The Helper on Windows: Paths and Fixes

This is the detailed companion to Installing the Helper. Read that first. Come here when something on Windows doesn't match the short version, or when you want to know where things are.

Windows support is early. The helper was built and tested mostly on Linux. It runs on Windows and the core features work, but it hasn't had the same amount of real-world use yet. If something misbehaves, the fixes below cover the likely causes, and a bug report helps.

Where to install it

Extract the helper into a folder your user account owns, such as Documents\POE2 Overlord. Avoid Program Files. The helper updates itself by writing a new copy into its own folder, and it can't do that somewhere it lacks write access.

The SmartScreen warning on first run appears because the binary isn't code-signed yet. More info, then Run anyway gets past it.

Where the game's files usually are

The helper needs two locations. The Helper page pre-fills both when you pick Windows, but those are the common defaults, and your install may differ.

Client.txt is the game's log. It's always in a logs folder inside the game install. Where the install is depends on how you got the game:

• Standalone client: usually C:\Program Files (x86)\Grinding Gear Games\Path of Exile 2\logs\Client.txt
• Steam: usually C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Path of Exile 2\logs\Client.txt

If your Steam library is on another drive, or you installed to a custom folder, neither of those is right. Find your game folder, look in its logs directory, and put that Client.txt path in the Client.txt path field or the log_path line of your config.

The BuildPlanner folder is where builds you export from the site are written so the in-game Build Planner can load them. It's under your Documents folder, at Documents\My Games\Path of Exile 2\BuildPlanner, not under the game install. Leave this field blank. The helper locates your Documents folder itself, including when OneDrive has moved it. The game creates the BuildPlanner folder the first time you save a build in the in-game planner, so don't worry if it isn't there yet.

Where the helper keeps its own files

You rarely need these by hand, because the tray menu has Open config and Open logs items. For reference:

• Config: %APPDATA%\poeoverlord\config.toml
• Logs: %LOCALAPPDATA%\poeoverlord\logs, one file per day

Updating

The helper checks for new releases in the background. When one exists, an Update to vX.Y.Z item appears at the top of the tray menu. Click it and the helper downloads the release, verifies it, swaps itself, and restarts with your config intact.

If the helper is installed somewhere it can't write, that item opens the download page instead. Move the helper to a folder you own to get in-place updates back.

Troubleshooting

The red and amber dot cases are the same on every platform and are covered at the end of the install guide. These are the Windows-specific ones.

Game status never changes to running. The helper finds the game by process name. If the helper and the game run under different user accounts, for example one of them as administrator, the helper can't see the game process. Run both the same way.

Connected and the game is running, but nothing shows up on the site. The helper is reading the wrong Client.txt, or one that doesn't exist. Set log_path in your config to the file in your game's logs folder and restart the helper. The helper only reads new lines from the moment it starts, so a zone you entered before starting it won't appear.

Exported builds never appear in the game. The helper prints the BuildPlanner folder it resolved at the top of its log. If that isn't where your game reads from, set build_planner_path in the config explicitly.

Start from scratch. Use Open config to find the file, quit the helper, delete the file, and launch the helper again. It writes a fresh example config for you to fill in.

Advanced

Every config setting can also be passed as a command-line flag or a POEOVERLORD_* environment variable, which is useful for a scripted launch or a second install pointed at another account. Flags win over environment variables, which win over the config file. Run poeoverlord-helper.exe --help for the full list.