> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.abey.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.abey.com/installation/building_abey/instructions_windows.md).

# Windows

*Last updated: January 2026*

This guide explains how to build **Abey (`gabey`)** from source on Windows using Chocolatey and Go.

***

### Prerequisites

Before building Abey, ensure the following requirements are met:

* **Windows 10 or later**
* **Administrator access**
* **Chocolatey package manager**
* **Go 1.15 or later**

If Chocolatey is not installed, follow the instructions at:

* <https://chocolatey.org>

***

### Install Build Tools

Open an **Administrator Command Prompt** and install the required tools:

```
choco install git
choco install golang
choco install mingw
```

These installations will automatically update your `PATH` environment variable.\
After installation completes, **open a new command prompt** (non-administrator is fine).

***

### Configure Go Environment

Ensure that the installed Go version is **1.15 or newer**.

Set up the Go workspace and environment variables:

```
set "GOPATH=%USERPROFILE%"
set "Path=%USERPROFILE%\bin;%Path%"
setx GOPATH "%GOPATH%"
setx Path "%Path%"
```

**Important Note**

If you see the warning below, the `setx` command may truncate your `PATH` variable:

```
WARNING: The data being saved is truncated to 1024 characters.
```

If this occurs, **stop immediately**, clean up your `PATH`, and retry the setup to avoid breaking your environment.

***

### Clone the Repository

Create the required directory structure and clone the Abey source code:

```
mkdir src\github.com\abeyfoundation
git clone https://github.com/abeyfoundation/go-abey src\github.com\abeyfoundation\go-abey
cd src\github.com\abeyfoundation\go-abey
```

***

### Resolve Go Dependencies (if needed)

Attempt to fetch required Go dependencies:

```
go get -u -v golang.org/x/net/context
```

If the command above fails, manually install the dependency:

```
mkdir "%GOPATH%\src\golang.org\x"
cd "%GOPATH%\src\golang.org\x"
git clone https://github.com/golang/net.git net
go install net
```

***

### Build `gabey`

Compile the Abey binaries using:

```
go install -v ./cmd/...
```

This will build `gabey` and related tools into your Go `bin` directory.

***

### Running the Node

After a successful build, you can run the Abey node by executing:

```
gabey
```

Ensure `%GOPATH%\bin` is included in your `PATH`.

***

### Troubleshooting

* Verify Go is correctly installed by running `go version`
* Ensure `GOPATH` and `PATH` are set correctly
* Reopen the command prompt after installing tools
* Avoid truncating the Windows `PATH` variable