Why we built this
UAS was born from a simple frustration: setting up a new Windows machine for development shouldn't take an entire day.
The Vision
We believe your development environment should be as portable as your code. Just as Git made source code versionable and reproducible, UAS makes your entire toolchain — apps, versions, configurations, and environment variables — into a first-class, versioned artifact.
The vision is simple: define once, deploy anywhere. A single YAML file that captures everything about your setup. Hand it to a teammate, apply it on a fresh machine, or roll back when something breaks.
Our Philosophy
Stateful, not stateless
Unlike package managers that fire-and-forget, UAS tracks every side effect of every installation. Files created, PATH changes, registry modifications — all recorded and reversible.
Environments, not packages
Chocolatey, Winget, and Scoop are excellent package managers. UAS isn't competing with them — it orchestrates them. We manage environments: the complete picture of what's installed, how it's configured, and how to reproduce it.
Transparency over magic
UAS never does anything without telling you first. Dry-run mode lets you preview every operation. Every side effect is logged. Every action is auditable.
User-level by default
UAS runs with your user's permissions. Admin elevation is requested per-operation, never globally. Per-user installs whenever possible. Your system, your control.
Why Windows-first?
Linux and macOS have mature ecosystems for environment management — Homebrew, dotfiles, Nix, shell scripts. Windows has historically lagged behind.
Millions of developers use Windows daily. They deserve the same level of tooling sophistication. UAS is built from the ground up for Windows — understanding its specific challenges: MSI installers, registry keys, environment variable propagation, and UAC elevation.
Cross-platform support is on the roadmap, but we believe in doing one thing exceptionally well before expanding.
Built with precision
Strict mode, ES2022
≥ 20 runtime
Zero-config state DB
Independent, testable
Full coverage
Forever free
Join the movement
UAS is open source and community-driven. Contribute code, submit recipes, or just give us a star.