Windows Installation Guide

Welcome to CueMate! This guide will help you install CueMate on Windows. The entire process is simple and quick, taking just a few minutes to complete.

Recommended Deployment

We recommend deploying backend services to a Linux server, with only a lightweight desktop client running on your local Windows machine.

CueMate supports "Server Deployment Mode", which allows you to deploy Docker backend services to a remote Linux/macOS server while using your local Windows machine only as a client. This approach offers the following advantages:

Comparison	Windows Local Deployment	Linux Server Deployment
Docker Performance	Relies on WSL2 virtualization, ~10-20% performance overhead	Native execution, optimal performance
Memory Usage	WSL2 + Docker Desktop uses extra 2-4GB	No additional overhead
System Stability	WSL2 occasional network/filesystem issues	Stable and reliable
Startup Speed	Docker Desktop slow to start (30-60 seconds)	Services always running, instant access
Resource Release	Must manually exit Docker Desktop to free memory	No local resources used
Multi-device Sharing	Limited to local machine	Multiple computers can share the same backend

If you have a spare Linux server (cloud server, NAS, Raspberry Pi, etc.), we strongly recommend using server deployment mode. Simply select "Server Mode" during installation and configure the SSH connection.

The following guide is for users who choose to deploy locally on Windows.

1. System Requirements

IMPORTANT

Please confirm your computer meets the minimum requirements before installation, otherwise installation may fail or the application may not run properly.

Before installing CueMate, please confirm your computer meets the following requirements:

1.1 Hardware & System

#	Item	Requirement	Notes
1	Operating System	Windows 10 (64-bit) or Windows 11	64-bit system required
2	Processor	x64 architecture CPU	Intel or AMD 64-bit processor
3	Memory	>= 8GB RAM (16GB recommended)	Docker + WSL2 requires more memory
4	Disk Space	>= 10GB available space	SSD recommended
5	Network	Stable internet connection	For downloading packages and AI services

IMPORTANT

About WSL2

CueMate relies on Docker Desktop to run backend services, and Docker Desktop on Windows requires WSL2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux 2) as its runtime environment.

Install/Update WSL2: Open PowerShell as Administrator and run the following command:

wsl --update

If prompted that WSL is not installed, run this first:

wsl --install

A restart is required after installation.

1.2 Port Requirements

CueMate requires the following ports. Please ensure they are not occupied by other programs:

#	Port	Service	Description
1	3001	Web API Service	Business API service
2	3002	LLM Router Service	Large language model routing
3	3003	RAG Service	Knowledge retrieval service
4	3004	Main Window Service	Main window interface access
5	8000	ChromaDB Vector Database	Vector data storage
6	10095	Speech Recognition Service	Real-time speech to text

Note: The installation wizard will automatically detect port conflicts and provide solutions. See Step 7: Port Check.

1.3 Dependencies

#	Dependency	Version	Notes
1	Docker Desktop	>= 4.0	CueMate backend services runtime

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• Offline package: Includes Docker Desktop installer, no pre-installation required
• Online package: Requires user to install Docker Desktop separately

Note: If Docker Desktop is not installed, the installation wizard will provide automatic installation options. See Step 8: Docker Check.

2. Download Installation Package

2.1 Choose Package Type

CueMate offers two types of installation packages. Choose based on your needs:

Type	Description	Size	Use Case
Offline Package	Includes Docker Desktop, all Docker images and speech models, ready to use	~4.5GB	No network environment, first-time installation
Online Package	Requires Docker Desktop installation, downloads images and models during installation	~700MB	Good network, Docker already installed

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• First-time installation: Offline package recommended, includes all dependencies
• Docker Desktop already installed: Online package for faster download

IMPORTANT

Online package users note: On first launch, the speech recognition service (cuemate-asr) will automatically download FunASR speech models (~1.7GB). Speech recognition will be temporarily unavailable during download. Please ensure stable network and wait patiently.

Offline package includes speech models, ready to use immediately.

2.2 Choose Deployment Mode

CueMate supports two deployment modes, selectable during installation:

Mode	Description	Use Case
Local Mode	All services run on local computer	Personal use, local development
Server Mode	Backend services deployed to remote Linux server, local runs lightweight client only	Multi-device sharing, stronger server resources

See deployment mode selection interface at Step 3: Deployment Mode.

