IronShell

IronShell is a self-hosted flask-waitress server for distributing Windows applications via PowerShell one-liners. It dynamically generates PowerShell installer scripts for your apps, supporting version selection, custom install folders, and user-friendly display names.

krwutils CLI app

Still in development, but it simplifies install proccess of my apps.

yeah thats a lie, i didnt even start it.

TODO

• App descriptions and hyperlinks

• Force remove installation folder on uninstall or config value to configure what should be deleted aswell (with * meaninng force entire folder removal)

• Create shortcuts on install

• Non-binary apps support (.py script with wrappers etc., additional subscripts for checking machine env. like installed python etc.) | 25% done (via autorun prefix, left to do: env checking, dependencies, run helpers, winget integration? etc.)

• Env dependencies (set dependencies like powershell and python and use error syntax in powershell to detect if binary responded)

• Env presets? (e.g. in config you set preset: "python_env" and with the install it includes minimalistic python install or smth)

Future

• Custom Pufferpanel template
• Autoupdate server (install/uninstall scripts) on boot. (pufferpannel only? preboot script)
• Linux Support/Port with .sh scripts or krwutils only port.

Features

• Serve PowerShell install scripts for any app hosted on GitHub
• Supports custom binary names, install folders, and display names
• Flexible version selection (latest, oldest, specific, wildcards, etc.)
• Easy to extend: just edit config.json
• /list endpoint for discoverability

Requirements

• Python 3.7+ // Tho i recommend 3.11
• flask // For Server framework
• waitress // For WSGI part of the server
• requests // For Retriving GitHub page to scrape
• beautifulsoup4 // For scraping version tags

Quick Start

1. Clone this repo and cd into it.

2. Edit config.json to add your apps.

3. Run the server:

   python server.py

4. From a Windows machine, install an app with:

   iwr http://yourserver/install/appname | iex

   Or list available apps:

   iwr http://yourserver/list | iex

Want to use a custom domain instead of an IP address? Or just general help with setting this project up?
See the generalSetup.md guide for setup instructions.

Example Usage

• To install the latest version of SASM from Nuitka builds:

  iwr https://utils.krwclassic.com/install/sasm-nuitka | iex

• To see all available apps:

  iwr https://utils.krwclassic.com/list | iex

Configuration

The server uses a config.json file to define which apps are available for installation and how their installers are generated.

Structure

{
    "apps": {
        "endpoint-name": {
            "owner": "GitHubOwner",         // (required) GitHub username or organization
            "repo": "RepositoryName",       // (required) GitHub repository name
            "binary": "binary.exe",         // (required) Name of the binary to download from the release/tag
            "version": "latest",            // (optional) Version/tag selection rule (see below)
            "name": "Display Name",         // (optional) User-friendly name for display in the installer (defaults to repo)
            "folder": "installfolder",      // (optional) Folder name for installation (defaults to repo)
            "autorun": false,               // (optional) Autorun app after install (default: false)
            "autorunPrefix": "",            // (optional) Prefix for autorun command (e.g. "cmd /k", "python -m")
            "autorunArguments": "",         // (optional) Arguments for autorun command
            "postInstallMessage": "",       // (optional) Message shown after install, before 'press any key'
            "postUninstallMessage": ""      // (optional) Message shown after uninstall, before 'press any key'
        },
        // ... more apps ...
    }
}

Field Descriptions

• endpoint-name: The name used in the URL, e.g. /install/weget.
• owner: The GitHub username or organization that owns the repository.
• repo: The repository name on GitHub.
• binary: The name of the binary file to download from the release/tag assets.
• version: (Optional) Controls which tag to use for the download. Supports:
  • "latest" — The newest tag (default)
  • "latest-N" — The Nth latest tag (e.g., latest-1 is the previous tag)
  • "first" — The oldest tag
  • "first+" — The Nth oldest tag (e.g., first+1 is the second oldest tag)
  • "<tag>" — A specific tag name
  • Wildcards: "*-Nuitka", "?.?.?-Nuitka" — Uses the first tag matching the pattern (shell-style wildcards)
• name: (Optional) User-friendly display name for the app, shown in the PowerShell output. Defaults to the repo name if not set.
• folder: (Optional) The folder name under %APPDATA%\<owner>\<folder> where the app will be installed. Defaults to the repo name if not set.
• autorun: (Optional, default: false) If true, the app will be run automatically after installation completes.
• autorunPrefix: (Optional) If set, this prefix will be prepended to the autorun command (e.g. python -m, cmd /k). If set, the autorun command will be launched in a new PowerShell window. *see Notes and Autorun Behavior for more info
• autorunArguments: (Optional) Arguments to pass to the autorun command (e.g. --help).
• postInstallMessage: (Optional) If set, this message will be shown after installation completes.
• postUninstallMessage: (Optional) If set, this message will be shown after uninstallation completes.

Example

{
    "apps": {
        "sasm-nuitka": {
            "owner": "KRWCLASSIC",
            "repo": "Steam-Account-Switcher-Manager",
            "binary": "sasm.exe",
            "version": "*-Nuitka",
            "name": "SASM",
            "folder": "steamaccountswitchermanager",
            "autorun": false,
            "autorunPrefix": "",
            "autorunArguments": "",
            "postInstallMessage": "SASM installed! Enjoy switching your Steam accounts.",
            "postUninstallMessage": "SASM has been removed. Come back soon!"
        },
        "my-python-app": {
            "owner": "me",
            "repo": "my-python-repo",
            "binary": "myscript.py",
            "version": "latest",
            "name": "MyPythonApp",
            "folder": "mypythonapp",
            "autorun": true,
            "autorunPrefix": "python -m",
            "autorunArguments": "--help",
            "autorunArguments": "",
            "postInstallMessage": "",
            "postUninstallMessage": ""
        }
    }
}

Autorun Behavior

If autorun is set to true, the installer will automatically run the app after installation:

• If autorunPrefix is set (e.g. python, cmd /k), the command will be launched in a new PowerShell window so apps dont collide with execution of the installer. *see Notes for more info
• If autorunPrefix is not set, the binary will be run directly in the current session.
• autorunArguments are appended to the command.

Examples:

• Run a CLI app and keep the window open:

  "autorun": true,
  "autorunPrefix": "cmd /k",
  "autorunArguments": ""

• Run a Python script:

  "autorun": true,
  "autorunPrefix": "python -m",
  "autorunArguments": "--help"

Notes

• You can set autorunPrefix to " " to run the app in new window without any actual prefix.
• The owner, repo, and binary fields are required for each app. Other fields have default values if not specified.
• The version field in config supports wildcards (*, ?) for flexible tag selection.
• The name field is used for all user-facing output in the PowerShell installer.
• The folder field controls the install directory name; use it to match the folder your app creates or expects.
• The endpoint name (e.g., weget) is what users will use in the install URL: iwr http://yourserver/install/weget | iex

📜 License

This project is licensed under KRW LICENSE v1
Free for non-commercial use and public forks.

💬 Contact me even for personal uses — I might feature your project!
📬 classic.krw@gmail.com • Discord: @krwclassic