Update and maintain Silex
Display the version actually found in your PATH before diagnosing a behavior
difference:
silex version
silex --version and silex -V produce the same information. To learn the
machine target and other recognized targets, run:
silex targets
Update the compiler
Replace an official installation with the latest published version using:
silex update
Silex preserves the folder of the currently running binary. It downloads the new distribution for the same system and architecture, verifies its SHA-256 checksum, then replaces the executable. An ARM64 Silex installation is therefore not replaced by an x64 archive. On Windows, replacement finishes in the background after the command stops so the file can be released.
The update command always targets the latest published version. A
SILEX_VERSION variable left in the terminal does not block this explicit
update.
Install supporting tools
After installing or updating Silex, prepare the verified toolchain once:
silex setup
Silex installs host-appropriate tools under the user .silex/toolchain
folder. On macOS ARM64, this includes LLVM 21.1.8 for the explicit LLVM backend.
The command also installs Shadercross for HLSL shaders and the private linker
required by native boundaries. Running it again does not download tools that
are already present and valid. They remain compiler details, not dependencies
to declare in the application.
The default native backend remains usable without LLVM. --backend native
makes this choice explicit; building Silex and using this backend do not load
the LLVM tools.
Distinguish the two .silex folders
| Location | Main contents |
|---|---|
.silex/ in the working folder |
compilation cache, private run and test executables, workspace links |
~/.silex/ for the user |
installed packages, user links, compiler tools, registry cache |
On Windows, the user folder is %USERPROFILE%\.silex. Deleting a project's
.silex only forces its artifacts to be regenerated and removes its workspace
links. Global packages and tools remain separate.
Remove Silex
Delete the executable from the folder chosen during installation:
~/.local/bin/silex by default on macOS and Linux, or
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Silex\bin\silex.exe on Windows.
The user .silex folder is not deleted automatically. You may retain it for a
later reinstallation. Delete it only if you also want to erase your account's
packages, links, tools, and caches.