Install & first run

Installation reference for existing testers. The closed beta has ended; V1 is in development.

0.4.3 is a candidate pending manual release review. These instructions describe that candidate; older fallback installers lack its fixes. Check the download status and macOS validation status first.

1. Get the build

Download the beta zip from the gated download page (you'll confirm your invited email with a one-time PIN). Unzip it anywhere.

2. Install

Windows

Double-click Install_for_Windows.cmd. A window opens, installs everything, and starts the setup wizard.

If Windows shows a blue "Windows protected your PC" box, click More info → Run anyway — the beta build isn't code-signed yet.

macOS

The 0.4.3 installer requires macOS 14 or later and checks this before changing your installation. Historical recovery tests used macOS 15.6.1 on Apple Silicon; the 0.4.3 installer and its Chromium browser still need native Mac validation. See Playwright system requirements.

Double-click Install_for_macOS.command.

The installer checks for Python 3.11+ (and installs it if needed), installs FOX3 in its own isolated environment, downloads the Chromium browser for scraping (~150 MB, one-time), and opens the guided wizard automatically.

The 0.4.3 macOS installer selects a supported Python and uses that same interpreter for FOX3's isolated environment. The candidate ZIP also preserves the executable permissions needed by its macOS scripts. These repairs have automated checks; a native installation test remains pending.

macOS: if launcher creation succeeds, the installer creates ~/Applications/FOX3.app, so you can re-open FOX3 later from Launchpad or Spotlight (type "FOX3"). The short fox3 / fox3-gui terminal commands only work in a newly opened Terminal window (the installer just updated your PATH); the FOX3.app can be opened immediately. If creation was skipped or failed, use the fallback command printed by the installer.

3. Your API key (in the wizard)

FOX3 needs a Claude (Anthropic) API key — your own, or an existing sponsored key if it is still active. Paste it when the wizard asks.

Windows 10 paste tip: on older Windows consoles Ctrl+V may not work in the key field. Right-click to paste instead (the field shows this hint too).

4. Where it installed & your data folder

The installer prints the exact resolved command path and your data folder at the end. Your data folder is where your profile, settings, database, and reports live:

You can pick a custom location during setup; it's recorded in a small location.json pointer so every run and update finds it.

Updating

FOX3 does not auto-update. To actually upgrade, you have to download a fresh installer zip for the new version and run that one.

So when FOX3 shows an "update available" banner: go to the download page, grab the new zip, unzip it, and double-click the installer in it. The old version is replaced, your profile and reports are retained. Check your scheduled task after updating; macOS scheduling still needs release validation.

Uninstalling

FOX3 lives in its own isolated environment (via pipx). To remove the app:

pipx uninstall jobscout

That removes the program and the fox3 / fox3-gui commands. On Windows, also delete the FOX3 Desktop shortcut and, if you created a scheduled task, remove it with setup_task_scheduler.ps1 -Remove.

On macOS, also remove ~/Applications/FOX3.app. If you registered the LaunchAgent, remove it using bash app_files/setup_launchd.sh --remove from the unpacked tester package.

Your data survives an uninstall, on purpose — so a reinstall picks up where you left off. To erase it permanently, delete the data folder above by hand after uninstalling.

Verify your download (optional)

Compare the ZIP's SHA-256 against the checksum file linked on the download page. Match the exact versioned filename you downloaded.