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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/retired64/sm64coopdx_launcher/llms.txt

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

coopdx-rs is distributed as source code and must be compiled on your machine. The build produces a single self-contained binary at target/release/sm64coopdx-launcher. This page walks through every step, from installing system libraries to copying the launcher assets into place.

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System requirements

RequirementMinimum versionNotes
LinuxAny modern distroTested on Debian/Ubuntu and Arch-based systems
Rust toolchain1.85+ (edition 2024)Install via rustup
libsdl2-dev2.xCore SDL2 windowing and input
libsdl2-image-dev2.xPNG texture loading
libsdl2-mixer-dev2.xOGG music and WAV sound effects
libsdl2-ttf-dev2.xTrueType font rendering
SM64 US ROM—MD5: 20b854b239203baf6c961b850a4a51a2
The SM64 US ROM (baserom.us.z64) is required to play but is not included in this repository. You must supply a legally obtained copy. The launcher validates the file by MD5 checksum (20b854b239203baf6c961b850a4a51a2) before every launch and will display an error if the ROM is missing or invalid.

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Step 1 — Install SDL2 system libraries

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y \
  libsdl2-dev \
  libsdl2-image-dev \
  libsdl2-mixer-dev \
  libsdl2-ttf-dev

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Step 2 — Install the Rust toolchain

If you don’t already have Rust installed, use the official rustup installer. The launcher requires Rust 1.85 or later (it uses edition 2024 features). 
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
source "$HOME/.cargo/env"
rustup update stable
rustc --version   # should print rustc 1.85.0 or newer
If you already have Rust installed via your distro’s package manager it may be too old. Run rustup update or reinstall via rustup to get the latest stable release.

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Step 3 — Clone and build

git clone https://github.com/retired64/sm64coopdx_launcher
cd sm64coopdx_launcher
cargo build --release
The release profile is configured for maximum size reduction (opt-level = "z", LTO, strip, codegen-units = 1), so the initial build may take a couple of minutes. The resulting binary is placed at: 
target/release/sm64coopdx-launcher
You can run it directly from there or copy it anywhere on your PATH.

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Step 4 — Run the test suite (optional)

The project ships 122 unit tests covering game-path resolution, ROM validation, mod argument construction, network argument building, and gamepad button mapping. 
# Run all tests
cargo test

# Run linter (zero warnings expected)
cargo clippy
Running cargo test before first use is a good sanity check — it verifies that the SDL2 libraries are linked correctly and that your Rust version supports all the edition-2024 features used by the codebase.

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Step 5 — Install launcher assets

The launcher loads its sprites, sounds, music tracks, mod database, and font from ~/.local/share/sm64coopdx/assets/. Copy the bundled assets/ directory into place: 
mkdir -p ~/.local/share/sm64coopdx/assets
cp -r assets/* ~/.local/share/sm64coopdx/assets/
After this step, the assets directory should contain at minimum:
PathPurpose
assets/fonts/SuperMario256.ttfUI font
assets/splash.pngSplash screen background
assets/background.pngMain screen background
assets/logo.pngSM64 Coop DX logo
assets/vinyl_disc.pngSpinning vinyl animation
assets/sounds/navigation_sound.wavMenu navigation click
assets/sounds/splash_sound.wavSplash intro sound
assets/ogg-sounds/Background music tracks (.ogg)
assets/database_sm64coopdx.jsonMod download database
The launcher will fail to start if the splash screen image (splash.png) or the font file (SuperMario256.ttf) are missing. Make sure the cp -r command above completes without errors before running the binary.

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Step 6 — Verify the installation

Run the launcher to confirm everything is in order: 
./target/release/sm64coopdx-launcher
You should see the splash screen load with a progress bar, then transition to the main game screen. If the game binary is not yet configured you will see a “Game binary not found” message — that is expected at this stage and is resolved in the Quickstart.

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What’s next?

Quickstart

Configure the game path, place your ROM, and launch SM64 Coop Deluxe for the first time.

Introduction

Learn about the launcher’s features, architecture, and how it fits into the SM64 Coop DX ecosystem.

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