Download & Install

Shard is available as both a Desktop App (graphical launcher) and a CLI (command-line tool). They share the same data directory, so profiles and accounts work with both.

Desktop App

macOS

Homebrew (Recommended)

brew install th0rgal/shard/shard-launcher

Manual Download

1. Download the latest .dmg from GitHub Releases 
   • Apple Silicon: shard-launcher-macos-arm64.dmg
   • Intel: shard-launcher-macos-x64.dmg
2. Open the DMG and drag Shard Launcher to Applications
3. Launch from Applications

Note: On first launch, macOS may show a security warning. Right-click the app and select “Open” to bypass Gatekeeper.

Windows

Manual Download

1. Download from GitHub Releases :
   • Installer: shard-launcher-windows-x64.msi
   • Setup: shard-launcher-windows-x64-setup.exe
2. Run the installer
3. Launch from Start Menu

Linux

AUR (Arch Linux)

# Using yay
yay -S shard-launcher-bin
 
# Or using paru
paru -S shard-launcher-bin

Manual Download

Download from GitHub Releases :

AppImage (all distros):

chmod +x shard-launcher-linux-x64.AppImage
./shard-launcher-linux-x64.AppImage

Debian/Ubuntu (.deb):

sudo dpkg -i shard-launcher-linux-x64.deb

CLI

The CLI is a separate tool for scripting and automation.

macOS

Homebrew (Recommended)

brew install th0rgal/shard/shard

Manual Download

# Apple Silicon
curl -LO https://github.com/th0rgal/shard/releases/latest/download/shard-cli-macos-arm64.tar.gz
tar -xzf shard-cli-macos-arm64.tar.gz
sudo mv shard /usr/local/bin/
 
# Intel
curl -LO https://github.com/th0rgal/shard/releases/latest/download/shard-cli-macos-x64.tar.gz
tar -xzf shard-cli-macos-x64.tar.gz
sudo mv shard /usr/local/bin/

Windows

Scoop (Recommended)

scoop bucket add shard https://github.com/Th0rgal/scoop-shard
scoop install shard

Manual Download

1. Download shard-cli-windows-x64.zip from GitHub Releases 
2. Extract and add shard.exe to your PATH

Linux

Homebrew

brew install th0rgal/shard/shard

AUR (Arch Linux)

yay -S shard

Manual Download

curl -LO https://github.com/th0rgal/shard/releases/latest/download/shard-cli-linux-x64.tar.gz
tar -xzf shard-cli-linux-x64.tar.gz
sudo mv shard /usr/local/bin/

Distribution Channels Summary

Verifying Downloads

Each release includes SHA-256 checksums in SHA256SUMS.txt:

# macOS/Linux
sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS.txt
 
# Or verify a single file
sha256sum shard-launcher-*.dmg

Data Location

Shard stores all data in ~/.shard/. Both the desktop app and CLI use this directory:

~/.shard/
├── store/          # Content-addressed storage (mods, packs)
├── profiles/       # Profile manifests
├── instances/      # Materialized game directories
├── minecraft/      # Versions, libraries, assets
├── accounts.json   # Account tokens
└── config.json     # Launcher settings

Next Steps

• Create your first profile
• Add your Microsoft account
• Learn about profiles
• CLI Reference