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Installation

Development Status

SilentCast is currently under active development. The installation methods described below may change. For the most stable experience, we recommend using the official releases from GitHub.

This guide covers all installation methods for SilentCast across different platforms. Choose the method that best suits your needs.

System Requirements

Minimum Requirements

  • OS: Windows 10+ or macOS 10.15+
  • Memory: 512MB RAM
  • Storage: 50MB available space
  • Permissions: Admin/sudo access for global hotkeys

Supported Architectures

  • x86_64 (AMD64)
  • ARM64 (Apple Silicon)

Quick Install Scripts

The fastest way to get started:

bash
# Universal install script
curl -sSL https://get.silentcast.dev | bash

# With custom installation directory
curl -sSL https://get.silentcast.dev | bash -s -- --prefix=/opt/silentcast

# Install specific version
curl -sSL https://get.silentcast.dev | bash -s -- --version=1.0.0
powershell
# Run PowerShell as Administrator
Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force
iwr -useb https://get.silentcast.dev/install.ps1 | iex

# Install to custom location
iwr -useb https://get.silentcast.dev/install.ps1 | iex -InstallDir "C:\Tools\SilentCast"

# Install specific version
iwr -useb https://get.silentcast.dev/install.ps1 | iex -Version "1.0.0"

Security Note: Always review install scripts before running them. You can view the scripts at:

Package Managers

macOS (Homebrew)

bash
# Install
brew tap spherestacking/silentcast
brew install silentcast

# Upgrade
brew upgrade silentcast

# Start as service
brew services start silentcast

Windows

Scoop

powershell
# Add bucket
scoop bucket add silentcast https://github.com/SphereStacking/scoop-silentcast

# Install
scoop install silentcast

# Update
scoop update silentcast

Chocolatey

powershell
# Install (Admin PowerShell)
choco install silentcast

# Upgrade
choco upgrade silentcast

WinGet

powershell
# Install
winget install SphereStacking.SilentCast

# Upgrade
winget upgrade SphereStacking.SilentCast

Manual Installation

Download Binaries

  1. Visit the releases page
  2. Download the appropriate archive for your platform:
    • silentcast-windows-amd64.zip - Windows 64-bit
    • silentcast-darwin-amd64.tar.gz - macOS Intel
    • silentcast-darwin-arm64.tar.gz - macOS Apple Silicon

Installation Steps

bash
# Extract archive
tar -xzf silentcast-*.tar.gz

# Move to PATH
sudo mv silentcast /usr/local/bin/

# Make executable
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/silentcast

# Verify installation
silentcast --version
powershell
# Extract ZIP (PowerShell)
Expand-Archive silentcast-windows-amd64.zip -DestinationPath C:\Tools\SilentCast

# Add to PATH
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable(
    "Path",
    $env:Path + ";C:\Tools\SilentCast",
    [EnvironmentVariableTarget]::User
)

# Refresh PATH
$env:Path = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("Path", "User")

# Verify installation
silentcast --version

Building from Source

Prerequisites

  • Go 1.21 or later
  • Git
  • Make (optional but recommended)

Build Steps

bash
# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/SphereStacking/silentcast.git
cd silentcast

# Build for current platform
make build

# Build for all platforms
make build-all

# Install locally
sudo make install

# Run tests
make test

Custom Build Options

bash
# Build without C dependencies (no system tray)
make build-stub

# Build with specific version
make build VERSION=1.2.3

# Build for specific platform
GOOS=darwin GOARCH=arm64 make build

# Static build (no CGO)
CGO_ENABLED=0 make build

Post-Installation Setup

1. Configuration Directory

SilentCast looks for configuration in these locations:

bash
# Create config directory
mkdir -p ~/.config/silentcast

# Copy example configuration
curl -o ~/.config/silentcast/spellbook.yml \
  https://raw.githubusercontent.com/SphereStacking/silentcast/main/examples/spellbook.yml
powershell
# Create config directory
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path "$env:APPDATA\SilentCast"

# Download example configuration
Invoke-WebRequest `
  -Uri "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/SphereStacking/silentcast/main/examples/spellbook.yml" `
  -OutFile "$env:APPDATA\SilentCast\spellbook.yml"

2. Platform-Specific Setup

macOS - Accessibility Permissions

  1. Run SilentCast once: silentcast
  2. When prompted, open System Preferences
  3. Go to Security & Privacy → Privacy → Accessibility
  4. Click the lock and authenticate
  5. Add SilentCast to the list
  6. Restart SilentCast

3. Auto-Start Configuration

bash
# Create launch agent
cat > ~/Library/LaunchAgents/dev.silentcast.plist << EOF
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>Label</key>
    <string>dev.silentcast</string>
    <key>ProgramArguments</key>
    <array>
        <string>/usr/local/bin/silentcast</string>
    </array>
    <key>RunAtLoad</key>
    <true/>
    <key>KeepAlive</key>
    <true/>
</dict>
</plist>
EOF

# Load the agent
launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/dev.silentcast.plist
powershell
# Create scheduled task
$Action = New-ScheduledTaskAction -Execute "C:\Tools\SilentCast\silentcast.exe"
$Trigger = New-ScheduledTaskTrigger -AtLogon
$Principal = New-ScheduledTaskPrincipal -UserId $env:USERNAME -RunLevel Highest
$Settings = New-ScheduledTaskSettingsSet -AllowStartIfOnBatteries -DontStopIfGoingOnBatteries

Register-ScheduledTask `
    -TaskName "SilentCast" `
    -Action $Action `
    -Trigger $Trigger `
    -Principal $Principal `
    -Settings $Settings `
    -Description "SilentCast - Silent Hotkey Task Runner"

Verification

After installation, verify everything is working:

bash
# Check version
silentcast --version

# Validate configuration
silentcast --validate-config

# Run in debug mode
silentcast --log-level debug

# Test a simple spell
# Press your prefix key (e.g., Alt+Space) then 'h' for help

Troubleshooting Installation

Common Issues

Command not found

The binary is not in your PATH. Either:

  • Add the installation directory to PATH
  • Move the binary to a directory already in PATH
  • Use the full path to run: /usr/local/bin/silentcast
Permission denied

Make the binary executable:

bash
chmod +x /path/to/silentcast

For global hotkeys, you may need to run with elevated permissions initially.

macOS: "Cannot be opened because developer cannot be verified"

Clear the quarantine attribute:

bash
xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /usr/local/bin/silentcast

Or right-click the app and select "Open" once.

Next Steps

Now that SilentCast is installed:

  1. Configure your spellbook - Set up your shortcuts
  2. Learn about shortcuts - Master the magic
  3. Explore automation - Advanced scripting features

Need help? Join our Discord community.

Released under the MIT License.