NOTE

• Local Mode: Ready to use, all data stored locally
• Server Mode: Requires a Linux server, client connects via SSH to manage backend services

2.3 Choose Download Channel

CueMate offers two download channels. Choose based on your network environment:

Option 1: Baidu Netdisk (Recommended for China users)

Download Link: https://pan.baidu.com/s/15jwZHy8YkDa4cEDLIYRo9Q?pwd=3477

Access Code: 3477

Scan to access:

Download steps:

1. Click the link above or scan the QR code to access Baidu Netdisk
2. Enter access code 3477
3. Select the version folder (e.g., v0.2.0)
4. Download Windows installer:

Package Type	Filename
Offline	CueMate-v0.2.0-windows-x64-offline.exe
Online	CueMate-v0.2.0-windows-x64-online.exe

5. Click "Download" button to save locally

Advantage: Fast download speed in China, no VPN required

Option 2: GitHub Release (Recommended for international users)

Visit GitHub Releases page to download the latest or historical versions:

Version List:

Version	Release Date	Type	Major Updates	Download Link
v0.2.0	2026-01-31	Feature Update	Windows release, Online/Offline packages, Server deployment mode, Multi-language support	GitHub Release Page
v0.1.1	2025-12-26	Feature Update	Online/Offline packages, Server deployment mode, Multi-language support	GitHub Release Page
v0.1.0	2025-12-10	Initial Release	Core features released	GitHub Release Page

Choose Installation Package Type:

• Online Package (~700MB): Fast download, requires network to pull Docker images and speech models during installation
• Offline Package (~4.5GB): Large size, ready to use without network

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Online Package Download (Recommended for users with good network):

1. Visit GitHub Release Page
2. Download Windows x64 online installer: CueMate-vX.X.X-windows-x64-online.exe
3. After download, double-click the .exe file to start installation

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Offline Package Download (Recommended for users with unstable network):

NOTE

Due to the large offline package size (~4.5GB), exceeding GitHub's 2GB single file limit, it has been split into multiple volumes for upload.

1. Visit GitHub Release Page
2. Download all Windows x64 offline installer volume files: CueMate-vX.X.X-windows-x64-offline.part*.exe
3. Place all volume files in the same directory
4. Double-click the first volume file (.part1.exe), the extractor will automatically merge all volumes
5. After extraction, double-click the .exe file to start installation

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Advantages: Global CDN acceleration, clear version management, supports checksum verification

After download, the installer will be saved in your "Downloads" folder.

2.4 Open Installation Package

Double-click the downloaded .exe file to launch the installation wizard.

3. Installation Steps

The installation wizard includes 11 steps that automatically guide you through the entire process.

The installation wizard interface provides:

• Language switch (top right): Supports Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English
• Install mode (top tabs): Shows current package type, e.g., "Offline Install" or "Online Install"
• Deploy mode (top tabs): Shows current deployment mode, e.g., "Local Mode" or "Server Mode", changeable in Step 3
• Version info (bottom left): Shows current installer version

3.1 Step 1: Welcome

After launching, the wizard displays a welcome screen introducing CueMate features and pre-installation preparations.

Read the welcome message and click Next to continue.

3.2 Step 2: License Agreement

Read the CueMate software license agreement.

If you agree to the terms, check "I agree to the license agreement" and click Next.

3.3 Step 3: Deployment Mode

Choose CueMate's deployment mode.

Mode	Description	Use Case
Local Mode	All services run locally, ready to use	Personal use, local development, first experience
Server Mode	Backend deployed to remote Linux server, local runs lightweight client	Multi-device sharing, stronger server resources, team collaboration

Local Mode (default recommended):

• All services run locally, no extra configuration
• Data stored locally, better privacy
• Suitable for most users

Server Mode:

• Requires a Linux server (Ubuntu 20.04+ or CentOS 7+)
• Local computer only runs client, low resource usage
• Supports multiple computers sharing same backend
• Wizard will guide SSH connection configuration

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If unsure which mode to choose, select Local Mode. You can switch to Server Mode later in system settings.

Server Mode Requirements

If choosing Server Mode, ensure your remote Linux server meets:

Server Hardware Requirements:

Item	Minimum	Recommended
CPU	2 cores	4+ cores
Memory	4GB	8GB+
Disk	20GB available	50GB SSD
OS	Ubuntu 20.04+ / CentOS 7+	Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

Server Software Requirements:

• Docker 20.10+ and Docker Compose 2.0+
• Wizard will auto-detect and prompt if not installed

Security Group/Firewall Port Configuration:

Server needs these ports open for client access:

Port	Protocol	Service	Purpose	Required
22	TCP	SSH	Wizard server connection	Yes
3001	TCP	Web API	Business API	Yes
3002	TCP	LLM Router	LLM routing	Yes
3003	TCP	RAG Service	Knowledge retrieval	Yes
3004	TCP	Web Service	Main interface	Yes
8000	TCP	ChromaDB	Vector database	Yes
10095	TCP	ASR	Speech recognition	Yes

After selecting deployment mode, click Next to continue.

