Download SkeleTrace

Get the program

These links always give the newest release.

Each installer shows the licence and asks you to accept it. Then it asks which folder to use, and copies the program there. It changes nothing else: no registry entries, no PATH changes and no uninstaller. To remove SkeleTrace, delete its folder.

The plain archives hold the same files, for unpacking yourself.

Release notes, the version number, earlier releases and the source code are on GitHub.

Check the download

A checksum shows that your copy is exactly the one published. The program is not signed with a code-signing certificate, so this check is the way to be sure.

Every release lists the SHA-256 of each file in SHA256SUMS.txt. Work out your copy’s checksum in the folder you saved it to, then find the line with the same file name.

Windows, in PowerShell:

(Get-FileHash .\skeletrace-windows-x86_64-setup.exe -Algorithm SHA256).Hash

macOS, in Terminal:

shasum -a 256 skeletrace-macos-universal.run

Linux, in a terminal:

sha256sum skeletrace-linux-x86_64.run

Your answer and that line must match. PowerShell gives the answer in capital letters, which makes no difference.

First steps on Windows

1. Double-click skeletrace-windows-x86_64-setup.exe.
2. The installer is not code-signed yet, so Windows may say Windows protected your PC. This is expected. Click More info, then Run anyway.
3. Read the licence, choose I accept the agreement and click Next.
4. Keep the suggested folder, or choose another, then click Next and Install.
5. Open the folder you chose in File Explorer. Click the address bar at the top of the window, type powershell and press Enter.
6. See every command:

   .\skeletrace.exe --help

7. Try a text sweep on the README that came with the program. These two lines make a watch list, then search the README for it, near-misses included:

   "lantern@example.org", "jdoe88" | Set-Content -Encoding utf8 .\watch.txt
   .\skeletrace.exe sweep-text --fuzzy 2 .\watch.txt .\README.md

   The answer is JSON. Under near_hits are jdeo88 and lantern@exmaple.org: the typos the README uses as examples.

First steps on macOS and Linux

1. Open Terminal on macOS, or a terminal on Linux.
2. Run the installer with sh. On macOS this avoids the warning about programs that are not notarised yet.

   sh ~/Downloads/skeletrace-macos-universal.run

   On Linux, use skeletrace-linux-x86_64.run, or skeletrace-linux-aarch64.run on an Arm computer.
3. Read the licence, pressing Space for each next page. At Please type y to accept, type y and press Enter.
4. Press Enter to install into the suggested folder, or type another and press Enter. The installer prints the folder it used.
5. Go to that folder. On macOS the suggested one is:

   cd ~/Applications/SkeleTrace

   On Linux it is cd ~/SkeleTrace.
6. See every command:

   ./skeletrace --help

7. Try the same text sweep on the README:

   printf 'lantern@example.org\njdoe88\n' > watch.txt
   ./skeletrace sweep-text --fuzzy 2 watch.txt README.md

For a longer first look, the SkeleTrace quickstart guide (PDF, 11 pages) walks through the viewer, the four tools and a text sweep, with pictures.

Every other command reads a profile, a JSON file that describes your nodes, links, metrics and sources. The offline demonstration in the source code writes a complete one, with every request file the commands take. How it works explains each tool.

Build it yourself

The source code is on GitHub, with build steps in its README. You need Rust, which installs the pinned version 1.97.0 on the first build, and a C compiler for the bundled SQLite. Every release is built and fully tested on Windows, Linux and macOS before it is published.

Licence

SkeleTrace Community is © 2026 whispr.dev. You may run, study, share and change it under the GNU General Public License, version 3 only, which comes with the program. It comes with no warranty, to the extent the law allows. The licence does not cover the SkeleTrace name or logo.

Questions, and reports of security issues, go to info@skeletrace.com.