Electron Squirrel Startup is a small open source helper for developers who build desktop apps with Electron and ship them to Windows through Squirrel.Windows. It is written for app authors, not for people looking for a ready-to-run program. It has no cryptocurrency features of its own; it appears in our Other Crypto Tools category as a general-purpose Electron utility.
The package is free under the Apache 2.0 license, and its latest version is v1.0.0. Its last code update came on November 3, 2017, and the project has had no code updates since then. Treat it as a reference for how Squirrel event handling works, and check its current state before adding it to a new project.
What Squirrel.Windows Does for Electron Apps
Squirrel.Windows is an installation and update framework for Windows desktop applications. Electron apps often rely on it because it gives developers a familiar installer flow without requiring a traditional MSI package.
During install, update and uninstall, Squirrel.Windows launches the application executable with special arguments. The app is expected to respond to those arguments, perform small setup tasks and then exit. If the app ignores them and opens its normal window, the installer can appear to hang or behave unpredictably.
This is the gap that Electron Squirrel Startup fills. It gives the app a simple way to detect those launch events and stop normal startup at the right moment.
Who This Package Is For
The primary audience is developers maintaining an Electron application that is packaged for Windows with Squirrel.Windows. If you are building a note-taking tool, a dashboard or a wallet interface in Electron, you will eventually face the same installer behavior, and this helper removes one piece of boilerplate.
It is less useful for people who only want to run an existing Electron app. End users do not install this package directly. They receive the finished application, which already contains whatever code the developer chose to include.
Small teams with limited time may find the appeal obvious: a short, readable file that handles a known problem is easier to audit than a large framework. Larger teams may prefer to write their own event handling so they control every line.
How Squirrel Event Hooks Work in Practice
When a Squirrel installer runs, it typically starts the app more than once with different flags. One launch may be for creating shortcuts, another for updating, and another for removal. Each launch should behave differently from a normal user session.
The usual pattern is to check for those flags at the very top of the main process file and return before any window or background service starts. Electron Squirrel Startup packages that check into a single call, so the logic is consistent across projects.
A practical test is to install, update and uninstall the app on a clean Windows account. If a window opens during setup, the early-exit check is either missing or placed too late in the file.
Key features
Handles Squirrel.Windows Events
Desktop Shortcut Management
One-Line Integration
How to install Electron Squirrel Startup on Windows
- 1
Add the package to your project
Open a terminal in your Electron project folder and run npm i electron-squirrel-startup. The package is distributed through npm, so the install uses the same workflow as other JavaScript dependencies. Download only from the official website or the GitHub repository, and check what you install.
- 2
Place the check at the top of main.js
Open your main process file and add if(require('electron-squirrel-startup')) return; near the very top, before windows, timers or other logic run. Placing it earlier prevents setup launches from opening your interface.
-
Build and test the installer
Package your app with your usual Squirrel-based tooling. Test installation, updating and uninstallation on a clean Windows account, and confirm that no application window appears during setup steps.
How to use Electron Squirrel Startup
Electron Squirrel Startup is used inside an Electron project, not launched like a standalone program. The workflow is short, but the testing step matters most because installer behavior is easy to miss in development.
- Add the package to your project with npm i electron-squirrel-startup.
- Open your main process file and place the require check at the top.
- Run your app normally to confirm that regular startup still works.
- Build a Windows installer with your Squirrel-based tooling.
- Install the app on a clean test account and watch for any window that opens during setup.
- Update and uninstall the app to confirm each Squirrel launch exits cleanly.
If something goes wrong, the most common cause is the check being placed after other code that already creates windows. Move it higher in the file and repeat the test.
Pros & cons
- Free under the Apache 2.0 license
- Short, readable code that is easy to audit
- Removes repetitive Squirrel event boilerplate
- Simple one-line integration in Electron projects
- No code updates since November 2017
- Useful only for Electron apps packaged with Squirrel.Windows
- Not a standalone program for end users
- No cryptocurrency features of its own
Is Electron Squirrel Startup safe?
The project has had no code updates since November 2017, so treat it as unmaintained and review the code before using it. Obtain the package only from the official website or the GitHub repository, not from mirror sites, forum attachments or unofficial copies. Where a SHA-256 checksum or signature is published, compare it with your download before use. For npm installs, check the package contents and keep your lock file so later installs match what you reviewed.
This helper runs when your app starts and during installer events, so a tampered copy could execute code on a user's Windows machine at install time. Read the source, and make sure your own code is the only place where you handle sensitive data.
- Official source only. Download from github.com/brave/electron-squirrel-startup. Ignore ads and lookalike domains.
- Check the SHA-256. Compare the installer hash with the value the developer publishes before running it.
- Never share your seed phrase. No developer, support agent or website — including CryptApps — will ever ask for it.
Alternatives
The similar programs in our catalog mostly serve blockchain work. PSBT Commander creates partially signed Bitcoin transactions, Randomx is a proof-of-work algorithm, and MEV Boost is middleware for Ethereum block building. Those tools solve problems in cryptocurrency infrastructure.
Electron Squirrel Startup works at a different layer. It handles Windows install, update and uninstall events inside an Electron app. A developer building a crypto interface in Electron might use it alongside those tools, but it does not replace any of them. Because of its age, it is best compared as a reference implementation rather than as a service with active development.
Specifications
- Price
- Free
- Type
- Open source
- License
- Apache 2.0
- Latest version
- v1.0.0
- Last update
- 3 Nov 2017
- Windows support
- Yes (Windows build or installer)
- Source code
- github.com/brave/electron-squirrel-startup
Frequently asked questions
It is open source under the Apache 2.0 license, but it has had no code updates since November 2017. Review the source code before using it, download it only from the official website or GitHub repository, and verify any published checksum or signature. Because it runs during installer events, treat any unexpected behavior as a reason to stop and investigate.
It is used in Electron applications packaged for Windows with Squirrel.Windows. It detects installer, update and uninstall launches so the app can exit early instead of opening its normal interface. Developers add it with one require line at the top of the main process file.
Yes. The package is listed as free and is released under the Apache 2.0 license. The license allows you to use, modify and distribute the code under its terms, which is useful if you want to adapt the helper to your own installer workflow.
No. It is a JavaScript package for developers who already build Electron applications. End users receive a finished app and do not install this package themselves. You need a project, a main process file and a Squirrel-based build process to make use of it.
Open a terminal in your Electron project folder and run npm i electron-squirrel-startup. Then add the require check at the top of your main process file. Test installation, updates and uninstallation on a clean Windows account to confirm the setup works as expected.
It does not include cryptocurrency features. It is a general-purpose helper for Electron installers, listed in our Other Crypto Tools category because developers building crypto software may use Electron. Any coin or wallet functionality would come from the application code you write yourself.
Verdict
Electron Squirrel Startup is a good fit for developers who maintain an Electron app packaged with Squirrel.Windows and want a small, readable helper for installer launch events. It is free, short and easy to review. It is not suitable for people looking for a standalone Windows program, and its unmaintained status means you should test thoroughly before relying on it in a new project.