Installer
Loupe-Setup-<version>.exe
For most people. Installs and adds a Start-menu shortcut, ready to launch. Grab a new release to upgrade.
Get the installerDownload
Get Loupe for Windows.
Windows 10 / 11 (64-bit) is the tested, supported platform. Loupe is bring-your-own-keys and local-only — it sends nothing to our servers. GitHub Releases is the only official channel.
Choose your download
Portable
Loupe-<version>-win-x64.zip
No install, no admin rights. Unzip anywhere — a folder or a USB stick — and run Loupe.exe. Won't auto-update; re-download to upgrade.
Get the portable zipFrom source
git clone · npm start
Read and build the code yourself — the surest way to know exactly what you're running. Node.js 20+.
Build instructions
Heads-up on version. Loupe is v0.1 — the first tagged release lands on the Releases page shortly. The buttons above always point at the latest release; an npx launcher (a signature-free channel) is planned right after v0.1. Manually-downloaded builds don't auto-update — grab a new release to upgrade.
First launch
“Windows protected your PC” is expected.
Loupe is open-source and built by one person, so it isn't code-signed (certificates are expensive for an indie project). Because the binary is unsigned, Microsoft Defender SmartScreen shows a blue screen the first time you run a new version. It's not a virus alert — Windows just doesn't recognise the publisher yet.
How to run it
- Click More info
- Click Run anyway
If Run anyway isn't shown: right-click the file → Properties → tick Unblock at the bottom → OK, then open it again. You'll see this once per version.
Verify your download
Every release includes a SHA256SUMS.txt. Compare the hash of your file against it:
Get-FileHash .\Loupe-Setup-<version>.exe -Algorithm SHA256
A checksum confirms the file downloaded intact — it doesn't prove who built it (that needs code signing, which Loupe doesn't have yet). For that, build from source.
Is this safe?
- Loupe's code is open source (MIT) — the ultimate check is building it yourself.
- Your keys stay local: Loupe talks to the network only for the providers you configure (plus Poly Haven / Unsplash / Pexels asset fetches). No telemetry, nothing proxied.
- Loupe drives the proprietary Claude Code CLI, but does not redistribute it — you install and sign into it yourself.
First run
Keys, and what each unlocks.
Loupe is bring-your-own-keys. Everything is stored locally in your user profile and sent only to the matching provider — never to us.
| You have | What you get |
|---|---|
| Claude Code signed in | Everything core, no setup — Loupe picks up your existing sign-in. |
| An Anthropic API key | Same as above, billed per token instead of via your subscription. |
| + Unsplash / Pexels | Real photography auto-filled into builds. Free, and recommended. |
| + OpenRouter / OpenAI / Gemini / xAI | Alternative build engines, a cross-vendor QA judge, and image-generation models. |
| + Codex / Grok / Copilot / MiMo | Your existing subscription CLIs as build engines — no extra API cost. |
| Nothing at all | The app opens and everything is inspectable, but a build turn will ask you to add Claude auth first. |
From source
Build it yourself.
You'll need Node.js 20 or newer. Loupe is a cross-platform Electron app — it may build and run on macOS/Linux too, but those aren't tested and no binaries ship for them yet.
git clone https://github.com/winchxyz/loupe.git
cd loupe/app
npm install
npm start # launches the Electron app
npm run smoke # boots the real app, checks the preview renders
Point at your next site.
Watch it change.
Windows 10 / 11 · unsigned · bring your own keys · MIT.