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Builder CLI

Complete reference for installer_builder. For the flags of the built installer itself, see Installer runtime flags.

installer_builder <COMMAND>

Commands:
  keygen   Generate an Ed25519 signing keypair
  pack     Build an installer .exe with an embedded payload

keygen

OptionRequiredDescription
-o, --out <DIR>YesOutput directory for priv.key and pub.key (hex-encoded).

See Signing keys.

pack

Every value may come from the CLI or from a --config TOML file; the CLI wins. Required fields are checked after merging. See The config file for the file format and merge rules.

Identity and content

OptionRequiredDescription
-p, --product <NAME>YesDisplay name: Windows Apps, version info, wizard UI, shortcut labels.
--product-id <ID>YesRegistry-safe internal id: Uninstall key, ProgIDs, data folder, upgrade detection. Must match ^[A-Za-z][A-Za-z0-9._-]{0,49}$; keep it stable across versions.
--publisher <NAME>YesVendor name: Apps “Publisher” field and the uninstall data folder. Must not be empty.
--to-version <VER>YesNew version. Also parsed as a.b.c.d for the version-info resource.
--input <DIR>YesSource directory of the new version’s files.
-e, --exe <REL>NoMain executable, relative to --input. Omit only if the product has no executable; see Full installers.
-o, --out <FILE>YesOutput installer .exe path.

Signing and stub

OptionRequiredDescription
--priv-key <FILE>One of the twoEd25519 private key file that signs the payload.
--priv-key-literal <HEX>One of the twoThe private key as 64 hex chars, for CI pipelines. Mutually exclusive with --priv-key.
--pub-key <FILE>Toolchain mode: one of the twoPublic key file compiled into the stub. Ignored with --installer-stub.
--pub-key-literal <HEX>Toolchain mode: one of the twoThe public key as 64 hex chars. Mutually exclusive with --pub-key.
--installer-stub <FILE>With --uninstallerPrebuilt stub. Switches to toolchain-free mode.
--uninstaller <FILE>With --installer-stubPrebuilt uninstaller.
--reuse-stubNoSkip rebuilding the stub and uninstaller when they already exist (toolchain mode).

Patch mode

OptionRequiredDescription
--from-version <VER>With --from-dirPrevious version string. Pins the target install.
--from-dir <DIR>With --from-versionPrevious version’s files, for delta generation.

Packaging and behavior

OptionDefaultDescription
--license <FILE>Built-in placeholderUTF-8 plain-text or CommonMark EULA shown on the License page.
--license-lang <LANG=FILE>NoneEULA translation for one UI language. Repeatable. See Branding.
--banner <FILE.png>Flat gray headerPNG painted across the wizard header. Author at 1400 x 144 px; see Branding.
--banner-dark <FILE.png>Same as --bannerDark-theme variant of --banner, shown by the WinUI wizard when Windows runs dark (with light title text). Needs --banner; see Branding.
--assoc ".ext:Description"NoneFile association. Repeatable; a CLI list replaces the config file’s list. Uses the main exe’s first icon; to choose another, use an [[assoc]] table in the config file.
--default-install-dir <DIR>%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\<product>Proposed install path. %VAR% tokens are expanded.
--skip-licenseOffHide the License page.
--skip-pathOffHide the Choose-location page.
--allow-force-path-window-stateOffLet the setup’s --force-show-path-window flag show the page hidden by --skip-path. See Wizard pages and install location.
--install-dir-restriction <enforce|default-dir-only|bypass>enforceNon-empty-folder guard for fresh interactive installs. See Wizard pages and install location.
--uninstall-dir-policy <purge|tracked>purgeWhat the uninstaller removes from the install folder. See Uninstall.
--launch-option <checked|unchecked|hidden>checkedState of the final-page “launch now” checkbox.
--upgrade-minimal-uiOffUpgrades use the compact minimal UI; a first install still gets the wizard.
--show-uninstall-completeOffShow a confirmation message box at the end of an interactive uninstall.
--min-installer-version <VER>1.0.0Minimum installer stub version allowed to run this payload.
--purge-unknown-filesOffFull installs: remove unknown or leftover files on an upgrade or reinstall. Known files are still hash-skipped. Ignored for patches.
--force-reinstallOffDev: rewrite all files, remove orphans, skip the from-version check.
--pak-workers <N>Every CPUMaximum payload compression threads.
--config <FILE.toml>NoneRead any of the above from a TOML file.

Shortcuts, registry entries, plugins, feature packs, and feature_mode are config-file only. See The config file.