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Reproducible public installation

The standalone core needs no Skulk, SDK, GPU or hosted account. Library is an optional application with independent Sovereign and compatible Skulk Core modes. Older releases provide only the Core-backed client. Installing software does not follow sources, trust model keys, set up Core, download models, install native peer software or grant public serving.

The v0.26.0 core and library-v0.22.0 Library pre-releases provide one installation archive each, plus release.sigstore.json, a detached build-attestation bundle. Each archive contains its primary wheel, source distribution, INSTALL.json, hash-locked runtime requirements, install.py and inner checksums. Library additionally contains its matching core wheel and independent desktop lock. An optional standalone peer profile has its own lock; default installation needs no native peer runtime. The separately pinned compatible Core remains development source, not a stable or fully frozen Core release. See Core setup.

For the Sovereign interface without Skulk, use the independent desktop profile below. The default Library profile is the separate client for an existing Skulk Core.

Download and authenticate​

Choose the standalone core, or the optional Library with Python 3.13+:

RoleTagArchive
Standalonev0.26.0foxlight-model-preservation-0.26.0-install.zip
Optional Librarylibrary-v0.22.0foxlight-preservation-library-0.22.0-install.zip

Download the archive and release.sigstore.json from the same chosen release. Public asset downloads need no account. For the standalone core:

base=https://github.com/Foxlight-Foundation/foxlight-model-preservation/releases/download/v0.26.0
curl --fail --location --proto '=https' -O "$base/foxlight-model-preservation-0.26.0-install.zip"
curl --fail --location --proto '=https' -O "$base/release.sigstore.json"

Authenticate the archive before extracting/executing its helper, using a trusted verifier and the expected repository, workflow and tag. An independently authenticated archive hash is another bootstrap path; same-source checksums alone do not identify a publisher.

gh attestation verify foxlight-model-preservation-0.26.0-install.zip \
  --bundle release.sigstore.json \
  --repo Foxlight-Foundation/foxlight-model-preservation \
  --signer-workflow Foxlight-Foundation/foxlight-model-preservation/.github/workflows/release.yml \
  --source-ref refs/tags/v0.26.0 --deny-self-hosted-runners

Use the corresponding archive/tag for Library. Pin --source-digest COMMIT as well when you obtained that commit independently. Verification binds artifact bytes to the GitHub-hosted release workflow, not a maintainer's offline signing key or a guarantee about code correctness. Retain the attestation, trusted roots and verifier software as described in release verification. Model/source/registry authority is independent of software provenance.

Install into a new environment​

Use Python 3.11+ for standalone or Python 3.13+ for Library and an authenticated uv installation. The release workflow uses uv 0.12.23. Keep compatible Python/uv binaries separately for offline use; this helper never acquires Python for you.

unzip foxlight-model-preservation-0.26.0-install.zip -d sovereign-install
cd sovereign-install
python3 install.py --directory "$HOME/sovereign-0.26.0"
"$HOME/sovereign-0.26.0/bin/model-preserve" --help

The parent must exist and the target must be new. The helper verifies every listed asset and closed installation record before creating the environment. Dependency versions/hashes come from the committed project lock and include the exact release wheel. Binary-only/hash-required installation refuses unlisted bytes and builds no dependency source. The release wheel itself comes from the verified local files. Ordinary unpinned package-index installation remains possible, but does not carry this reproducibility claim.

The result retains sovereign-install.json and sovereign-release/ with its original wheel, source record, selected requirements and checksums. Receipts name exact source/software bytes; they do not enroll model signers or grant serving. A failure leaves the partial directory for inspection rather than adopting or deleting existing software. Use a separate new directory for a new installation. No service is started, enabled or resumed by the installer.

For the standalone peer tools, choose --requirements requirements-peer.lock. This locks the Python peer adapter; native Kubo installation and network use still require their existing separate explicit grants. Persistent HTTP mirrors need only the default profile. See mirror operation.

PirateFace lookup uses the default core in 0.16.0 and later. Offline repository torrent import also needs libtorrent: choose --requirements requirements-mirror.lock from that core's archive for its hash-locked optional dependencies. Installing this profile starts no peer runtime or sharing session. See PirateFace interoperability for the separate offline workflow.

For Library, use the corresponding archive and target directory, then run bin/foxlight-preservation-library against your compatible local Core. Existing Core API/trust checks remain in place. A separate new Core can be prepared with bin/foxlight-preservation-preview setup; this explicitly downloads/builds the pinned Core and its prerequisites. Retained Library wheel evidence is checked against actual installed files before choosing its immutable public source. A copied version label alone does not qualify a local package for this setup.

