AstroTools quick start

Install

• Windows: AstroTools-Setup-<version>.exe, built with Inno Setup.
• macOS: AstroTools-<version>.dmg, built with Briefcase.

Builds are unsigned during the beta — Windows SmartScreen and macOS Gatekeeper will warn on first launch. That's expected until code signing is set up; click through ("More info → Run anyway" / right-click → Open) to proceed.

First run

The first launch opens an 8-step setup wizard:

1. Welcome + machine name
2. Hub Root (required)
3. Drop zone (or explicitly skip it)
4. Other machines
5. Legacy storage
6. Observer & site
7. Quality thresholds
8. Summary & finish

Only steps 2 and 3 are required; everything else is prefilled with sane defaults and stays editable later from Settings. The Hub Root is the one setting everything else hangs off of — it can be a NAS share, an external drive, or a cloud-sync folder, and it becomes the single source of truth for your organized library, calibration masters, gallery, and operation history.

Compatibility

AstroTools classifies frames from filenames and FITS/XISF headers, not from a specific piece of capture software. The setup wizard and Settings call out drop-zone paths in terms familiar to users of:

• N.I.N.A. — including native support for its $$TOKEN$$ filename templates
• ASIAIR
• Sequence Generator Pro (SGP)

Licensing

AstroTools is free to try for 14 days from first launch. After the trial, a one-time $79 license unlocks it permanently — a Bortle Labs Suite key works too. Browsing your library and restoring quarantined files stays free either way.