Installation
Windows
Download the Windows build from the latest
release, unzip it and
run Herald.exe. There is no installer and no Python to set up.
Settings live in a data/ folder next to the executable, so the whole
directory can be moved or copied to another machine.
From source
Python 3.10 or newer, on any operating system.
For the desktop app:
pip install -r requirements.txt
python main.py
For a server that only runs the engine:
pip install -r requirements-core.txt
python herald_cli.py --check
The two requirement files exist to keep Qt off servers. requirements-core.txt
does not pull in PySide6.
Optional dependencies
Both are optional by design, and Herald states what it falls back to.
| Package | What it adds | Without it |
|---|---|---|
watchdog | Filesystem events wake the release poll, so announcements land closer to real time. Uses inotify on Linux. | Plain polling, which is slower but works |
numpy | The ripple animation in the About box. Desktop only. | A static logo |
watchdog is listed in requirements-core.txt and numpy only in the full
requirements.txt, so a headless install never needs the second one.
Keep data/ to yourself
That folder holds hub passwords, keyprints and the bot's ADC identity. Do not commit it and do not copy it between two announcers that run at the same time: a shared identity means two bots fighting over one nick on the hub.