Development Install with .venv

Set up AutoDoctor in a cloned repository using a Python virtual environment, build binaries, and understand development-mode file locations.
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Who This Is For

  • Developers and technical users running AutoDoctor from a clone.
  • Builders preparing installer artifacts with predictable Python dependencies.

Why .venv Mode Matters

When running from source in a cloned repo, AutoDoctor path resolution treats the repository root as AUTO_DOCTOR_HOME (unless overridden). This means DB, reports, logs, and telemetry are stored in the repo tree, not C:\ProgramData.

Setup Steps

From repo root (AutoDoctor/):

cd .\server\api
python -m venv .venv
.\.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
python -m pip install --upgrade pip
python -m pip install pyinstaller fastapi uvicorn pywin32

Return to project root and build:

cd ..\..
powershell -NoLogo -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\installer\Build-AutoDoctor.ps1

Runtime Paths in Development Mode

If AUTO_DOCTOR_HOME is not set and code runs from cloned repo, paths resolve to:

<repo>\AutoDoctor\db\autodoctor.db
<repo>\AutoDoctor\reports\AutoDoctor_Report.html
<repo>\AutoDoctor\reports\AutoDoctor_Report.json
<repo>\AutoDoctor\logs\autodoctor.log
<repo>\AutoDoctor\telemetry\Telemetry_*.json
<repo>\AutoDoctor\server\latest_run.json

Override Paths Explicitly (Optional) 

$env:AUTO_DOCTOR_HOME = "D:\Lab\AutoDoctor"
$env:AUTO_DOCTOR_DB_PATH = "D:\Lab\AutoDoctor\db\custom.db"

Use overrides when you want source execution but data outside the repo.

Run from Source 

powershell -NoLogo -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\agent\Initialize-AutoDoctor.ps1
powershell -NoLogo -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\agent\AutoDoctor.ps1

Verify Local API During Development 

$env:AUTO_DOCTOR_HOME = (Resolve-Path .).Path
$env:AUTO_DOCTOR_CONFIG_INI = Join-Path $env:AUTO_DOCTOR_HOME "config\autodoctor.ini"

python .\server\api\run_autodoctor.py

Then test:

Invoke-RestMethod http://127.0.0.1:8000/health

Next Steps