3.4 Step 4: Server Configuration (Server Mode Only)

If Server Mode is selected, configure remote server SSH connection.

Remote Server Configuration:

• Server Address: Remote server IP or domain
• SSH Port: Default 22
• Username: SSH login username (e.g., root)
• Server Name: Custom name for identification
• Authentication: Password or key authentication
• Deploy Path (advanced): Backend installation path on server, default /opt/cuemate

After filling in, click Test Connection to verify. Once passed, click Next.

3.5 Step 5: Installation Location

Choose CueMate installation directory.

• Default path: C:\Program Files\CueMate
• Custom path: Click Browse to select another directory

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Recommendation: Don't install on C: drive (system drive) to avoid system slowdown from insufficient space. Choose D: drive or other non-system drives.

Disk Space Requirements:

• Local Mode: ~10GB (application + Docker images)
• Server Mode: Local ~2GB + Server ~10GB

After selecting location, click Next to continue.

3.6 Step 6: Disk Space Check

The wizard automatically checks if disk space meets requirements.

Local Mode

Checks local disk space, displays:

• Total space, used space, available space
• OS version, architecture, memory size

Server Mode

Checks both locations:

• Local disk (Windows): For desktop client, needs ~2GB
• Server disk: For backend services, needs ~10GB

Auto-proceeds when check passes. If insufficient, clean disk and click "Re-check".

3.7 Step 7: Port Check

The wizard checks if required network ports are occupied.

Checked ports:

Port	Service	Status
3001	Web API Service	(Available) or (Unavailable)
3002	LLM Router Service	(Available) or (Unavailable)
3003	RAG Service	(Available) or (Unavailable)
3004	Web Service	(Available) or (Unavailable)
8000	ChromaDB Vector Database	(Available) or (Unavailable)
10095	Speech Recognition Service	(Available) or (Unavailable)

If port conflict detected:

• Click "End Process" button next to port to terminate occupying program
• Or click "Auto-resolve All Conflicts" for batch processing

After ports check passes, click Next to continue.

3.8 Step 8: Docker Check

The wizard checks if Docker environment is ready.

Local Mode

Checks local Docker Desktop:

• Is Docker Desktop installed
• Is Docker Engine running
• Is Docker Compose available

If Docker not installed:

• Offline package: Click "Install Locally" to auto-install bundled Docker Desktop
• Online package: Click "Download Docker Desktop" to go to official download page

IMPORTANT

Docker Desktop for Windows requires WSL 2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux 2) enabled. If not enabled, the wizard will prompt you to enable WSL 2.

Server Mode

Checks remote Linux server Docker:

• Is Docker Engine installed
• Is Docker service running
• Is Docker Compose available

After check passes, click Next to continue.

Handling Windows Firewall Prompt

When running Docker Desktop for the first time, Windows Firewall may display a security prompt asking whether to allow Docker Desktop Backend to communicate over the network.

How to handle:

1. Check Private networks, such as my home or work network
2. Click Allow access button

IMPORTANT

You must allow Docker through the firewall, otherwise Docker's network functionality will be restricted, containers cannot communicate with each other, and CueMate backend services will not work properly.

3.9 Step 9: Image Loading

The wizard begins loading CueMate backend service images.

Local Mode

Images load to local Docker environment:

• Offline package: Runs docker load to load bundled images
• Online package: Runs docker pull from Docker Hub

Estimated time: 1-2 minutes (offline) or 5-10 minutes (online, depends on network)

Server Mode

Images load to remote Linux server:

• Offline package: SCP uploads image tar files to server, then SSH runs docker load
• Online package: SSH runs docker pull on server

Estimated time: 5-15 minutes (depends on network and server performance)

WARNING

Don't close the wizard, otherwise you'll need to restart loading.

After loading completes, click Next to continue.

3.10 Step 10: Install Client

After image loading, the wizard proceeds to desktop client installation.

Local Mode

Executes 5 steps:

1. Check Visual C++ Runtime: Verify if Visual C++ Redistributable is installed, auto-install if missing
2. Copy CueMate application: Copy CueMate desktop client to selected installation directory
3. Configure Docker Compose: Copy docker-compose.yml configuration file to user data directory
4. Mount speech recognition and vector models: Extract ASR speech recognition models and vector models to data directory
5. Save version info: Record current installed version

Server Mode

Executes 5 steps:

1. Check Visual C++ Runtime: Verify if Visual C++ Redistributable is installed, auto-install if missing
2. Copy CueMate application: Copy CueMate desktop client to local selected installation directory
3. Upload Docker Compose configuration: SSH upload docker-compose.yml configuration file to remote server
4. Upload and mount speech recognition and vector models: SCP upload model files (~1GB) to server and extract
5. Save version info: Record current installed version

NOTE

Server mode requires uploading ~1GB of model files to remote server, which may take several minutes depending on network speed.

