maziggy
90a7d68d4a
A clean Windows 10 install crashed on startup: init_db() -> SQLAlchemy async engine -> greenlet failed with "DLL load failed while importing _greenlet: The specified module could not be found", so uvicorn never bound :8000 and the dashboard refused all connections while the NSSM service still showed running. greenlet's _greenlet.pyd is C++ and needs vcruntime140_1.dll, which the python.org embeddable distribution does not ship (it includes only vcruntime140.dll, enough for the pure-C python313.dll). Machines with the VC++ 2015-2022 redistributable already installed have the DLL in System32, which masked the bug in testing. Stage vcruntime140_1.dll and msvcp140.dll next to python.exe at build time, from a vendored copy or the runner's System32, failing loudly if absent. The Inno Setup [Files] step already copies staging\python\* recursively.
Bambuddy Windows Installer
Builds a self-contained Windows installer (.exe) for Bambuddy: embedded
Python 3.13 distribution + pre-built frontend + NSSM-supervised Windows
service. No Python or Node installation required on the target machine.
Architecture
- Install target:
C:\Program Files\Bambuddy\ - Data target:
C:\ProgramData\Bambuddy\data\(preserved on uninstall by default) - Logs target:
C:\ProgramData\Bambuddy\logs\ - Service: registered via NSSM, runs as
LocalSystem, autostart on boot - Service command:
python.exe -m uvicorn backend.app.main:app --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000 --loop asyncio(--loop asyncioavoids a uvloop TLS bug that can truncate VP FTP uploads, #1896) - Bundled binaries: Python 3.13 embeddable, NSSM, ffmpeg static build
Browser is the UI. Start Menu shortcut opens http://localhost:8000.
Why these choices
See memory/windows-installer-decision.md for the full reasoning. Short
version: PowerShell install scripts can't survive environmental drift
across the Windows host fleet, so we ship a self-contained bundle that
depends on nothing on the host. Inno Setup + embedded Python is the
lowest-maintenance path that delivers native-app UX. No Tauri/Electron
launcher in v1 — browser-as-UI matches every other Bambuddy platform.
Build prerequisites
The build runs on Windows (or in a Windows GitHub Actions runner). Cross- building from Linux is possible via Wine but not officially supported.
- Windows 10/11 x64 (or
windows-latestGitHub Actions runner) - Python 3.11+ (for running
build.py; the embedded Python that ships in the installer is downloaded fresh by the build script) - Node.js 22 LTS + npm (for building the frontend bundle)
- Inno Setup 6 (for compiling
bambuddy.iss→.exe)
The build script downloads everything else automatically (embedded Python, NSSM, ffmpeg).
Build steps
:: From the repo root on a Windows machine
cd installers\windows
python build.py
:: Then open bambuddy.iss in Inno Setup Compiler and click Build → Compile
:: (or invoke ISCC.exe directly:)
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Inno Setup 6\ISCC.exe" bambuddy.iss
Output: installers\windows\build\output\bambuddy-windows-setup.exe
Testing without signing
The installer can be built and run unsigned. Windows SmartScreen will show "Windows protected your PC" on first run. Click More info → Run anyway to proceed. This is expected and harmless for testing. Production builds will be signed via SignPath OSS (application in flight as of 2026-06-10) and won't show this warning after reputation accrues.
CI build
See .github/workflows/windows-installer.yml for the automated build.
The workflow runs on every tag matching v* and uploads the installer
as a release asset.
Known limitations / open questions
- VP feature on Windows: the Virtual Printer needs to bind 322/990/8883 (privileged ports). Service runs as LocalSystem which can bind these ports, but the user's Windows Firewall will prompt on first VP enable. Documenting this is TBD.
- Spoolman: explicitly NOT bundled in v1. Users who want Spoolman install it separately. Bambuddy internal-inventory mode is the default on Windows.
- Bundle size: estimated 250–350MB installed (mostly opencv + ffmpeg + matplotlib). Acceptable for a v1; can investigate slimming later if users complain.
- Updates: v1 ships as a fresh install / uninstall + install cycle. In-place upgrade via the same installer is supported by Inno Setup but needs end-to-end testing before we promise it.