Claude Code Installer & Runner (Windows)

WinForms app to install, run, and manage Claude Code (official native installer) and Claude Adapter (npm) on Windows 10/11.

Features

• Claude Code (no Node.js required)
  • Install/update via official script: irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex
  • Run Claude Code from the app
  • Uninstall (stops processes, removes %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin\claude and related files)
  • Check for installer updates
• Claude Adapter
  • Install/run Claude Adapter via npm; if Node.js is missing, the app can install Node.js LTS for you (winget or MSI fallback)
• Advanced tab: working directory, paths
• Health Check: installation status, prerequisites, OS

Prerequisites

• Windows 10/11
• .NET 8.0 Runtime or SDK — Download
  • Runtime: to run the pre-built app
  • SDK: to build from source
• Node.js is only required for Claude Adapter; the app can install it if missing.

Quick start (pre-built)

1. Get ClaudeCodeInstaller.WinForms.exe (e.g. from Releases or build with .\build.ps1 -Publish).
2. Run the exe.
3. Use Install/Update Claude Code or Install Claude Adapter as needed, then Run from the app.

Build from source

Full rebuild (recommended)

.\build.ps1

• Clean, restore, build (Release), run tests.
• Skip tests: .\build.ps1 -SkipTests
• Publish WinForms to artifacts\winforms: .\build.ps1 -Publish

Manual build

dotnet restore
dotnet build --configuration Release

Run: src\ClaudeCodeInstaller.WinForms\bin\Release\net8.0-windows\win-x64\ClaudeCodeInstaller.WinForms.exe

Single-file publish (distribution)

dotnet publish src/ClaudeCodeInstaller.WinForms/ClaudeCodeInstaller.WinForms.csproj -c Release -r win-x64 --self-contained true -o artifacts/winforms

What the app does

Action	Description
Install/Update Claude Code	Runs official PowerShell installer; installs to %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin\claude.exe. Stops any running Claude Code first.
Run Claude Code	Launches claude (by path if needed so it works before PATH is updated).
Uninstall Claude Code	Stops claude/claude-code processes, removes install dir and exe.
Install Claude Adapter	Global npm install of claude-adapter. If Node.js is missing, offers to install Node.js LTS (winget → MSI fallback).
Run Claude Adapter	Runs claude-adapter in a new console.
Health Check	Reports Claude Code install status, paths, OS.

VirusTotal / antivirus false positives

Some vendors may flag the built exe (e.g. Win64:Malware-gen, Trojan.Win64.Agent). These are false positives common for new, single-file .NET apps. The project is open source (MIT); you can build from source with .\build.ps1 -Publish. See docs/VIRUSTOTAL_FALSE_POSITIVES.md for details.

Code signing the exe (Authenticode) reduces false positives and shows "Verified publisher." See docs/CODE_SIGNING.md for how to sign with a certificate; the build script can sign automatically when env vars are set.

Troubleshooting

Issue	What to do
"claude" not recognized	Install via the app, then open a new terminal, or use Run Claude Code in the app (uses full path).
npm not found for Claude Adapter	Click Install Claude Adapter; when prompted, choose Yes to install Node.js LTS. Restart the app if npm still isn’t found.
Access denied	Run the app as Administrator if install/uninstall fails.
Build: dotnet not found	Install .NET 8 SDK.

Repo layout

• src/ClaudeCodeInstaller.Core — install/uninstall/verify Claude Code, Node.js install, npm/Claude Adapter, health.
• src/ClaudeCodeInstaller.WinForms — Main form (tabs: Main, Advanced).
• tests/ClaudeCodeInstaller.Tests — unit tests.
• build.ps1 — full rebuild script.
• docs/ — per-component and project docs.

CI/CD

GitHub Actions (.github/workflows/ci.yml): build, test, security checks, publish WinForms artifact, virus scan; on push to main, RC tag and GitHub Release with changelog.

License

This application is free for anyone to use, modify, and distribute under the MIT License. See LICENSE in the repo root.

Third-party components (e.g. Newtonsoft.Json, test libraries) have their own licenses; see docs/THIRD_PARTY_LICENSES.md for details.

Claude Code is by Anthropic; Claude Adapter by its respective authors. This installer is not affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic.