# Use the companion app

**SideQuest Companion** is a small app for Windows, macOS and Linux. It lives in your system
tray (the menu bar on a Mac) and keeps the addon up to date, reminds you before raids, and, for
officers, carries raid nights to the site.

## Install it

1. Go to [sidequest-guild.com/companion](https://sidequest-guild.com/companion/) and download
   the file for your computer.
2. Unzip it (on Linux, untar it) and open **SideQuest Companion**.

The app isn't signed with a paid certificate, so the first launch shows a warning:

- **Mac:** right-click the app, choose **Open**, then **Open** again. On newer macOS versions,
  open **System Settings**, go to **Privacy & Security** and select **Open Anyway**.
- **Windows:** select **More info**, then **Run anyway**.

You only do this once.

## Sign in

The app shows nothing until you sign in, so people outside the guild see nothing.

1. Select **Sign in with sidequest-guild.com**. Your browser opens with a short code.
2. Check the code in the browser matches the one in the app.
3. Select **Authorize**. You need to be signed in to the site with Discord first.

The app is now signed in. It finds your WoW folder on its own; if it picks the wrong one, set it
in **Settings**.

## What you get

| Feature | What it does |
|---|---|
| Addon updates | Tells you when a new SideQuest addon is out and installs it in one click. Turn on **Install updates automatically while WoW is closed** in **Settings** to skip the click. |
| Raid reminders | A notification 30 minutes before raids you've signed up for. In **Settings** you can pick every scheduled event instead, and which kinds of event. |
| App updates | Tells you when a new version of the app is out and installs it in one click. |

Officers also get automatic sync. See [run a raid night](../officers/raid-night.md).

## Sign out

Select **Sign out** in **Settings**. You can also remove the app from the **Companion** section of
your [account page](account.md), for example if you lost the computer it was on.

## Check a download

Every file is built on GitHub from the app's public source, and GitHub keeps a signed record of
it. See [Verifying a download](https://github.com/SideQuest-Guild/companion#verifying-a-download)
to check yours. What changed in each version is in the {doc}`changelog </changelog/companion>`.