# Firelink **A fast, focused desktop download manager for macOS, Windows, and Linux.** [![Version](https://img.shields.io/badge/version-1.1.2-6f42c1?style=flat-square)](https://github.com/nimbold/Firelink/releases) [![macOS](https://img.shields.io/badge/macOS-111111?style=flat-square&logo=apple&logoColor=white)](#platforms) [![Windows](.github/badges/windows.svg)](#platforms) [![Linux](https://img.shields.io/badge/Linux-FCC624?style=flat-square&logo=linux&logoColor=black)](#platforms) [![License](https://img.shields.io/github/license/nimbold/Firelink?style=flat-square)](LICENSE) [![CI](https://img.shields.io/github/actions/workflow/status/nimbold/Firelink/ci.yml?branch=main&style=flat-square&label=CI)](https://github.com/nimbold/Firelink/actions/workflows/ci.yml) [Features](#features) · [Install](#installation) · [Browser Extension](#browser-extension) · [Development](#development) · [Release Notes](CHANGELOG.md)

View more screenshots

## Why Firelink Firelink is a cross-platform desktop download manager for direct transfers, browser capture, media extraction, scheduling, and clear file placement. It combines a Rust/Tauri backend with a React and TypeScript interface. Bundled aria2, yt-dlp, FFmpeg, Deno, and SQLite support the download and media workflows. The current desktop release is **1.1.2**, paired with Firelink Companion **2.0.5**. This patch release hardens download lifecycle handling, localization, and packaged release checks. ## Features - **Segmented downloads** with aria2, retries, speed limits, and connection controls. - **Media downloads** with yt-dlp, FFmpeg, Deno, live progress, speed, and ETA. - **Playlist downloads** for YouTube playlists with queueing and efficient large-list rendering. - **Add window** for metadata, duplicates, location choices, captured links, clipboard-prefilled URLs, and live connection limits. - **Persistent queues** with pause, resume, retry, redownload, sorting, multi-select, and bulk actions. - **Scheduling** with start/stop windows, speed rules, and post-queue actions. - **File organization** with categories, default folders, a collapsible Folders section, per-download overrides, and reveal/trash actions. - **Browser handoff** through local pairing, signed requests, Add window review, replay protection, and server checks. - **Desktop integration** with tray controls, notifications, sounds, sleep prevention, and secure credential storage. - **Diagnostics** with engine health checks, structured logs, and package verification. ## Installation Download desktop builds from [GitHub Releases](https://github.com/nimbold/Firelink/releases). | Platform | Package | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | | **macOS Apple silicon** | `.dmg` | Not notarized. If macOS blocks the first launch, approve Firelink in **System Settings -> Privacy & Security**. | | **Windows x64** | NSIS `.exe` installer | Unsigned. Windows SmartScreen may warn until code signing is added. | | **Windows x64 portable** | `.zip` archive | Extract to a writable folder and launch `firelink.exe`. See the expandable notes below. | | **Linux x64** | `.deb`, `.rpm`, or `.AppImage` | Use `.deb` for Debian-family systems, `.rpm` for Fedora/RPM-family systems, or AppImage as the self-contained package. AppImage may need executable permission. | Bundles include the required engines. Users do not need aria2, yt-dlp, FFmpeg, Deno, Python, Homebrew, or another package manager. The native packages use the distribution's normal desktop runtime dependencies. AppImage is self-contained but uses the normal per-user application-data locations.

Windows portable ZIP notes

The portable ZIP is an opt-in secondary distribution. Extract it to a writable folder and launch `firelink.exe`: - Keep the extracted folder writable; avoid `Program Files`, read-only media, and folders that block SQLite or WebView writes. - Settings, queues, logs, and WebView data stay beside `firelink.exe` under `data/`. - Close Firelink before moving or copying the folder, and close the installed app before launching the portable copy. - Credentials, browser cookies, and URL query/fragment data are not saved in portable queue records. Active downloads that depend on them must be added again after restart. - Saved site passwords remain in the Windows credential store and are not copied into the archive. - The folder contains the extension pairing credential, so treat it as sensitive and do not share it. - Saved absolute download locations may need to be selected again after moving the folder to another drive. - The installer remains the supported path for `firelink://` browser launch registration.

