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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/Ogrods/BAKLOG/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

This page walks you through installing Baklog, launching the local server for the first time, and triggering your first library fetch. By the end you will have the dashboard open at http://localhost:8765 with at least one store connected and your games appearing in the Library tab. The whole process takes about five minutes for a typical setup.

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Requirements

RequirementDetails
Python 3.11+A virtual environment is strongly recommended.
Google Chrome, Chromium, or Microsoft EdgeRequired for the Connections sign-in flow (cookie and OAuth capture). Override the detected browser path with BAKLOG_CHROME_PATH if needed. Edge ships with Windows and works as a drop-in replacement.
Operating systemWindows 10/11 (primary development target). macOS and Linux are supported with store-level limits — see Connecting Stores for the platform matrix.
Windows users: do not use the Microsoft Store python.exe stub. Fetcher subprocesses launched from the stub can hang subprocess.Popen and wedge the run queue. Always use the project .venv Python instead. server.py auto-picks .venv when it is present in the project directory.

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Install

1

Clone or download the repository

Get the Baklog source from GitHub. You can clone with Git or download a ZIP from the repository page.
git clone https://github.com/Ogrods/BAKLOG.git
cd BAKLOG
2

Create a virtual environment and install dependencies

Create a .venv in the project directory, activate it, and install the required packages.
python -m venv .venv

# Windows
.venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

# macOS / Linux
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
Developers and CI can use pip install -e ".[dev]" (or requirements-dev.txt) instead to get the full dev toolchain including pytest and ruff.
3

Copy .env.example to .env (optional, legacy)

Baklog stores credentials in encrypted per-profile storage managed from the Connections tab — you do not need a .env file for normal use. If you prefer the legacy file-based approach (for example, for scripted or headless setups), copy the example and fill in your credentials:
# Windows
copy .env.example .env

# macOS / Linux
cp .env.example .env
On first python server.py start, any credentials present in .env are imported once into the default profile’s encrypted store and the file is archived as .env.imported. After that, manage credentials from the Connections tab.

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Run the dashboard

Start the bundled dev server, which serves the dashboard and lets you trigger fetchers directly from the Fetcher health row in the UI: 
python server.py
Then open http://localhost:8765 in your browser. Read-only mode (python -m http.server 8080) lets you browse an existing library and run fetchers from the terminal, but personal edits fall back to browser localStorage instead of data/personal.json. Use it if you want a lightweight browse-only session.
Do not open index.html directly from your file manager or browser. Browsers block ES module loading from file:// URLs. Always access the dashboard through one of the server options above.

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Steam-specific setup

Steam requires a few one-time steps before your first fetch.
  1. Get a Steam Web API key at steamcommunity.com/dev/apikey. Use localhost as the domain. The Connections tab can grab this automatically, but having it on hand speeds things up.
  2. Find your SteamID64 at steamid.io. It is a 17-digit number starting with 7656119.
  3. Set Game details to Public in Steam → Profile → Edit Profile → Privacy Settings. Without this, the Steam Web API returns an empty library.
Once these are in place, connect Steam from the Connections tab and click the Steam chip in Fetcher health, or run the fetcher directly: 
python fetch_games.py
The first run on a large library may take several minutes due to Steam Store API rate limits. Subsequent runs use the local cache and are much faster.

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Optional: system tray

Keep Baklog running in the background with a system tray icon. The tray app starts the same local server, opens your browser, and gives you Open, Restart, and Quit from the menu. Install the tray dependencies and launch: 
pip install pystray Pillow
.\.venv\Scripts\pythonw.exe tray_app.py
Or build a portable folder that includes its own .venv and tray launcher batch files: 
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File scripts/build_installer.ps1
# then run: dist\baklog\Start BAKLOG (tray).bat
The tray menu can also register Baklog as a login startup item (Windows registry, macOS LaunchAgent, or Linux XDG autostart). Note that the PyInstaller BAKLOG.exe bundle is server-only and does not include the tray icon — use the tray launcher or refresh.ps1 / your OS scheduler for closed-app refresh.

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Optional: production frontend build

Dev mode serves raw ES modules with Cache-Control: no-store — no npm required for everyday use. For a smaller, cacheable production bundle with hashed assets: 
npm ci
npm run build

# PowerShell — set the env var then start the server
$env:BAKLOG_SERVE_BUILT='1'; python server.py
Hashed assets under dist/ receive immutable long-term cache headers. index.html stays no-store so the app always boots fresh.

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Next steps

Connecting Stores

Per-store Connect steps, CLI fallbacks, fetcher flags, and the platform availability matrix.

Dashboard

Tabs, filters, statuses, deal radar, and the Picks panel.

FAQ

Free vs paid, privacy, invite-only access, and no-games-yet entry paths.

Troubleshooting

Auth failures, 403 errors, empty results, and common fixes.

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