Silk Spool

A beautiful, easy-to-use mod manager for Hollow Knight: Silksong. Find, download, and manage your favorite mods with just a few clicks!

What is Silk Spool?

Silk Spool is a desktop application that makes modding Hollow Knight: Silksong simple and enjoyable. Whether you're new to modding or a seasoned veteran, Silk Spool provides an intuitive interface to discover and manage your mods.

✨ Key Features

🎮 Automatic Setup

• Smart Game Detection: Automatically finds your Hollow Knight: Silksong installation
• BepInEx Integration: Checks if BepInEx is properly installed and configured
• One-Click Setup: Get started in minutes, not hours

📚 Mod Discovery

• Browse Mods: Explore mods from multiple repositories in one place
• Official Repository: Pre-loaded official mod repository with curated content
• Advanced Search: Find exactly what you're looking for with powerful search tools
• Smart Filtering: Filter by repository, requirements, authors, and installation status
• Rich Details: View screenshots, descriptions, and requirements before downloading

🎨 Beautiful Interface

• Dark Theme: Easy on the eyes during long modding sessions
• Responsive Design: Works perfectly on any screen size
• Intuitive Navigation: Simple, clean interface that anyone can use

🔧 Complete Mod Management

• Repository Support: Add your favorite mod sources with official and built-in mods included
• One-Click Installation: Download, decompress, and install mods automatically
• Smart Uninstallation: Remove mods completely with confirmation dialogs
• Progress Tracking: Real-time download progress and installation status
• Installed Mod Tracking: Keep track of what's installed, when, and which version
• Status Indicators: Visual badges and filters to see your installed mods

🔔 Enhanced User Experience

• Notification System: Real-time feedback on downloads and installations
• Error Handling: Clear error messages and recovery suggestions
• Loading States: Visual feedback during all operations
• Image Gallery: Browse mod screenshots with lazy loading and lightbox view

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Hollow Knight: Silksong (installed via Steam)
• BepInEx (for modding support)
• Windows 10/11 or macOS 10.15+

Installation

1. Download the latest release from the Releases page
2. Install the application for your platform:
   • Windows: Run the .msi installer
   • macOS: Open the .dmg file and drag to Applications
3. Launch Silk Spool and let it detect your game automatically
4. Add repositories to start browsing mods
5. Enjoy your modded Silksong experience!

📖 How to Use

First Launch

1. Silk Spool will automatically scan for your Hollow Knight: Silksong installation
2. If found, it will check for BepInEx compatibility
3. If not found, you can manually select your game folder

Adding Mod Repositories

1. Click the "Add Repository" button
2. Enter the URL of a mod repository (JSON format)
3. Silk Spool will fetch and cache the mod list
4. Start browsing and downloading mods!

Finding and Installing Mods

• Use the search bar to find specific mods
• Filter by repository to focus on specific sources
• Filter by installed status to see what you have
• Browse by category or sort by date/name
• Click on any mod to see detailed information and screenshots
• Click "Download" to automatically install the mod
• Click "Uninstall" to remove installed mods

Managing Your Mods

• View installed mods with the "Installed" filter
• See installation dates and versions in mod details
• Uninstall mods with a single click and confirmation
• Track mod status with visual indicators and badges

🛠️ For Developers

Development Status

Current Version: 0.3.0 (Beta Release) Current Progress: 85% Complete (5/8 phases completed, Phase 6 in progress)

Completed Features:

• ✅ Game detection and BepInEx validation
• ✅ Repository management system with official and built-in mods
• ✅ Modern UI with advanced search and filtering
• ✅ Cross-platform support (Windows & macOS)
• ✅ Mod installation system with progress tracking
• ✅ Mod uninstallation system with confirmation dialogs
• ✅ Installed mods tracking with persistent storage
• ✅ Image management with lazy loading and caching
• ✅ Notification system for user feedback
• ✅ Official repository integration with automatic loading
• ✅ Comprehensive testing (Rust backend + React frontend)

Recent Completions (v0.3.0):

• ✅ Modular download system supporting multiple hosts (GitHub, MediaFire, Dropbox, Google Drive)
• ✅ Real-time UI updates with React hooks for installed mod status
• ✅ Enhanced error handling and user feedback systems
• ✅ Browser-like download handling for complex hosting services

In Progress:

• 🔄 Linting and formatting setup
• 🔄 Build and distribution optimization

Coming Soon:

• 🔄 Automated builds and installers
• 🔄 Final polish and public release

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions from the community! Here's how you can help:

For Users

• Report bugs or issues you encounter
• Suggest new features that would improve your experience
• Share feedback on the user interface and functionality
• Help other users in discussions and issues

For Developers

• Fork the repository and create a feature branch
• Follow the coding standards and test your changes
• Submit pull requests with clear descriptions
• Help with documentation and examples

Development Setup

If you want to contribute code:

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/FrancescoGrazioso/SilkSpool.git
cd SilkSpool/silk-spool

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Run in development mode:

npm run tauri dev

📋 Roadmap

✅ Phase 5: Advanced Features (COMPLETED)

• ✅ Mod installation and management system
• ✅ Mod uninstallation with confirmation dialogs
• ✅ Installed mods tracking and persistence
• ✅ Advanced search and filtering
• ✅ Image management with lazy loading
• ✅ Notification system for user feedback
• ✅ Built-in and official mods repository system

🔄 Phase 6: Testing and Quality (IN PROGRESS)

• ✅ Comprehensive testing suite (Rust + React)
• ✅ Performance optimization
• ✅ Bug fixes and stability improvements
• 🔄 Linting and formatting setup
• 🔄 Code quality improvements

⏳ Phase 7: Build and Distribution (PENDING)

• ⏳ Automated builds for all platforms
• ⏳ Installer creation (.msi for Windows, .dmg for macOS)
• ⏳ Update system implementation
• ⏳ Release automation

⏳ Phase 8: Finalization and Release (PENDING)

• ⏳ Final polish and optimization
• ⏳ Documentation completion
• ⏳ Public release preparation
• ⏳ Community feedback integration

🐛 Known Issues

• Cross-platform testing is ongoing
• Some advanced features like mod dependencies are planned for future versions
• Performance optimization for large mod repositories is in progress

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🛠️ Technology Stack

• Framework: Tauri - Modern desktop app framework
• Frontend: React + TypeScript + Tailwind CSS
• Backend: Rust for system integration and performance
• Storage: Local JSON files with persistent mod tracking
• Testing: Vitest + Rust unit tests
• Build: Cross-platform (Windows x64, macOS universal)

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Built with Tauri - the modern desktop app framework
• UI styled with Tailwind CSS
• Inspired by the Hollow Knight modding community
• Special thanks to all contributors and testers

📞 Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Discussions: GitHub Discussions
• Releases: GitHub Releases
• Mod Sources: SilkSpool Sources Repository

📚 Documentation

• macOS Gatekeeper Guide: Complete guide for macOS installation issues
• Build and Release Documentation: Technical documentation for building and releasing the app
• Development Plan: Detailed development roadmap and progress

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Made with ❤️ for the Hollow Knight: Silksong modding community