Install SpaceSpider on Windows 10 and 11

SpaceSpider ships a signed MSI installer for Windows x64. The installer registers the app for the current user, drops a Start Menu shortcut, and wires up the auto-updater so future releases install with one click. This page walks through the full install, plus the Node.js and CLI prerequisites you need for the AI panes to light up.

System requirements

Confirm you match these before you download the MSI. SpaceSpider uses ConPTY on Windows, which is stable on all supported versions, but older builds of Windows 10 miss API fixes that break a handful of CLIs.

• Windows 10 version 22H2 (build 19045) or Windows 11 22H2 or newer.
• x64 processor. ARM64 is not supported yet.
• 4 GB of RAM minimum; 8 GB recommended if you plan to run four AI CLIs at once.
• 250 MB of free disk space for the app plus any space your CLIs need.
• WebView2 runtime, which is preinstalled on Windows 11 and on most current Windows 10 machines.

If winver reports anything below 19045, run Windows Update before installing SpaceSpider. ConPTY misbehaves on older builds when paired with tools that aggressively move the cursor.

Download and run the MSI

1. Open the SpaceSpider downloads page and grab SpaceSpider-Setup-x64.msi.
2. Double-click the MSI. Windows SmartScreen may warn you on first launch; click More info then Run anyway. The installer is signed by the SpaceSpider publisher certificate, which is what the auto-updater will verify later.
3. Accept the license, pick an install directory, and click Install.
4. When the installer finishes, leave Launch SpaceSpider checked and click Finish.

The MSI registers SpaceSpider with Windows Apps & Features so you can uninstall cleanly from Settings > Apps > Installed apps.

Install Node.js and the AI CLIs

SpaceSpider does not bundle any AI CLI, because each one is governed by its own vendor's license and update cadence. Install the ones you need with npm.

Open a new PowerShell window (so that PATH updates from the Node installer are picked up) and run whichever of these you want:

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
npm install -g @openai/codex
npm install -g @qwen-code/qwen-code
npm install -g @moonshot/kimi-cli

Verify each one by asking it for its version:

claude --version
codex --version
qwen-code --version
kimi --version

If any command is "not recognized", close and reopen your terminal so PowerShell re-reads the PATH. SpaceSpider re-queries the PATH every time you open the CLI picker, so a fresh pane will see newly installed tools.

Allow the app through Windows Defender

Windows Defender sometimes quarantines the first run of a freshly signed installer. If SpaceSpider fails to launch or the tray icon never appears, open Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Protection history and look for a blocked entry. Restore it, and add an exclusion for the install directory if you work on a managed machine.

A related caveat during development builds is that Defender's real-time scan can lock DLLs in the Rust target folder, which is why the build pipeline redirects the Rust target/ directory to %LOCALAPPDATA%\spacespider-target. End users do not see this, but if you clone the repo to build locally you will benefit from the same redirection.

First launch and space creation

1. Launch SpaceSpider from the Start Menu.
2. The home view opens. Click New Space.
3. Pick a project folder via the Windows folder picker.
4. Name the space, choose a grid size (start with 2), and assign a CLI to each pane.
5. Click Create. The grid opens full-screen and every pane starts with your project directory as cwd.

A successful first launch looks like this: each pane prints the CLI's banner, waits for input, and pwd (or cd and Get-Location in a shell pane) returns the path you picked. If a pane shows "command not found", it means that CLI is not on your PATH; install it and recreate the pane.

For a deeper walkthrough, see Create Your First Space.

Configure the shell pane

The shell pane runs cmd.exe by default on Windows. If you prefer PowerShell or PowerShell 7, set an environment variable before launching SpaceSpider:

setx SPACESPIDER_SHELL "pwsh.exe"

Restart SpaceSpider and new shell panes will spawn PowerShell 7 instead. You can also use powershell.exe for the built-in Windows PowerShell or point to a full path such as C:\Program Files\Git\bin\bash.exe if you want Git Bash.

Auto-updates

SpaceSpider checks for updates on launch and once every 24 hours. When a new signed artifact is available, a non-intrusive banner drops from the top bar. Click it, and the app downloads the patch, verifies the signature, and prompts you to relaunch.

Full details on the update channel and manual update path live on Updating SpaceSpider.

Uninstall

If you need to remove SpaceSpider entirely:

1. Close all open SpaceSpider windows.
2. Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps, search "SpaceSpider", click the three-dot menu, and choose Uninstall.
3. Optionally delete %APPDATA%\SpaceSpider, which holds spaces.json and your license record.

The uninstaller leaves your project folders untouched, and it does not remove globally installed AI CLIs.

Troubleshooting Windows installs

A short list of the most common issues. For a more exhaustive list, see Troubleshooting.

• "Access is denied" during install: run the MSI as your normal user, not as Administrator. The per-user install path cannot be written by an elevated session.
• Pane shows garbled box-drawing characters: your Windows build is below 19045 or your font does not contain box glyphs. Update Windows and set the terminal font in settings.
• Claude Code pane exits immediately with code 1: the CLI is detected but cannot find its auth token. Run claude login in an external PowerShell once, then restart the pane.
• Arrow keys insert letters instead of moving: a rare ConPTY bug on Windows 10 21H2. Update to 22H2.

Frequently asked questions

Does SpaceSpider need Administrator rights?

No. The default MSI is a per-user install and runs under your normal account.

Can I install it on Windows Server?

It works on Windows Server 2022 with the Desktop Experience role, but it is not officially supported. Headless servers are out of scope.

Does it run under WSL?

SpaceSpider runs on Windows directly. You can absolutely invoke WSL from a shell pane with wsl.exe and use CLIs installed inside your Linux distro.

Will it conflict with Windows Terminal?

No. SpaceSpider opens its own PTY sessions and does not attach to Windows Terminal profiles.

How do I move my spaces to another Windows machine?

Copy %APPDATA%\SpaceSpider\spaces.json to the same location on the new machine before launching SpaceSpider for the first time.

Related reading

• Getting Started with SpaceSpider
• Create Your First Space
• Troubleshooting Common Issues