Professional Windows installer for WinMCP - Model Context Protocol Server for Windows.

• ✅ WinMCP.exe - Single-file executable (~80 MB)
• ✅ All .NET 8 runtime dependencies (self-contained)
• ✅ Start Menu shortcuts (GUI mode and Network mode)
• ✅ Optional desktop shortcut
• ✅ Optional PATH environment variable entry
• ✅ Uninstaller

Download and install Inno Setup (free):

• Official Website: https://jrsoftware.org/isdl.php
• Version Required: 6.0 or later

# Navigate to installer directory
cd c:\Users\Davy\Documents\GitHub\WinMCP\installer

# Build everything (WinMCP + Installer)
.\build-installer.ps1

# Or skip WinMCP build if already built
.\build-installer.ps1 -SkipBuild

# Build and test installation
.\build-installer.ps1 -TestInstall

The installer will be created at:

installer\output\WinMCP-Setup-v1.0.0.exe

1. Build WinMCP as single-file executable:

cd c:\Users\Davy\Documents\GitHub\WinMCP
dotnet publish WinMCP.csproj -c Release -r win-x64 --self-contained `
  -p:PublishSingleFile=true `
  -p:IncludeNativeLibrariesForSelfExtract=true `
  -p:EnableCompressionInSingleFile=true

2. Open Inno Setup Compiler
3. Open WinMCP-Setup.iss
4. Click Build → Compile (F9)

1. Welcome Screen - Introduction to WinMCP
2. Select Destination - Default: C:\Program Files\WinMCP
3. Select Additional Tasks:
   • Create desktop icon (optional)
   • Add WinMCP to system PATH (optional, unchecked by default)
4. Ready to Install - Confirmation
5. Installing - Progress bar
6. Finish - Option to launch WinMCP

After installation, users get:

• WinMCP - Opens GUI mode
• WinMCP (Network Mode) - Starts network server on port 3000
• Uninstall WinMCP

• Windows 10 or Windows 11 (64-bit)
• ~100 MB disk space
• No additional dependencies (self-contained)

• WinMCP.exe (standalone): ~80 MB
• WinMCP-Setup.exe (installer): ~52 MB (compressed)
• Installed size: ~80 MB

Option 1: Installer (Recommended)

• Download WinMCP-Setup-v1.0.0.exe
• Double-click to install
• Use Start Menu shortcuts

Option 2: Portable (No installer)

• Download WinMCP.exe from bin\Release\net8.0-windows\win-x64\publish\
• Run directly (no installation needed)

Edit line 5 in WinMCP-Setup.iss:

#define MyAppVersion "1.0.0"

Edit line 20:

DefaultDirName={autopf}\WinMCP

The installer uses winmcp.ico from the root directory. To change it, edit line 33:

SetupIconFile=your-custom-icon.ico

# Run installer
.\output\WinMCP-Setup-v1.0.0.exe

# Verify installation
Test-Path "C:\Program Files\WinMCP\WinMCP.exe"

# Test WinMCP
& "C:\Program Files\WinMCP\WinMCP.exe" --help

# Test uninstall
# Settings → Apps → WinMCP → Uninstall

# Silent install
.\WinMCP-Setup-v1.0.0.exe /VERYSILENT /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES

# Silent install with PATH
.\WinMCP-Setup-v1.0.0.exe /VERYSILENT /TASKS="addtopath"

# Silent uninstall
& "C:\Program Files\WinMCP\unins000.exe" /VERYSILENT

For production releases, sign the installer:

1. Obtain a code signing certificate from:

   • DigiCert
   • Sectigo
   • GlobalSign

2. Add to Inno Setup script:

[Setup]
SignTool=signtool /f "path\to\certificate.pfx" /p "password" $f
SignedUninstaller=yes

3. Or sign after build:

signtool sign /f "certificate.pfx" /p "password" `
  /t http://timestamp.digicert.com `
  .\output\WinMCP-Setup-v1.0.0.exe

"WinMCP.exe not found"

• Ensure WinMCP is built first: dotnet publish ...
• Check path in script matches your setup

"Inno Setup not found"

• Install from https://jrsoftware.org/isdl.php
• Verify path in build-installer.ps1 line 29

"Icon file not found"

• Ensure winmcp.ico exists in root directory
• Or comment out SetupIconFile line in .iss file

SmartScreen Warning

• Normal for unsigned executables
• Click "More info → Run anyway"
• For production: Code-sign the installer

Installation fails

• Run with /LOG="setup.log" for detailed log
• Check if antivirus is blocking

PATH not updated

• Restart terminal/PowerShell after installation
• Or log out and log back in

WinMCP/
├── installer/
│   ├── WinMCP-Setup.iss       # Inno Setup script
│   ├── build-installer.ps1    # Automated build script
│   ├── README.md              # This file
│   └── output/
│       └── WinMCP-Setup-v1.0.0.exe  # Generated installer
├── bin/Release/net8.0-windows/win-x64/publish/
│   └── WinMCP.exe             # Source executable
└── winmcp.ico                 # Application icon

• Build WinMCP as single-file executable
• Test WinMCP standalone
• Build installer
• Test installer on clean VM
• Verify all shortcuts work
• Test uninstaller
• (Optional) Code-sign installer
• Upload to distribution server
• Update documentation with download link

For issues or questions:

• WinMCP Documentation: See main README.md
• Inno Setup Help: https://jrsoftware.org/ishelp/