publik.

How to install Hickeyfield on Windows

Hickeyfield does what Higgsfield does, and Higgsfield costs $15–$270/mo. This guide gets you the free one.

What you end up with

Hickeyfield installed like any other app on your Windows PC. It is free, and it stays free — there is no account, no trial and no subscription at the end of this.

Time
About 45 minutes
Steps
20
Cost
Free

Before you start

These are one-time installs. If you have used PowerShell before, you may have them already — the first step checks.

  1. Install Git

    Run the installer, then reopen PowerShell.

    Open installer

    You know this worked when: Git responds with a version number

  2. Install Node LTS

    Run the LTS installer, then reopen PowerShell.

    Open download

    You know this worked when: Node responds with a version number

Install Hickeyfield

  1. Open PowerShell

    Keep it open beside this page.

    You know this worked when: PowerShell is open

  2. Check Git and Node

    Use PowerShell. Git and the current Node LTS are required.

    Type this into PowerShell, then press Enter.

    git --version
node --version

    You know this worked when: Git and Node respond with version numbers

  3. Install pnpm

    The interface is a pnpm project.

    Type this into PowerShell, then press Enter.

    npm.cmd install -g pnpm

    You know this worked when: pnpm responds with a version number

  4. Install the C++ build tools

    Tick Desktop development with C++, then install. Rust uses Microsoft's linker.

    Open download

    You know this worked when: The installer reports it finished

  5. Install Rust

    Download rustup-init.exe, run it, then reopen PowerShell.

    Open rustup

    You know this worked when: cargo responds with a version number

  6. Install CMake

    Pick the Windows x64 installer and let it add CMake to PATH.

    Open download

    You know this worked when: cmake responds with a version number

  7. Install NASM

    The assembler the encryption library needs. Take the win64 installer.

    Open downloads

    You know this worked when: NASM is installed and on your PATH

  8. Copy Hickeyfield to this PC

    Type this into PowerShell, then press Enter.

    cd ~
if [ ! -d hickeyfield/.git ]; then
git clone https://github.com/Blueturboguy07/hickeyfield.git
fi

    You know this worked when: A hickeyfield folder appears

  9. Open the hickeyfield folder

    Type this into PowerShell, then press Enter.

    cd hickeyfield

    You know this worked when: Your terminal prompt is inside the hickeyfield folder

  10. Use the reviewed version

    Type this into PowerShell, then press Enter.

    git checkout ab5992c5aac8be595ce570e7ca0a80484e372321

    You know this worked when: Git reports the reviewed commit

  11. Install the interface packages

    Type this into PowerShell, then press Enter.

    cd ui; pnpm.cmd install; cd ..

    You know this worked when: The install finishes without an error

  12. Fetch the video engine

    About 80 MB, fetched through the bash that came with Git.

    Type this into PowerShell, then press Enter.

    & "$env:ProgramFiles\Git\bin\bash.exe" scripts/fetch-ffmpeg.sh

    You know this worked when: It reports GPL, not nonfree, and finishes

  13. Build the installer

    The first build compiles the whole Rust core, so give it a while.

    Type this into PowerShell, then press Enter.

    ui\node_modules\.bin\tauri.CMD build

    You know this worked when: A Hickeyfield installer appears in the bundle folder

  14. Run the installer

    The command opens the installer it just built — click through it.

    Type this into PowerShell, then press Enter.

    $setup = Get-ChildItem src-tauri\target\release\bundle\nsis -Filter *-setup.exe | Select-Object -First 1
Start-Process -FilePath $setup.FullName -Wait

    You know this worked when: The installer finishes

  15. Open Hickeyfield

    Launch it to finish setup — and so it shows up in your apps list.

    Type this into PowerShell, then press Enter.

    Start-Process "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Hickeyfield\Hickeyfield.exe"

    You know this worked when: Hickeyfield opens

  16. Get a fal key

    Sign in, make a key, and copy it. You pay fal directly for what you generate.

    Open fal keys

    You know this worked when: You have a key on your clipboard

  17. Paste the key into Hickeyfield

    Settings, then fal, then Test. It is stored in your keychain, never in a file.

    You know this worked when: Hickeyfield reports the key works

  18. Make something

    Type a shot, check the price on the button, and press Generate.

    You know this worked when: A video appears in the middle column and plays

If something goes wrong

Nothing here can damage your computer, and every step can be run again safely. If a command fails, the usual cause is the step before it not having finished.

Still stuck? Tell us what happened and we will fix the guide. Include the step number and we can usually reproduce it.

Have a different setup?