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Windows installer

The recommended way to install on developer machines running Windows.

Updated on 2026-06-03

The Windows installer is the most convenient way to set up a Windows workstation. It bundles the CLI, can add it to the PATH, installs the VS Code extension when VS Code is found, and lets you pick which default rules and which license to install.

Download

Get the installer from the portal at /downloads. You need an active subscription or a running trial.

The file is named codecharter-X.Y.Z-setup.exe. It is roughly 8 MB because the .NET runtime is not bundled — the installer is framework-dependent and uses the .NET already installed on the machine. If it is missing, the installer offers to install the .NET 9 runtime for you via winget.

The download page offers two variants:

  • With license — you receive codecharter-X.Y.Z-setup-licensed.zip. Unzip it and you get the setup executable next to a codecharter.license file. The installer detects that license automatically and pre-selects it on the license page (see below).
  • Without license — just the plain codecharter-X.Y.Z-setup.exe. You can still point the installer at a license file manually, or add one later.

Installation

Run the executable and click through the wizard. The pages are:

  1. Destination location — the installer always shows where it will install. The default is the Program Files folder (C:\Program Files\CodeCharter\ for an all-users install, or a per-user folder when you install without admin rights). Change it here if you want a different location.

  2. Select components — choose what to install:

    • CodeCharter CLI (always installed).
    • Default rule set, with a checklist of categories you can include individually: general C# rules, ASP.NET Core rules, contract / design-pattern rules, and discouraged-suffix rules. Uncheck the whole group to install no default rules at all. The CLI auto-discovers them under <install folder>\rules.

    The Compact setup type pre-selects CLI only; Full selects everything.

  3. Additional tasks — add codecharter to the PATH, install the VS Code extension (if VS Code is detected), and set codecharter.serverPath in your VS Code user settings.

  4. License — optionally install a license now. If a codecharter.license file sits next to the setup executable (the with license download), it is pre-selected automatically; otherwise use Browse… to pick one. The chosen file is copied into the installation folder as codecharter.license, where the CLI picks it up automatically. You can skip this and add a license later, for example via the CODECHARTER_LICENSE environment variable — see Licensing.

  5. AI tools (MCP) — register the CodeCharter MCP server in your AI coding tools. The installer detects which tools are present (Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Gemini) and pre-selects them; untick any you do not want. The server is added to each tool's user-level MCP config. This page only appears when at least one tool is detected and a license is available — codecharter mcp install needs a license, and the entry runs the codecharter command, so the Add to PATH task is enabled automatically when you configure MCP.

  6. Ready to install — confirms the destination folder and the components, then installs.

Silent installation

For silent installation (e.g. via Group Policy or MDM), use the standard Inno Setup switches:

codecharter-X.Y.Z-setup.exe /VERYSILENT /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES /NORESTART

Useful switches:

  • /DIR="C:\Tools\CodeCharter" — override the destination folder.
  • /COMPONENTS="cli,rules\general,rules\aspnetcore" — pick exactly which components to install (omit to use the default Full set).
  • /TASKS="addtopath" — pick which additional tasks to run.
  • /LOG="install.log" — write a verbose install log.

In silent mode the license and MCP pages are skipped. A codecharter.license next to the executable is still installed automatically, but the MCP server is not configured. For unattended setups, register it afterwards per tool, e.g.:

codecharter mcp install --client cursor --scope user

Supported --client values: claude-code, claude-desktop, cursor, windsurf, gemini.

What the installer does

  1. Places the CLI at <install folder>\codecharter.exe (default C:\Program Files\CodeCharter\codecharter.exe).
  2. Installs the selected default rules under <install folder>\rules, if any were chosen.
  3. Adds to the PATH (if the task is selected) — system-wide for an all-users install, or per-user otherwise. A new PowerShell or terminal window finds the binary immediately.
  4. Installs the VS Code extension if VS Code is detected and the task is selected. Otherwise the installer skips this step; you can install the VSIX manually later.
  5. Installs a license as <install folder>\codecharter.license, if you chose one on the license page.
  6. Registers the MCP server in the AI tools you selected, by running codecharter mcp install --client <tool> --scope user for each. The config is written to the respective tool's user-level config in your profile.

Update

Run the new setup; it overwrites the previous version in place. Just download the new executable and run it.

Uninstallation

Via "Apps & Features", or run the bundled uninstaller (unins000.exe) in the installation folder.

The uninstaller removes the installed files (including the bundled license) and the PATH entry it added. Your .ccr files in your repos are left untouched.

If you prefer not to use the installer

On CI or in Docker the installer is unwieldy. Use the standalone CLI instead — it is a single ZIP containing one binary, no setup required.