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Local Bridge — Windows Setup

Windows-specific install guide. For the general overview, pre-flight checklist, errors, security model and diagnostics, see Local Bridge — Setup Guide.

Total time: ~60 seconds including SmartScreen acknowledgement. Tested on Windows 10 and 11.

1. Download

In CRM: Settings → Integrations → Bridge Setup → 🪟 Windows (x64).

You get bridge-windows-x64.exe directly (no archive — Windows doesn't have a Gatekeeper-style quarantine system).

File size: ~55 MB. Downloaded to %USERPROFILE%\Downloads\ by default.

2. Run

🎞️ GIF placeholder — media/bridge/windows-smartscreen.gif Shot spec: 10-second recording — double-click .exe, blue Windows protected your PC dialog, click More info, click Run anyway, Command Prompt opens with bridge prompts.

  1. Double-click bridge-windows-x64.exe in Downloads
  2. SmartScreen warns Windows protected your PC → click More info → Run anyway

❗ SmartScreen prompt appears only on first launch. After that double-click runs it directly.

Power-user way (PowerShell)

cd $HOME\Downloads
.\bridge-windows-x64.exe

If PowerShell blocks execution: Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope Process Bypass for the current session.

3. Connect

Before launching, grab two values from CRM:

What Where
Token Settings → Integrations → Bridge Setup → click Copy (JWT, 24h TTL)
Project technical name Sidebar → your project → URL slug (e.g. the lowercase one with hyphens, not the display name)

The bridge then prompts for three values:

Token (paste from CRM):  Ctrl+V
Project name:             <project>
Server URL [enter for default]:  press ⏎

Q: Why a project name if I have several? One bridge instance binds to one project — the workers from that project read files only from the directory you launched the bridge in (sandboxed). To work with multiple projects, run one bridge per project in its own directory.

Q: Why a Server URL? Just press Enter. The default points to the Arc OS production relay. Custom URL is for self-hosted setups; you don't need to touch it.

If you see ✓ Connected, you're done. Switch to CRM → Bridge Setup and confirm the green dot.

Run in the background (daemonize)

PowerShell — hides the console window:

Start-Process .\bridge-windows-x64.exe -WindowStyle Hidden

Or schedule via Task Scheduler → Create Task → trigger: At log on → action: Start a program: bridge-windows-x64.exe. A persistent service mode (Windows Service) is on the roadmap — see Phase 23.4.

Antivirus interference

Some AV products (Windows Defender, Kaspersky, Bitdefender) quarantine unsigned binaries. If the file disappears after download:

  1. Open Settings → Privacy & security → Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Protection history
  2. Locate the bridge-windows-x64.exe quarantine entry
  3. Click Actions → Allow on device

Corporate machines under MDM may block this — talk to IT or use a personal machine for the beta.

What's next