## Browser Extension

Firelink Companion connects browser links and downloads to the desktop app. What it adds: - Automatic capture for regular browser downloads. - Explicit Fetch media actions from the popup and page context menu. - Context-menu actions for links and selected text. - Firefox and Chromium support. - Signed local requests using the token from **Settings -> Integrations**. - Fallback to the browser download when Firelink is closed or rejects a handoff. - Captured links always open Firelink's Add window before anything is added to the download list. Install the extension, open Firelink, then pair it from **Settings -> Integrations**. Firefox users can install it from Mozilla Add-ons. Chromium users can load `firelink-chromium.zip` from the [extension releases](https://github.com/nimbold/Firelink-Extension/releases) with the [manual Chromium instructions](https://github.com/nimbold/Firelink-Extension#manual-chromium-installation). Use the latest [Firelink Companion release](https://github.com/nimbold/Firelink-Extension/releases) with Firelink 1.1.2. The source is in the [Firelink-Extension repository](https://github.com/nimbold/Firelink-Extension), which this repo vendors as the `Extensions/Browser` submodule. ## Platforms | Target | Status | | --- | --- | | **macOS arm64** | Supported. Native build, engine checks, launch smoke test, ad-hoc-signed DMG workflow. | | **Windows x64** | Supported. Native build, engine checks, silent installer smoke test, NSIS installer. | | **Linux x64** | Supported. Native build, bundled-engine checks, package/AppImage launch smoke tests, `.deb`, `.rpm`, and AppImage. | ## Development ### Requirements - Node.js 22 or newer - npm - Rust and Cargo - [Tauri 2 platform prerequisites](https://v2.tauri.app/start/prerequisites/) Clone the repository with its browser-extension submodule: ```sh git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/nimbold/Firelink.git cd Firelink ``` Install dependencies and launch the desktop app: ```sh npm install npm run tauri dev ``` Run the core checks: ```sh node --test scripts/*.node-test.js npm test -- --run npm run build cd src-tauri cargo test --all-targets ``` Create a production bundle: ```sh npm run tauri build ``` macOS uses locked payloads in `src-tauri/binaries`. Provision Windows and Linux payloads from checksum-pinned archives: ```sh node scripts/provision-engines.js --target x86_64-pc-windows-msvc node scripts/provision-engines.js --target x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu ``` Build staging includes only the current target. See `engines.lock.json`, `engine-sources.lock.json`, and [RELEASE.md](RELEASE.md). ## Repository Structure ```text . ├── src/ React and TypeScript interface ├── src-tauri/ Rust backend, Tauri config, and native tests ├── scripts/ Engine provisioning, release, and smoke-test tooling └── Extensions/Browser/ Firelink Companion submodule ``` ## Help and Project Status - Report bugs or request improvements in [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/nimbold/Firelink/issues). - Read [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md) for release history. - Review [RELEASE.md](RELEASE.md) for packaging policy and release verification. ## Technology & Credits Firelink is made possible by these open-source projects: - **[Tauri 2](https://tauri.app/)** for the lightweight desktop runtime - **[Rust](https://www.rust-lang.org/)** and **[Tokio](https://tokio.rs/)** for native application logic - **[React](https://react.dev/)** and **[TypeScript](https://www.typescriptlang.org/)** for the interface - **[Zustand](https://zustand-demo.pmnd.rs/)** for frontend state management - **[SQLite](https://www.sqlite.org/)** for persistent local data - **[aria2](https://aria2.github.io/)** for segmented downloading - **[yt-dlp](https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp)**, **[FFmpeg](https://ffmpeg.org/)**, and **[Deno](https://deno.com/)** for media extraction and processing ## License Firelink is available under the [MIT License](LICENSE).