voice-cat/clients/windows/README.md

# VoiceCat — Windows client

The WinForms .NET 10 client uses `VoiceCat.Core` for TLS, TOFU, protocol state and encrypted UDP, and `VoiceCat.Audio` for streams, jitter, Opus and mixing. Its only native runtime component is `voicecat_media.dll`, the narrow Opus/RNNoise C shim. The old `voicecat.dll` core is no longer loaded or published.

## Build

Stage the pinned native media dependencies once, then build the solution:

```powershell
./dotnet/build-native.ps1
dotnet restore clients/windows/VoiceCat.slnx --locked-mode
dotnet build clients/windows/VoiceCat.slnx -c Release --no-restore
```

The original `VoiceCat.Interop` project remains in the repository as a migration oracle. The app references `VoiceCat.Managed`, whose compatibility facade lets the existing accessible WinForms UI keep its event-pump shape while all networking and audio state live in the idiomatic managed libraries.

## Publish

```powershell
./clients/windows/publish-client.ps1
```

This produces a self-contained `win-x64` distribution in `dotnet/artifacts/client/win-x64`. The script requires `voicecat_media.dll` and fails if the legacy `voicecat.dll` appears.

The noninteractive startup and real WASAPI device check is:

```powershell
./dotnet/artifacts/client/win-x64/VoiceCat.App.exe --smoke-test --audio
```

`--smoke-test` constructs the real main form and pumps the managed client. `--audio` additionally opens the default WASAPI capture and render endpoints, moves PCM through both for three seconds, and fails if capture produces no samples.

## Run manually

```powershell
# Terminal 1
./dotnet/artifacts/server/win-x64/VoiceCat.Server.exe

# Terminal 2
dotnet run --project clients/windows/VoiceCat.App/VoiceCat.App.csproj
```

Manual release validation still includes NVDA navigation and a ten-minute two-client listen test, as required by `docs/porting-to-dotnet.md`.