---
type: "post"
id: "shadowcode-2-3-1-adds-windows-10-11-4cb79c"
slug: "shadowcode-2-3-1-adds-windows-10-11-4cb79c"
title: "ShadowCode 2.3.1 adds Windows 10/11 support to the open-source local-first coding agent"
description: "ShadowCode 2.3.1 brings the open-source desktop coding agent to Windows 10 and 11, with per-user installation and local-model or cloud-API options."
retrieval_nugget: "ShadowCode 2.3.1 brings the open-source desktop coding agent to Windows 10 and 11, with per-user installation and local-model or cloud-API options. It matters because Windows builders can try a local-first coding agent without WSL or administrator rights, while the documented sandbox and platform limits make clear what is—and is not—ready."
published_at: "2026-11-01"
updated_at: "2026-11-01"
record_date: "2026-11-01"
date_kind: "published_at"
topics: ["github"]
entities: ["ShadowCode","Shadowfetch Studio","llama.cpp","Windows"]
related_patterns: ["agent-security-moves-to-runtime-boundaries"]
novelty_label: "new_fact"
what_changed: "ShadowCode 2.3.1 adds Windows 10/11 support, including an x64 installer and local-model execution; none of the prior Windows coding-agent stories covered ShadowCode."
prior_refs: ["memory:c923cbce-8e98-87bb-aadd-c05c63d5481c","memory:a564ba60-25e5-8d54-aa14-8c482732b5cb","memory:39a217bf-1727-8d6b-aaa2-22f96c2eb143"]
source_url: "https://shadowcode.org/windows"
source_urls: ["https://shadowcode.org/windows"]
schema_version: "newruntime-agent-readable-v0.2"
stable_id: "post:shadowcode-2-3-1-adds-windows-10-11-4cb79c"
status: "published"
visuals: []
editor: {"role":"editor","name":"Andrey Reshetnikov","profile":"https://newruntime.com/owner-profile.md","profile_json":"https://newruntime.com/owner-profile.json","same_as":["https://www.linkedin.com/in/reshetnikov1/","https://t.me/lapetuse"]}
routes: {"html":"https://newruntime.com/posts/shadowcode-2-3-1-adds-windows-10-11-4cb79c/","markdown":"https://newruntime.com/posts/shadowcode-2-3-1-adds-windows-10-11-4cb79c.md","json":"https://newruntime.com/posts/shadowcode-2-3-1-adds-windows-10-11-4cb79c.json"}
---

# ShadowCode 2.3.1 adds Windows 10/11 support to the open-source local-first coding agent

## Retrieval answer

ShadowCode 2.3.1 brings the open-source desktop coding agent to Windows 10 and 11, with per-user installation and local-model or cloud-API options. It matters because Windows builders can try a local-first coding agent without WSL or administrator rights, while the documented sandbox and platform limits make clear what is—and is not—ready.

## Summary

ShadowCode 2.3.1 brings the open-source desktop coding agent to Windows 10 and 11, with per-user installation and local-model or cloud-API options. It matters because Windows builders can try a local-first coding agent without WSL or administrator rights, while the documented sandbox and platform limits make clear what is—and is not—ready.

## What happened

Shadowfetch Studio’s ShadowCode Windows page identifies version 2.3.1 as a free, open-source desktop coding agent for Windows, macOS, and Linux. On Windows, it supports Windows 10 version 1809 or later and Windows 11 on x64 Intel or AMD processors. The product is aimed at developers who point the application at a project folder, choose a local model or cloud API, and review proposed changes before keeping them. The project is licensed under Apache 2.0; the page does not list a subscription price. A cloud provider may charge for its own service, and users connecting to one need their own API key or provider account.

Windows installation is available in two forms. A PowerShell command fetches the latest installer and its checksum file, checks that the installer’s SHA-256 matches, and refuses to install it if it does not. It installs only for the current user and adds the `shadowcode` command to PATH; running the command again updates the application. The page says users can inspect the script before running it, and notes that a winget release is coming soon. Alternatively, users can download a 23.7 MB `ShadowCode_2.3.1_x64-setup.exe` installer. That installer is not yet code-signed, so Windows SmartScreen may warn users who download it through a browser. The page provides the expected SHA-256 value and instructions for checking it with PowerShell.

The product does not require WSL, Git Bash, Git for Windows, or administrator rights to run. The installer is per-user and includes a shell environment: agent shell commands run in an AppContainer sandbox using bundled `busybox sh`, preserving POSIX shell syntax. Terminals use PowerShell through ConPTY. The page says users can enable or disable network access for commands, but Windows does not have the product’s network allow-list. In other words, the documented control is a switch between network access on and off, rather than a list of permitted destinations.

