"Install failed: Windows blocked the app from writing to your AddOns folder"
Windows' ransomware protection (Controlled Folder Access) — or your antivirus' folder guard — protects your Documents folder and blocks writes from apps it doesn't recognize yet. Your add-ons live in Documents, so installs get blocked until you allow the app once. The app detects this and shows a guided dialog; here are the same steps:
- Open Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Ransomware protection (the in-app dialog's button takes you straight there).
- Click Allow an app through Controlled folder access → Add an allowed app.
- Select the app's exe — the in-app dialog shows the exact path with a copy button (typically
%LocalAppData%\Shoyru.AddonSuite\current). - Retry the install. This is one-time — it survives restarts and app updates.
Using Norton, Bitdefender, or Avast? The same feature lives in that product (Data Protector / Safe Files / Ransomware Shield) — allow the app there instead. We recommend allowing the app rather than turning the protection off: it's a genuinely useful security feature.
Downloads fail with "403 Forbidden" (browsing works, installing doesn't)
Add-ons are downloaded from ESOUI's servers, which sit behind a firewall that filters some connections. Browsing the catalog can work while downloads fail, because they use different servers. This is their firewall's policy, not an app bug — in order of likelihood:
- You're on a VPN or proxy. Turn it off and retry — this is the most common cause.
- You just updated or installed a lot of add-ons at once. You may have hit a temporary rate limit — wait 15–30 minutes and retry. The app also retries automatically.
- Your region or ISP is filtered (reported from parts of Southeast Asia). The workaround is the ironic one: a VPN with a US or EU exit.
"Windows protected your PC" when running the installer
That's Microsoft SmartScreen noting the installer isn't code-signed by a registered publisher yet (signing certificates are expensive; we're a small project). Click More info → Run anyway. The app is open-source — you can read every line at GitHub — and the installer scans clean.
Still stuck?
Use the Feedback button inside the app (it reaches us directly), or open an issue on GitHub. Including the exact message from the status bar at the bottom of the app window makes almost anything diagnosable in one reply.