On Windows, BC-ModelVault.exe is all you need. Running from source requires Python 3.10+ and the dependencies listed in requirements.txt.
Enter https://huggingface.co/owner/repository or owner/repository, choose a destination, and select Check package. Links containing /tree/, /blob/, and /resolve/ are also supported, as are dataset and Space repositories.
The check retrieves the official file list, pins the revision to the current commit, calculates the total size, checks free disk space, and reports Windows-incompatible filenames.
After a successful check, select Download package. The interface displays the current file, file count, transferred bytes, percentage, average speed, and estimated time. Pause suspends the transfer; Resume continues using partial data maintained by the Hugging Face cache. Resuming after the application has been closed is not yet guaranteed as a persistent application feature.
When the download finishes, every file is checked by comparing its size with repository metadata. This detects missing or truncated files but is not yet equivalent to cryptographic SHA-256 validation.
Create a personal Hugging Face token with Read permission, then use Account → Add token…. Multiple profiles can be saved, selected, and removed. For gated models, you must also accept the license or receive approval on the model page.
Language and theme are stored in %USERPROFILE%\.bc-modelvault\settings.json. Credentials remain in standard Hugging Face storage. Startup errors are written to %USERPROFILE%\.bc-modelvault\bc-modelvault-error.log.
- Access denied: check the token and confirm that the model license has been accepted.
- Insufficient space: choose a volume with more free space than the displayed estimate.
- Incompatible filename: the repository contains a path Windows cannot create. The upstream file must be renamed before it can be downloaded safely.
- SmartScreen: unsigned builds may trigger a warning. Only run executables obtained from a trusted, verified source.