Windows Setup

Tested on Windows 10 (21H2+) and Windows 11. All commands are for PowerShell. Open a new terminal after each installer to pick up PATH changes.

Install Visual Studio Build Tools

Download and run the Visual Studio Build Tools installer.In the installer, check the “Desktop development with C++” workload and click Install. Make sure these optional components are selected (they should be by default):

MSVC Build Tools for x64/x86 (Latest)
Windows 10/11 SDK
C++ CMake tools for Windows

Verify:

& "${env:ProgramFiles(x86)}\Microsoft Visual Studio\Installer\vswhere.exe" -products * -requires Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.VCTools -property displayName
# Expected: Visual Studio Build Tools 2022

If you have full Visual Studio (not just Build Tools) with the C++ workload, that works too.

Install Node.js 22

Option A - nvm-windows (recommended):Download and run the latest nvm-setup.exe, then open a new terminal:

nvm install 22
nvm use 22

Option B - Download the LTS 22.x MSI installer from nodejs.org.Verify (in a new terminal):

node -v
# Expected: v22.x.x

The project requires node >= 22.12.0 (see package.json engines). Using nvm install lts may install a newer major version that hasn’t been tested.

Install Python

Python is required by node-gyp to compile native Node.js modules.

winget install Python.Python.3.12 --source winget

Or download from python.org - make sure “Add to PATH” is checked.Verify (in a new terminal):

python --version
# Expected: Python 3.x.x

Install the Rust toolchain

Download and run rustup-init.exe. Accept the defaults (installs stable-msvc).Verify (in a new terminal):

rustc --version
# Expected: rustc 1.xx.x (...)
rustup default stable-msvc

Install GStreamer (MSVC)

Download the MSVC x86_64 installer from gstreamer.freedesktop.org/download - click Windows > MSVC x86_64 (VS 2022, Release CRT).

For GStreamer 1.28+, there is a single combined installer (runtime + development). For older versions, download both the Runtime and Development MSI files.

Run with default settings. After installation, verify (open a new terminal):

echo $env:GSTREAMER_1_0_ROOT_MSVC_X86_64
# Expected: C:\gstreamer\1.0\msvc_x86_64\ (or similar)

If the environment variable is not set

The installer didn’t set it. Find where GStreamer was installed and set it manually:

[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("GSTREAMER_1_0_ROOT_MSVC_X86_64", "C:\Program Files\gstreamer\1.0\msvc_x86_64\", "User")

Then restart your terminal.If GStreamer installed to C:\Program Files\gstreamer\ instead of C:\gstreamer\, that’s fine - just make sure the path matches your installation.

Install CMake

winget install Kitware.CMake --source winget

Or download from cmake.org/download - make sure “Add to PATH” is checked.Verify (in a new terminal):

cmake --version
# Expected: cmake version 3.x.x

Clone the repo and install dependencies

git clone https://github.com/Laxcorp-Research/project-raven.git
cd project-raven
npm install

npm install takes a few minutes. It automatically rebuilds better-sqlite3 for Electron via the postinstall script.Verify:

Test-Path node_modules\.package-lock.json
# Expected: True

If npm install fails with Visual Studio errors

# Fix 1: Set the version hint for node-gyp
npm config set msvs_version 2022
Remove-Item -Recurse -Force node_modules
npm install

# Fix 2: Environment variable (works on all npm versions)
$env:GYP_MSVS_VERSION = "2022"
Remove-Item -Recurse -Force node_modules
npm install

Build the GStreamer echo-cancellation addon

First, check the Electron version:

node -e "console.log(require('./node_modules/electron/package.json').version)"
# Note the version (e.g. 40.4.1)

Then build targeting that version:

cd src\native\aec
npm install
npx cmake-js compile --runtime electron --runtime-version <ELECTRON_VERSION>
cd ..\..\..

Replace <ELECTRON_VERSION> with the version from the previous command.

The --runtime electron --runtime-version flags are required. Without them, the addon is built for Node.js instead of Electron and will crash when loaded. If you upgrade Electron later, you must rebuild this addon with the new version.

The build-deps.sh script is macOS-only. On Windows, the GStreamer MSVC installer already includes all required plugins (including WebRTC DSP).

Verify:

Test-Path src\native\aec\build\Release\raven-aec.node
# Expected: True

Build the Windows audio capture module

cd src\native\windows
npm install
npx napi build --platform --release
cd ..\..\..

Verify:

Test-Path src\native\windows\raven-windows-audio.win32-x64-msvc.node
# Expected: True

If the build fails

Linker errors: Make sure Rust is using the MSVC target: rustup default stable-msvc
“Windows SDK not found”: Open Visual Studio Installer > Modify > Individual components and install the latest “Windows 10 SDK” or “Windows 11 SDK”

Run the app

npm run dev

The Electron app opens. On first launch you’ll see a 6-step onboarding flow - enter your API keys (Deepgram for transcription, Claude or OpenAI for AI assistance).

If audio capture doesn’t work, check Settings > Sound and make sure the correct playback and recording devices are set as default. WASAPI captures from the default devices.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Fix
`Could not find any Python installation`	Install Python 3.x and add to PATH (Step 3)
`Could not find any Visual Studio installation`	Set `$env:GYP_MSVS_VERSION = "2022"`, delete `node_modules`, re-run `npm install`
`NODE_MODULE_VERSION mismatch` at runtime	`npx @electron/rebuild -f -w better-sqlite3` from the project root
cmake-js: “CMake is not installed”	Install CMake (Step 6)
cmake-js: “GStreamer not found”	Set `GSTREAMER_1_0_ROOT_MSVC_X86_64` and restart terminal (Step 5)
AEC addon crashes Electron on startup	Rebuild with `--runtime electron --runtime-version` (Step 8)
`napi build` linker errors	`rustup default stable-msvc` and ensure VS Build Tools C++ workload is installed
App starts, no audio	Settings > Sound: set correct default playback/recording devices

​Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting