THE IMAGE CHIMP DESKTOP COMPANION

Your originals, previews, catalog, edits, metadata exports, and action history
stay on this computer. Only prepared JPEG evidence is sent through the review
service for cloud inference. Keep a normal backup of your photo folder and the
companion workspace.

macOS
1. On an Intel Mac running macOS 14 or later, unzip the macOS package and move
   ImageChimp-Companion-macOS-Intel.app to Applications. Finder displays it as
   Image Chimp after launch.
2. Open it. Because this build has no Developer ID signature or notarization,
   macOS may require Control-click > Open, or an explicit approval in
   System Settings > Privacy & Security.
3. Choose a companion workspace, then add a separate photo folder.

Windows
1. Extract the whole ZIP to a normal folder. Do not run it from inside the ZIP.
2. Double-click Image Chimp.exe. The native launcher checks the bundled runtime
   and application files before opening the companion without a console window.
3. If SmartScreen appears, inspect the file details before choosing to run this
   unsigned build.

No separate Python installation is needed for either packaged edition.

The application previews every move or trash action before it changes local
files. Review that dry run carefully. A focus result is a suggestion, not an
automatic deletion decision.

Build details, package hashes, third-party notices, and license files are
included with each distribution and in docs/DESKTOP-BUILDS.md in the source.
