Blazing-fast modern Windows installer builder written in Rust
SetupWeaver takes a simple install.toml config and your application files, and produces a single self-contained setup.exe — no .NET, no external unpacker, no network required.
install.toml + app files ──► setupweaver-packager ──► setup.exe
The output binary has this layout:
[ runtime stub ][ MAGIC ][ manifest ][ zstd-compressed chunks ][ trailer ]
At install time the embedded runtime stub reads its own tail, decompresses the payload, and runs the full install — UI wizard, file extraction, registry, PATH, shortcuts, post-install hooks.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Single-file output | One setup.exe with everything embedded |
| Modern UI | Dark-themed Slint wizard (Welcome → License → Install → Finish → Error) |
| Fast | Cold-start UI under 200 ms; zstd level 19 compression; parallel extraction in silent mode |
| Config-driven | Readable install.toml — no scripting needed |
| Registry & PATH | Write HKCU/HKLM keys, mutate PATH, auto-restore on failure |
| Shortcuts | Desktop shortcut creation |
| Post-install hooks | Run commands after install or on finish ([[run]] with when = "after" / "finish") |
| Silent mode | --silent for unattended install, --uninstall for removal |
| Rollback | Files, shortcuts, registry, and PATH changes rolled back on failure |
| In-place upgrade | Safe reinstall over existing managed install (auto-cleans old files) |
| Dual stubs | Normal and requireAdministrator variants |
| Streaming packager | Low peak RAM — compressed chunks streamed to disk, not held in memory |
| Visual packager GUI | Slint-based builder with 8 screens — no command line needed |
| CI-ready | GitHub Actions: fmt, clippy, Linux + Windows builds, auto-release on tag |
- Rust (stable, latest)
- Linux only (for building/developing):
sudo apt-get install -y pkg-config libfontconfig1-dev libxcb-render0-dev \ libxcb-shape0-dev libxcb-xfixes0-dev libxkbcommon-dev libwayland-dev
- Windows: no extra dependencies
git clone https://github.com/alnyx-dev/SetupWeaver.git
cd SetupWeaver
# Build all tools
cargo build --release -p setupweaver-packager \
-p setupweaver-packager-gui \
-p setupweaver-runtime \
-p setupweaver-runtime-adminThis produces 4 binaries in target/release/:
| Binary | Description |
|---|---|
setupweaver-packager.exe |
CLI packager — builds installers from install.toml |
setupweaver-packager-gui.exe |
GUI packager — visual installer builder |
setupweaver-runtime.exe |
Installer stub (standard privileges) |
setupweaver-runtime-admin.exe |
Installer stub (admin privileges) |
Option A — CLI:
setupweaver-packager build \
--config install.toml \
--stub setupweaver-runtime.exe \
--stub-admin setupweaver-runtime-admin.exe \
--output my-app-setup.exeOption B — GUI:
Launch setupweaver-packager-gui.exe and fill in 8 screens: App Info, Install Settings, Files, UI & Branding, Shortcuts, Registry, Run Hooks, Build.
# GUI install
my-app-setup.exe
# Silent install
my-app-setup.exe --silent
# Silent uninstall
my-app-setup.exe --uninstall --install-dir "C:\Program Files\My App"
# Inspect embedded manifest
my-app-setup.exe --print-manifestIf
require_admin = true, the packager automatically uses the admin stub with the embeddedrequireAdministratormanifest.
Create an install.toml in your project root:
[app]
name = "My App"
version = "1.0.0"
publisher = "Acme Inc."
description = "A great application"
icon = "app.ico"
[install]
default_dir = "{ProgramFiles}\\My App"
add_to_path = true
create_desktop_shortcut = true
require_admin = false
[ui]
theme = "system" # "dark", "light", or "system"
accent_color = "#7c3aed"
welcome_text = "Welcome to My App installer"
license_file = "LICENSE.txt"
[[files]]
src = "bin/**/*"
dest = "{install_dir}"
exclude = ["*.pdb", "*.log"]
[[files]]
src = "docs/readme.txt"
dest = "{install_dir}\\docs"
[[shortcuts]]
name = "My App"
target = "{install_dir}\\myapp.exe"
args = ""
icon = "{install_dir}\\myapp.ico"
[[registry]]
key = "HKCU\\Software\\MyApp"
[[registry.values]]
name = "Version"
type = "string"
data = "1.0.0"
[[registry.values]]
name = "Flags"
type = "dword"
data = "1"
[[run]]
cmd = "{install_dir}\\myapp.exe"
args = "--setup"
when = "after"
[[run]]
cmd = "{install_dir}\\myapp.exe"
when = "finish"| Variable | Expands to |
|---|---|
{install_dir} |
User-chosen install directory |
{ProgramFiles} |
C:\Program Files or equivalent |
string, dword, qword
SetupWeaver/
├── common/ # Shared types: InstallConfig, PackagedInstaller, validation
├── packager/ # CLI packager: install.toml + files → setup.exe
├── packager-gui/ # Visual installer builder (Slint UI)
├── runtime/ # Embedded stub: install engine + Slint wizard UI
├── runtime-admin/ # Admin stub (requireAdministrator manifest)
├── examples/ # Sample install.toml configs
│ └── hello/ # Hello App example
├── docs/ # Architecture documentation
├── .github/ # CI workflows (build, lint, release)
├── CONTRIBUTING.md # Build, test, and contribution guide
└── CHANGELOG.md # Release history
The installer binary format:
┌──────────────┬───────┬─────────────┬──────────────────┬────────────┬─────────┐
│ Runtime stub │ MAGIC │ manifest_len│ manifest (TOML) │ zstd chunks│ trailer │
│ (.exe) │ 8 B │ 8 B │ variable │ variable │ 8 B │
└──────────────┴───────┴─────────────┴──────────────────┴────────────┴─────────┘
- Runtime stub: self-contained Rust executable with Slint UI
- Manifest: TOML-serialized
PackagedInstaller(config + file index + chunk offsets) - Payload: zstd-compressed file chunks (8 MB per chunk, level 19)
- Trailer: 8-byte offset pointing to the start of the archive section
See docs/ARCHITECTURE.md for the full deep-dive.
- Reduce runtime stub size (explore Slint feature pruning, custom Win32 UI)
- Delta updates for smaller upgrade packages
- Add/Remove Programs (ARP) registration
- Start Menu shortcuts
- Light/dark/system theme switching
- Browse button for install directory
- ETA display during installation
- Localization (EN, RU)
See CONTRIBUTING.md for build instructions, coding standards, and how to submit PRs.
This project is open source. See the repository for license details.