Windows Agent Installation Guide

This guide covers the current native Windows agent workflow driven by the Unmeshed CLI.

The normal installation path is:

Install the CLI on the Windows host first:

• CLI Setup & Upgrades

Start the install from PowerShell or Command Prompt:

The current installer prompts for:

• the install directory
• the service name
• whether to install the latest version or select a recent version

Default values on Windows:

• install directory: ~/unmeshed-agent
• service name: unmeshedagent

After the download completes, the Windows installer creates or records:

• the native agent binary, for example unmeshed-agent-windows-amd64.exe
• the native monitor binary, for example unmeshed-monitor-windows-amd64.exe
• unmeshed.properties
• processes.yaml
• a generated launcher name derived from the service name, such as unmeshedagent-abc.exe
• an agent entry in ~/.unmeshed/config.yaml

Unlike Linux and macOS, the current Windows flow does not automatically register the Windows service for you. Instead, the CLI prints the next commands to run manually.

The generated unmeshed.properties file also includes UNMESHED_CUSTOM_TLS_CERTS_DIR, which points at the install directory's customcerts folder. If the agent must trust a self-signed or otherwise untrusted certificate chain, use Load certificates for self-signed or untrusted HTTPS endpoints.

The installer still generates unmeshed.properties and processes.yaml so the install layout matches the other platforms. However, the current Windows instructions printed by the CLI configure the running agent with environment variables before you start the process or create the service.

The printed variables are:

For a persistent machine-wide setup, the installer currently tells you to create a set-env.bat file and use setx to write those values as system environment variables.

The current installer output includes a direct-run option. After setting the environment variables, run:

Replace the filename with the binary that the installer downloaded for your architecture.

The current CLI output recommends creating the service manually with sc:

Use the same service name you entered during install-agent. That keeps the recorded metadata in ~/.unmeshed/config.yaml aligned with the service you created, which matters for agent-info, update-agent, and uninstall-agent.

Current Windows service commands:

For CLI-based agent status and post-install guidance, run:

Windows is currently less automated than Linux and macOS in the installer flow. The CLI points operators to:

• the install directory for any local log files
• Windows Event Viewer for service-level events

The install output currently suggests checking the install directory and running:

Treat the install directory and Event Viewer as the first places to check.

For list-agents, agent-info, update-agent, uninstall-agent, and offline agent update guidance, see Remote Agent Lifecycle.

If the target Windows machine cannot reach the CLI or agent download hosts directly, use Download the CLI for another machine to stage the CLI binary and Install from local binaries to install the agent from copied binaries.

After install-agent --use-local-binaries completes, continue with the normal configuration and Windows service steps in this guide.

• CLI & Remote Agents
• Remote Agent Lifecycle
• Servers & Credentials
• Linux Installation
• Darwin (macOS) Installation