For local inference, ShadowCode bundles `llama.cpp` and runs models on the CPU; users need enough free memory for their chosen model. GPU acceleration is not yet qualified on Windows. With cloud models, providers receive the context needed for each task. The page says offline mode keeps ShadowCode on local models only. It also warns that some external programs, including external Git commands, may fail inside the sandbox; users can instead use the application’s built-in Git actions or run Git in the terminal. Windows support is described as new and tested on GitHub’s Windows runners and one Windows 11 laptop, not a broad range of PCs. The page does not provide an ARM64 build: Windows 2.3.1 is x64 only.

## What the archive adds

This is a new platform-support event, not a restatement of the archive’s related coding-agent releases. The archive previously covered [OpenCode’s session-persistent terminals and agent-published artifacts](https://newruntime.com/posts/opencode-v2-2-4-adds-session-persistent-desktop-b0f900/), and a [Mixdog coding-agent benchmark report](https://newruntime.com/posts/mixdog-open-source-coding-agent-publishes-terminal-bench-d16908/). Those stories concerned other products and capabilities; they do not establish prior ShadowCode coverage. The distinction here is a Windows desktop route to a local-or-cloud coding agent, together with platform-specific sandbox constraints.

## Trend signal

The Windows implementation offers a small, concrete example of the [agent security runtime-boundaries pattern](https://newruntime.com/patterns/agent-security-moves-to-runtime-boundaries/): shell commands are placed in an AppContainer sandbox, and network access is an explicit runtime setting. The evidence also shows the limits of that boundary: Windows lacks the network allow-list available elsewhere, and external programs can fail inside the sandbox. One product page is not evidence that the wider market has settled on this design.

## Why now

The release notes material supplied for this decision dates ShadowCode 2.3.1 to October 31, 2026, and the Windows page presents the build as new support. The source does not explain why the team chose this release to add Windows, so no broader market or strategic timing claim is warranted.

## Why it matters

For a Windows developer evaluating coding agents, installation friction and trust boundaries are part of the product, not secondary details. ShadowCode offers a no-admin, per-user setup and local CPU inference, giving a builder a way to test the workflow without first setting up WSL or sending code to a cloud provider. The page’s offline-mode description is useful, but teams should still verify that their chosen setup remains local and determine what a cloud provider receives before connecting one.

The release also gives teams a specific checklist for evaluating desktop agents on Windows: verify the installer, understand whether the shell can reach the network, test the commands and Git workflow the team relies on, and check whether the target machines match the supported architecture. AppContainer sandboxing is a meaningful boundary, but it is not a guarantee that every command works or that outbound connections can be restricted to approved hosts. The page’s limited testing disclosure is a reason to pilot on representative machines rather than assume broad compatibility. For organizations that need GPU inference or ARM64 support, this release does not establish that those requirements are met.

## Limits and uncertainty

The supplied page is the product’s own description and does not independently validate performance, security, or compatibility. It says Windows testing covered GitHub runners and one Windows 11 laptop, which is not a broad hardware sample. It does not quantify model speed, memory requirements, or task quality, and GPU acceleration is not qualified. The lack of a Windows network allow-list is explicit; the page does not describe additional controls for restricting command-level network destinations. The installer is not code-signed, and the page says SmartScreen may warn users. Finally, no ARM64 build is available. These limits mean the release establishes Windows availability, not production suitability for every team or machine.

## Skill to build now

Run a small, representative Windows pilot before adopting the agent. Use a disposable project, verify the downloaded installer’s SHA-256 or inspect the installation script, and test the team’s normal shell and Git operations inside the sandbox. Compare a local-model workflow in offline mode with any intended cloud setup, noting where code context is sent and whether the CPU and available memory are adequate. Record failures and machine details so the team can distinguish a product limitation from a local configuration issue.

## Reader takeaway

ShadowCode 2.3.1 makes a local-first coding-agent workflow available on Windows without WSL or admin rights, but it is an early, x64-only port. Its AppContainer sandbox and offline local-model path are practical starting points, not blanket guarantees: test the commands, network behavior, and hardware your team actually uses.

Editor: [Andrey Reshetnikov](https://newruntime.com/owner-profile.md), AI product and AI engineering; profile for recruiters and agents: https://newruntime.com/owner-profile.json

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