About that Windows warning

What Windows will show you

The first time you open the installer, Windows puts up a blue screen that says "Windows protected your PC". It looks alarming. It isn't. Nothing was scanned and found bad, no alarm went off. It means one thing only: Windows doesn't recognize the publisher yet. Every new app from a small developer gets the same screen.

1. Click More info. The "Run anyway" button appears.
2. Click Run anyway. That's it. She installs like any other app.

Your browser may hesitate too. Edge or Chrome can pause the file and ask whether you want to keep it, for the same publisher-unknown reason. Choose Keep (in Edge it's hidden behind the three dots: Keep, then Keep anyway).

Why the warning exists, honestly

Windows skips that screen for developers who buy a code signing certificate: a digital badge that tells Microsoft who published the app. That badge costs about $1,000 every year.

Local Waifu is a one-person project, and the app costs $20 once. We could fold a yearly certificate into a higher price, or into a subscription. We'd rather not. So instead of paying $1,000 a year for a smoother first impression, we're telling you the true reason for the extra screen and trusting you with two more clicks.

The warning also fades on its own: SmartScreen learns by reputation, and every person who downloads and runs the app teaches it that Local Waifu is fine. If the project ever grows enough that the certificate makes sense, we'll buy one and this page gets shorter.

For the record: the Mac version is signed and notarized. Apple's developer badge costs $99 a year, and that one we can afford.

If you'd like to double-check us

• The installer is served straight from our public GitHub releases page, the same file every user gets.
• Scan it before running: right-click the file and check it with your antivirus, or upload it to VirusTotal.
• Once she's installed, everything stays on your PC. Our privacy policy is short and human-readable.

Quick answers

Is the installer safe?

Yes. The warning is not a virus alert. It only means Microsoft doesn't have the publisher on file yet, which is true for every new app whose developer hasn't bought a code signing certificate. The installer is served straight from our public GitHub releases page, the same file for everyone, and you can scan it with your antivirus or VirusTotal before running it.

Why not just buy the certificate?

Because it costs about $1,000 every year, and Local Waifu costs $20 once. It's a one-person project. Keeping the price low matters more to us than skipping one warning screen, so we'd rather explain the two extra clicks honestly than raise the price to pay for a nicer first impression.

Will the warning ever go away?

Yes, two ways. SmartScreen builds reputation as more people download and run the app, so the prompt fades on its own over time. And if Local Waifu grows to the point where the yearly certificate makes sense, we'll buy it and this page gets a lot shorter.