STFC Mod Bridge

Install · Configure · Diagnose · Run

Warning

STFC Mod Bridge is pre-release software. Install from the GitHub releases page only when the exact immutable release notes classify that build as Closed-alpha approved or Public canary — qualification is still in progress. Do not infer approval from version order or the GitHub “Latest” label; all other release candidates are qualification artifacts unless their own immutable notes grant one of those classifications. v0.1.0-rc.3 is rejected because of a provider-state projection regression. Follow issue #30 for the exact current candidate and qualification state.

STFC Mod Bridge is a source-neutral Windows application for installing, updating, repairing, configuring, diagnosing, and running supported Star Trek Fleet Command community-mod distributions.

Mod Bridge is a .NET 8 WPF application for Windows x64. It discovers and validates an STFC installation, opens the Scopely launcher, manages verified mod artifacts transactionally, edits configuration through staged Save/Discard sessions, and provides a destination-oriented Data Sync workspace.

Repository boundary

This repository owns the Windows application and its release lifecycle. It does not own the C++ mod runtime or the macOS launcher. A mod distribution supplies versioned provider data—release location, runtime manifest, configuration schema, capabilities, trust rules, and migration metadata—rather than requiring a distribution-specific launcher build.

Bundled Guffawaffle and NetniV packs coexist in one build. Capabilities without published evidence remain visibly unknown and their dependent operations fail closed; Mod Bridge never infers support from a provider's display name.

Test a pre-release

The current build is a public canary for technically comfortable testers, not a stable or general release. Read the pre-release testing guide before changing an installed mod. MSIX-era releases use STFCModBridge.appinstaller as the installation entry point. Windows verifies the signed MSIX, owns update and uninstall, and installs the read-only program payload under WindowsApps. The ZIP, manifest, SBOMs, and attestation bundles are machine-consumed release inputs or a clearly labeled standalone fallback.

App Installer describes the current package as a full-trust desktop app. That means Bridge runs with the signed-in user's ordinary desktop authority; it does not request administrator elevation. Read the permission explanation and least-authority plan before installing if that Windows warning is unfamiliar or concerning.

Skeptical users can follow the independent verification guide without trusting Bridge's own UI. The application also carries an offline copy of that guide and the compromise-response procedure.

Preferences, journals, rollback data, and configuration backups live under %LOCALAPPDATA%\STFC Mod Bridge. Windows Installed Apps and Settings → About provide application management and uninstall access. Uninstall preserves that external local data and never removes the Community Mod DLL or TOML from the game.

Use the bug report or usability feedback form for ordinary feedback. Report security vulnerabilities privately as described in SECURITY.md.

Projects

• STFCCommunityMod.Launcher — WPF application.
• STFCCommunityMod.Launcher.Updater — replace-on-exit update helper.
• STFCCommunityMod.Launcher.Core — UI-independent contracts and services.
• test projects under tests/ — deterministic unit and WPF projection tests.
• STFCCommunityMod.Launcher.LocalGameIntegration.Tests — the explicitly opted-in real-install certification harness; its initial Inspect profile is read-only and later mutation/launch profiles remain separately gated.

Build and test

dotnet restore STFCCommunityMod.Launcher.sln --locked-mode
dotnet test STFCCommunityMod.Launcher.sln -c Release --no-restore

Double-click run-launcher.cmd to build and start the exact Release executable from this checkout. A failed build remains visible and never launches stale output.

scripts/smoke-settings.ps1 is an interactive UI Automation gate: it launches and focuses Mod Bridge to exercise keyboard behavior. Local runs must opt in with -AllowInteractiveFocus; ordinary tests and LexRunner branch gates remain headless. GitHub Actions may run the smoke on its isolated desktop.

scripts/test-local-game-install.ps1 runs the implemented read-only Inspect profile only for an explicitly supplied game directory. See the broader local integration contract.

Package

./scripts/publish.ps1

Package output is written under artifacts/win-x64. The .appinstaller descriptor is the user-facing install artifact. Its signed MSIX is hosted at an immutable versioned URL; the ZIP remains a signed standalone/self-update fallback.

Architecture and provenance

• Current documentation authority and historical planning index
• App Installer permission explanation and least-authority plan
• Repository extraction provenance
• Provider-pack boundary
• Product contract
• UX direction
• Data Sync capability matrix
• Signing policy
• Release security operations
• Independent release verification
• Compromise response
• Google Cloud update hosting
• Closed-alpha testing guide
• Security policy
• Product identity inventory
• About, attribution, and notice ownership
• Generated third-party notices

Portfolio provenance

STFC Mod Bridge is LexRunner Portfolio Project 001 under the SmarterGPT brand. During the active v1 lifecycle, its evidence label is The Lex Toolchain · In Practice. The completed-state label Proven in Practice is reserved for an evidence-backed release.