# Stargazing — Manual Install (macOS)

This folder contains the plugin files only, for anyone who'd rather drag
them into place by hand instead of using the `.pkg` installer.

## What's inside

Whichever of these were built for this release:

- `Stargazing.vst3`
- `Stargazing.component` (Audio Unit)
- `Stargazing.clap` (only if your DAW supports CLAP — see note below)

## Install

Copy each file into the matching system folder (both already exist on
every Mac — just drag the file in, you'll be asked for your password
since they're system folders):

| File | Destination |
|---|---|
| `Stargazing.vst3` | `/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/` |
| `Stargazing.component` | `/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/` |
| `Stargazing.clap` | `/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/CLAP/` |

Then restart your DAW (or rescan plugins) so it picks up the new install.

**A note on CLAP:** not every DAW supports the CLAP format yet. If yours
doesn't, just skip that file — installing it does nothing harmful, your
DAW will simply ignore it. Use VST3 or AU instead.

## "Apple could not verify..." warning

This build isn't notarized by Apple yet, so macOS may flag each file the
first time it's used — either right after copying it in, or the first
time your DAW tries to load it. This is expected for a build without an
Apple Developer ID, not a sign of a broken or corrupted download.

If you see a warning:

1. Open **System Settings → Privacy & Security**.
2. Scroll down — you'll see a line naming the blocked file.
3. Click **Open Anyway**.
4. Confirm once more if prompted.

You only need to do this once per file. After that, your DAW will load
the plugin normally on every launch.

If your DAW never shows the plugin at all (rather than warning about it),
quit the DAW fully, remove and re-copy the plugin file, then relaunch —
some DAWs cache a failed scan and won't retry until the plugin list is
refreshed.

## Prefer not to deal with the warning per-file?

Use `Stargazing-macOS.pkg` instead — it installs all formats to the
correct locations for you and only requires one "Open Anyway" click on
the installer itself, rather than one per plugin file.