatives cost ~$500/year — prohibitive for an independent open-source project. Package managers solve this entirely: they bypass OS security gates (Windows SmartScreen, macOS Gatekeeper) because the package integrity is verified through the package manager's own trust chain.

The app is fully open source — you can audit every line of code and build it yourself if you prefer.

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Windows

Option 1: Scoop (Recommended)

Scoop is a command-line package manager for Windows. It installs apps to your user directory without requiring admin privileges.

scoop bucket add vaxtly https://github.com/vaxtly/scoop-bucket
scoop install vaxtly

The first command registers the Vaxtly bucket (a repository of install manifests). The second installs the app. You only need to add the bucket once — future installs and updates skip that step.

Pros:

• Bypasses Windows SmartScreen completely — no security warnings
• One-command updates with scoop update vaxtly
• Clean uninstall with scoop uninstall vaxtly — no leftover files or registry entries
• No admin privileges required

Cons:

• Requires Scoop to be installed first
• Command-line only — no graphical installer

Don't have Scoop? Install it from scoop.sh. It's a one-liner in PowerShell:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser
Invoke-RestMethod -Uri https://get.scoop.sh | Invoke-Expression

Updating:

scoop update vaxtly

Option 2: Direct Download (.exe)

Download the .exe installer from GitHub Releases.

Pros:

• No prerequisites — just download and run
• Familiar graphical installer

Cons:

• Windows SmartScreen will block the installer because the app is unsigned. You'll see a blue warning screen — click "More info" then "Run anyway" to proceed. This happens only on first install.
• Manual updates — you need to download and run the new installer each time

WARNING

SmartScreen may flag the installer as "unrecognized." This is expected for any unsigned application. The app is open source and the builds are produced by GitHub Actions CI — you can verify the build pipeline yourself.

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macOS

Option 1: Homebrew (Recommended)

Homebrew is the standard package manager for macOS.

brew install vaxtly/tap/vaxtly

This taps the Vaxtly formula repository and installs the app in a single command.

Pros:

• Bypasses macOS Gatekeeper completely — no quarantine warnings
• One-command updates with brew upgrade vaxtly
• Clean uninstall with brew uninstall vaxtly
• Handles both Intel and Apple Silicon automatically

Cons:

• Requires Homebrew to be installed first
• Command-line only

Don't have Homebrew? Install it from brew.sh:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Updating:

brew upgrade vaxtly

Option 2: Direct Download (.dmg)

Download the .dmg file from GitHub Releases. Open the DMG and drag Vaxtly to your Applications folder.

Pros:

• No prerequisites — standard macOS install experience
• Familiar drag-to-Applications flow

Cons:

• Gatekeeper will block the app because it's unsigned. You need to manually remove the quarantine attribute after downloading (see below)
• Manual updates — you need to download each new version yourself

Removing the quarantine flag:

After downloading and moving the app to Applications, run:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Vaxtly.app

Without this step, macOS will refuse to open the app and show a dialog saying it "can't be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software."

TIP

If you prefer not to use the terminal, you can also right-click the app in Finder, select "Open," and then click "Open" in the dialog. This only needs to be done once.

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Linux

Option 1: Snap (Recommended)

Snap is a universal package manager available on most Linux distributions.

snap install vaxtly

Pros:

• Automatic updates — Snap handles updates in the background
• Works on any distribution with snapd installed (Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, Debian, openSUSE, etc.)
• Sandboxed — the app runs in a confined environment
• Listed on the Snap Store for discoverability

Cons:

• Snap packages use more disk space than native packages (bundles dependencies)
• Slightly slower cold start compared to native packages due to sandboxing
• Requires snapd — some distributions (like Linux Mint) disable it by default

Don't have Snap? Most Ubuntu-based distributions include it. For others:

# Debian / Ubuntu (if not pre-installed)
sudo apt install snapd

# Fedora
sudo dnf install snapd
sudo ln -s /var/lib/snapd/snap /snap

# Arch
sudo pacman -S snapd
sudo systemctl enable --now snapd.socket

Updating:

Snap updates automatically. To force an immediate update:

snap refresh vaxtly

Option 2: AppImage

Download the .AppImage file from GitHub Releases.

chmod +x Vaxtly-*.AppImage
./Vaxtly-*.AppImage

Pros:

• Universal — runs on virtually any Linux distribution
• No installation required — it's a single executable file
• No root privileges needed
• Fully portable — put it on a USB drive and run it anywhere

Cons:

• No automatic updates — you need to download new versions manually
• No desktop integration by default (no app icon in your launcher). You can use AppImageLauncher or create a .desktop file manually
• Larger file size since it bundles all dependencies

TIP

For desktop integration, consider AppImageLauncher — it automatically integrates AppImages into your application menu when you first run them.

Option 3: .deb Package

Download the .deb file from GitHub Releases. Best suited for Debian-based distributions (Debian, Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Linux Mint, Elementary OS).

sudo dpkg -i vaxtly_*.deb

Or with apt (handles dependencies automatically):

sudo apt install ./vaxtly_*.deb

Pros:

• Native system integration — app icon, file associations, and menu entry are set up automatically
• Fastest startup time — no sandboxing overhead
• Smallest footprint — uses shared system libraries

Cons:

• Debian-based distributions only (.deb won't work on Fedora, Arch, etc.)
• No automatic updates — you need to download and install new .deb files manually
• Requires root privileges to install

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Comparison Table

	Auto-updates	No security warnings	No prerequisites	No root needed
Windows — Scoop	scoop update	Yes	Scoop	Yes
Windows — .exe	No	No (SmartScreen)	None	Yes
macOS — Homebrew	brew upgrade	Yes	Homebrew	Yes
macOS — .dmg	No	No (Gatekeeper)	None	Yes
Linux — Snap	Automatic	Yes	snapd	No (initial)
Linux — AppImage	No	Yes	None	Yes
Linux — .deb	No	Yes	None	No

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Building From Source

If you prefer to build Vaxtly yourself:

git clone https://github.com/vaxtly/app.git
cd app
npm install
npm run build

The build output will be in the dist/ directory. See the repository README for full build instructions and requirements.

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Verifying Downloads

All release artifacts are built by GitHub Actions in a clean CI environment. You can verify the integrity of any download by:

1. Checking the Actions run that produced the release
2. Comparing file checksums listed in the release notes (when available)
3. Building from source and comparing the output

NOTE

Vaxtly does not phone home, check for updates itself, or send any telemetry. If you install via direct download, check GitHub Releases periodically for new versions, or watch the repository for release notifications.