Getting started

Installing APIExpose is a single installer: download, run, activate.

Before you begin

a working RetroBat installation;
an Internet connection if .NET 8 is not installed yet: the installer downloads and installs whatever is missing (ASP.NET Core Runtime 8 and .NET Desktop Runtime 8) on its own, Windows simply asks for your permission;
a backup of your RetroBat folder if your installation matters to you - APIExpose modifies gamelists and settings.

Installation

Download APIExpose-Cabinet-Setup.exe from the releases page - it contains the program, the tools (ImageMagick, translateLocally) and the full Data Pack.
Run the installer: it checks .NET 8, installs the plugin into RetroBat\plugins\ and places the EmulationStation start hook - you get:
```
RetroBat\plugins\APIExpose\
```
Start RetroBat as usual: APIExpose starts automatically, runs its startup work, then lets EmulationStation continue.

What does the hook do?

The installer only registers this script on the EmulationStation side, without modifying updatestores.bat or anything else in RetroBat:

emulationstation\.emulationstation\scripts\start\APIExpose-start-wait.bat

It makes EmulationStation wait until APIExpose is ready, two minutes at most, and not at all if APIExpose cannot start: RetroBat never stays stuck. What happened at the last startup is written to plugins\APIExpose\.log\es-start-hook.log.

Check that it works

With APIExpose running, open in a browser:

http://127.0.0.1:12345/api/v1/health

Expected answer:

{ "status": "healthy", "version": "1.0.0+..." }

Startup progress lives at /api/v1/startup/ready, and the full endpoint list at http://127.0.0.1:12345/swagger/index.html.

Your settings, right inside RetroBat

APIExpose adds its options to the EmulationStation menus, translated - no file to edit for everyday use:

EXTENDED OPTIONS
API SETTINGS
AUTO SCRAPING MANAGER
LOCAL MEDIA MANAGER
ROMS PACK MANAGER
THEMES MANAGER
COLLECTIONS PACK MANAGER

Stop or uninstall

Action	How
Stop APIExpose	Double-click `stop.bat`
Remove the automatic startup	Double-click `uninstall-es-start-hook.bat`
Uninstall everything	Windows Settings, Apps, "APIExpose (borne RetroBat)": the hook is removed too

Files stay in plugins\APIExpose - reinstalling the hook brings everything back.

Simple advice

Install the hook once, then start RetroBat normally. Do not delete the media\, resources\, tools\ or wrapper\ folders: APIExpose needs them.