Select the independent desktop profile​

Library installation archives with foxlight.software-install.v2 include requirements-desktop.lock and the exactly pinned public preservation-core wheel. Both wheels are built from the same release revision, included in the same authenticated archive, and individually covered by the release workflow's attestations. Authenticate that archive before using its helper. Earlier v1 Library archives do not offer this profile; they refuse it rather than silently installing a Core-dependent client as an independent application.

With Python 3.13+ and uv, download and authenticate the matching Library archive, then install its desktop profile into a new environment:

(
  set -e
  base=https://github.com/Foxlight-Foundation/foxlight-model-preservation/releases/download/library-v0.22.0
  curl --fail --location --proto '=https' -O "$base/foxlight-preservation-library-0.22.0-install.zip"
  curl --fail --location --proto '=https' -O "$base/release.sigstore.json"
  gh attestation verify foxlight-preservation-library-0.22.0-install.zip \
    --bundle release.sigstore.json \
    --repo Foxlight-Foundation/foxlight-model-preservation \
    --signer-workflow Foxlight-Foundation/foxlight-model-preservation/.github/workflows/release.yml \
    --source-ref refs/tags/library-v0.22.0 --deny-self-hosted-runners
  unzip foxlight-preservation-library-0.22.0-install.zip -d sovereign-desktop-install
  cd sovereign-desktop-install
  python3 install.py --directory "$HOME/sovereign-desktop" \
    --requirements requirements-desktop.lock
  "$HOME/sovereign-desktop/bin/foxlight-sovereign"
)

This opens the independent Library without installing Skulk or the managed SDK. First launch offers Browse public models, Choose a recovery kit and Choose a sharing file, with reusable Getting started help. Each model transfer or capture-key acceptance still requires its own review. See everyday use and privacy. Closing the browser leaves the application working; quitting the launcher stops its private owner safely.

The helper validates both component identities, their common source revision, exact wheel hashes and the selected lock before creating an environment. It retains both wheels as software evidence for this profile. Omitting the profile keeps the original Core-backed Library installation and does not install the core wheel. The standalone preservation release remains independently usable.

This installation path requires an authenticated Python/uv toolchain. It is separate from a bundled Mac application, notarization or APT distribution; those are not established by a Python installation archive.

Upgrade and downgrade boundaries​

Install a new software cohort into a new environment; keep the previous one and verified recovery kits until you accept the update. Stop the existing owner before opening its private home with another version. Do not start two writers against one home or copy active state as a substitute for a recovery kit.

Core 0.22 / Library 0.17 adds source Activity job kinds. An earlier independent owner can refuse that newer journal rather than ignoring or rewriting records. An app downgrade is therefore not a supported history reader. Keep the updated owner available; never delete or reset its journal to make old software open it. Portable model archives and kits have separate format/version contracts and remain recoverable with compatible standalone tools. The optional public source key profile is preservable by earlier generic PMF readers; an older reverse converter can need an update to interpret it. Embedded keys remain candidates, not inherited model or registry authority.

Retain a wheelhouse and install offline​

While the dependency sources are available, retain the platform-compatible wheels with a trusted Python/pip tool. From the extracted authenticated archive:

python3 -m pip download --only-binary=:all: --require-hashes \
  --find-links . --dest wheelhouse -r requirements.lock

Choose requirements-peer.lock for the standalone peer profile, or requirements-desktop.lock for the independent Library. Use that same profile with the offline installation command. A wheelhouse is specific to Python/ABI/platform; test it on the intended recovery host. Save the installation archive, wheelhouse, Python/uv, verifier, detached attestation and trusted-root snapshot on storage independent of Foxlight/GitHub. Signatures do not encrypt them. A model recovery kit does not contain the runtime.

Install with all indexes and cache fallback disabled:

python3 install.py --directory "$HOME/sovereign-offline" \
  --offline --wheelhouse ./wheelhouse

Use the same selected requirements profile that you archived. Missing or changed wheels cause failure rather than a network fallback. The helper checks installed dependency compatibility and retains the exact receipt. To verify the archive itself without online attestation/root retrieval, supply both --bundle and your saved --custom-trusted-root to the verifier.

This reproduces selected versions and hashes, not bit-identical builds across machines. Dependencies and platform runtimes have their own supply-chain trust. It does not qualify all filesystems, public routing/NAT, independent custody, anonymity or censorship resistance. Keep those deployment/failure gates separate.