Installation Guide

Pantry is not yet codesigned. This means your operating system will show a security warning when you first try to open it. This is normal — it happens with any app that hasn't been submitted to Apple or Microsoft for verification.

Once you complete the steps below, you only need to do it once. After that, Pantry will open normally.

Why isn't Pantry codesigned? Codesigning requires an Apple Developer account ($99/year) and a Microsoft code signing certificate (around $300/year). As a solo project, initial purchases will help fund codesigning for future releases.

macOS

When you try to open Pantry for the first time, macOS will show a dialog saying the app "is damaged and can't be opened" or that it's "from an unidentified developer". It will offer to move it to the Trash. Don't do that.

The "Open Anyway" button that used to appear in System Settings -> Privacy & Security has been removed in Tahoe. You'll need to use a short Terminal command instead.

Steps

  1. Move Pantry.app to your Applications folder.
  2. Open Terminal (you can find it via Spotlight — press Cmd + Space and type "Terminal").
  3. Paste the following command and press Enter: 
    xattr -cr /Applications/Pantry.app
  4. Enter your password when prompted.
  5. Open Pantry normally. The security warning will not appear again for this Pantry version.

What does this command do? When you download a file from the internet, macOS tags it with a "quarantine" flag. This flag is what triggers the security check. The command above removes that flag from Pantry so macOS stops blocking it.

Windows

When you try to run Pantry for the first time, Windows Defender SmartScreen will show a blue warning screen saying "Windows protected your PC" and that it prevented an unrecognized app from starting. You'll only see a "Don't run" button at first.

Steps

  1. On the SmartScreen warning, click "More info" (the small text link below the warning message).
  2. A "Run anyway" button will appear. Click it.
  3. Pantry will open. The warning will not appear again for this Pantry version.

Alternatively, you can right-click the .exe file, select Properties, check the "Unblock" checkbox at the bottom of the General tab, and click Apply. Then launch Pantry normally.

Linux

Linux does not have the same kind of app signing restrictions. If the downloaded file isn't executable, open a terminal and run:

chmod +x Pantry.AppImage

Then launch it normally.

Installing FFmpeg

Pantry uses FFmpeg to analyze non-WAV audio formats (MP3, FLAC, AIFF, AAC, OGG, Opus, WMA) and to play back AIFF and WMA files. WAV files work fully without it. FFmpeg is free and open-source — Pantry does not bundle it for licensing reasons.

If you don't have FFmpeg installed, those formats will still appear in your library based on their filename. Once you install FFmpeg, Pantry will offer to re-analyze them.

macOS

The easiest way is via Homebrew. If you already have Homebrew, open Terminal and run:

brew install ffmpeg

If you don't have Homebrew yet, install it first by pasting this into Terminal:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Then run the brew install ffmpeg command above.

Windows

Open a Command Prompt or PowerShell window and run:

winget install ffmpeg

winget is the built-in package manager on Windows 10 and later. You may need to restart Pantry after installing.

Linux

Use your distribution's package manager:

sudo apt install ffmpeg

On Fedora or RHEL-based systems, use sudo dnf install ffmpeg-free instead.