Installing Skald on Windows when SmartScreen objects

Run the installer and Windows shows a blue panel: “Windows protected your PC.” The way through is “More info”, then “Run anyway”. That warning does not say the file is harmful. It says Microsoft Defender SmartScreen has not seen this particular file often enough yet.

Below: four steps to a working install, and how to check for yourself that the installer came from us before you run it.

Pick the right file first

Skald ships two Windows 11 builds. The x64 one covers the usual Intel and AMD machines; the ARM64 one covers devices with a Snapdragon processor. Both are native builds. Neither is a fallback for the other.

Not sure which you need? Open Settings, then System, then About. Under “Device specifications” you will find System type. If it mentions an ARM-based processor, take ARM64, otherwise x64. Both links live on the download page.

The four steps

1. Start the installer. The file is named Skald-Setup-<version>-win-x64.exe or -win-arm64.exe. Double-click it.

2. Get past SmartScreen. In the blue panel, click “More info”. Windows now shows the file name and the publisher, and the publisher has to read Tiamat UG (haftungsbeschränkt). If it says anything else, or “Unknown publisher”, stop and download the file again from heyskald.com. If it matches, click “Run anyway”.

3. Grant permissions. Skald needs microphone access and places itself in the notification area of the taskbar. It asks for both on first launch.

4. Link the device and go. Skald opens a browser tab for sign-in. Log in once and this machine stays paired with your account. After that: hold the hotkey, speak, release. The text arrives wherever your cursor is.

Why Windows warns at all

Microsoft Defender SmartScreen runs on reputation. It looks at how often a file has already been downloaded and executed, how old it is, and who signed it. A file that has existed for a few days has none of that history, so Windows warns, regardless of what is actually inside.

Each new version resets part of that counter. You may therefore see the panel again after an update, even though the previous version had stopped triggering it. That is annoying, and it is not something we can switch off from our side.

What we do instead: every build is signed, and every version travels the same route to the same domain. Reputation accrues from that over time. When SmartScreen goes quiet for Skald is Microsoft’s call rather than ours, so we are not going to promise you a date.

Verifying the file yourself

Two checks, both independent of SmartScreen.

Provenance first. Only download the installer from heyskald.com/download. We do not distribute Skald through download portals or mirrors.

Signature second. Right-click the downloaded file, choose Properties, open the “Digital Signatures” tab. The signer’s name is listed there, and “Details”, then “View Certificate”, gives you the full entry. What you should see is Tiamat UG (haftungsbeschränkt), the German studio behind Skald.

If it still refuses

If you cannot get past the blue panel because Windows has blocked the file as one that came from the internet, a checkbox usually fixes it: right-click the file, Properties, tick “Unblock” at the bottom of the General tab, apply. The installer then starts normally.

On a managed work machine, policy can block the install entirely. No amount of clicking helps there; your IT department has to allow it. That is why the publisher and signature details above are written out in a form you can forward.

Anything else that gets in the way is probably answered in the FAQ. Otherwise: download Skald for Windows and tell us what broke.