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Please complete this step before closing wizard, otherwise desktop client won't be properly installed.

After installation, click Next for the final step.

3.11 Step 11: Complete

When all steps complete, the wizard displays success screen.

Click Finish, the wizard will automatically:

1. Close installation window
2. Launch CueMate desktop application

4. First Use

4.1 Login

After installation, search for CueMate in Start menu or find CueMate shortcut on desktop, double-click to open.

The app will show login screen.

Built-in Account:

• Username: admin
• Password: cuemate

Enter the credentials and click Login to enter the system.

4.2 Getting Started

After login, CueMate's control window floats at the top of screen.

Control Window Buttons (left to right):

• CueMate icon: Click to open CueMate official website
• Voice Recognition: Click to start voice recognition, open interview window
• Ask AI: Click to open AI question window for quick AI queries
• Interaction Mode: Toggle window click-through mode (Interactive/Pass-through)
• Main App Window: Click to open main app window for backend management
• Show/Hide: Click to hide or show control bar and all windows

Additionally, CueMate displays an icon in system tray for quick access to common functions.

5. FAQ

5.1 Installation Wizard Won't Open

Problem: Double-clicking installer has no response or is blocked

Solution:

1. Right-click installer, select "Run as administrator"
2. If Windows Defender blocks, click "More info" then "Run anyway"
3. Temporarily disable antivirus and retry
4. If still not working, re-download the package

5.2 Insufficient Disk Space

Problem: Wizard indicates insufficient disk space

Solution:

1. Clean disk to ensure at least 10GB available
2. Delete unneeded files and applications
3. Empty Recycle Bin
4. Choose different disk for installation location
5. Return to wizard, click "Re-check"

5.3 Docker Desktop Won't Start

Problem: Wizard indicates Docker won't start

Possible causes:

• WSL 2 not enabled
• Windows version too old
• Virtualization not enabled
• Docker Desktop installation incomplete

Solution:

1. Confirm Windows version meets requirements (Windows 10 64-bit or higher)
2. Enable WSL 2: Open PowerShell as administrator, run wsl --install
3. Enable virtualization in BIOS (VT-x/AMD-V)
4. Reinstall Docker Desktop
5. Restart computer and retry

5.4 Port Conflict Unresolved

Problem: Wizard indicates port occupied, auto-resolve failed

Solution:

1. Note the conflicting port and program name
2. Manually end the occupying program:
   • Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc)
   • Find the program occupying the port
   • Select program, click "End Task"
3. Return to wizard, click "Re-check"

5.5 Image Loading Failed

Problem: Wizard fails at "Image Loading" step

Possible causes:

• Network connection interrupted
• Docker service abnormal
• Insufficient disk space

Solution:

1. Check network connection
2. Confirm Docker Desktop is running
3. Check disk space
4. Click "Retry" to reload

5.6 Main App Window Won't Open

Problem: Clicking "Main App Window" button has no response

Solution:

1. Confirm CueMate is running (icon in system tray)
2. Confirm backend services running normally (click tray icon to check service status)
3. If services abnormal, click tray icon, select "Restart Services"
4. Wait for services to restart (~30 seconds), try opening main window again

6. Uninstall CueMate

6.1 Uninstall Steps

1. Exit CueMate (click system tray icon > Exit)
   • Exiting will automatically stop all backend Docker services
2. Open Windows Settings > Apps > Installed apps
3. Find CueMate, click "..." on the right, select "Uninstall"
4. Clean data files (optional):
   • Open File Explorer
   • Enter %APPDATA% in address bar
   • Find and delete cuemate-desktop-client folder

Note:

• Deleting cuemate-desktop-client folder will clear all interview records, settings, and speech models (~1.6GB)
• If planning to reinstall later, keep this folder to save time re-downloading/extracting models

Next Steps

After installation, we recommend:

1. Read Quick Start Guide for basic usage
2. Check Feature Manual to explore all features
3. Configure AI Models to start using smart features
4. Run Voice Test to ensure audio devices work properly

If you encounter issues, check FAQ or contact technical support.

Enjoy using CueMate and good luck with your interviews!