Downloading with PotatoVN

What is PotatoVN

PotatoVN is an open-source visual novel / Galgame manager for Windows. It detects local games automatically, fetches game information from Bangumi, VNDB and other sources, tracks playtime and status, and syncs save data to the cloud.

Shionlib pushes are handled by the PotatoDownload plugin for PotatoVN. Once the plugin is installed, PotatoVN can receive download tasks pushed from Shionlib and automatically:

• 📥 Download — multi-connection chunked download with resume support
• ✅ Verify — check the file size and the SHA-256 / BLAKE3 hash
• 📦 Extract — common archive formats such as 7Z, ZIP, RAR and TAR
• 📚 Import — match an existing game by its Bangumi / VNDB / Hikarinagi ID, or create a new entry and scrape its metadata, then register the extracted folder as the game's installation

Plugin source: luoyuxiaoxiao/PotatoDownload

Installing PotatoVN and the PotatoDownload plugin

1. Install PotatoVN from potatovn.net (version 1.10.2 or newer). The potato-vn:// protocol is registered by PotatoVN itself during installation — nothing to do by hand.
2. Open Settings → Plugins in PotatoVN, search for PotatoDownload in the plugin market and install it.
3. (Optional) Adjust the plugin settings:
   • Download folder: when left empty, the Galgame folder on the system drive is used (e.g. C:\Galgame)
   • Auto download: when enabled, a pushed task starts immediately and the download panel opens; when disabled, a confirmation dialog is shown first

PotatoVN and PotatoDownload only support Windows.

Disabling or Enabling PotatoVN in Shionlib

PotatoVN appears in the download menu by default.

To disable it:

1. Open Settings in Shionlib
2. Go to Downloads settings
3. Locate PotatoVN under Game managers
4. Turn off its switch

Once turned off, PotatoVN will no longer be displayed in the download menu. On the same page, you can also set Send to PotatoVN as the default download method, after which clicking the Download button pushes directly.

PotatoVN can only receive games that have a Bangumi ID. When a game has no Bangumi ID, this entry in the menu cannot be selected; please use another download method.

Downloading with PotatoVN

1. Open the game page and find the resource and file you wish to download in the Downloads tab
2. Click the arrow beside the Download button on the right side of the file to open the Other ways to download menu
3. Select Send to PotatoVN from the menu
4. The page completes the human verification automatically
5. The browser will request to open PotatoVN
6. If auto download is disabled in the plugin, confirm the download in PotatoVN

After receiving the task, PotatoDownload will:

1. Download the file into the configured download folder (an interrupted download can be resumed)
2. Verify the file size and hash
3. Extract it into a game folder — named after the single top-level folder inside the archive if there is one, otherwise after the archive file name
4. Match an existing game in the library by its Bangumi / VNDB / Hikarinagi ID; otherwise create a new entry and scrape its metadata
5. Register the extracted folder as the game's installation

Click the Download button in the PotatoVN sidebar at any time to see running tasks and the history.

Pushed Information

PotatoVN receives the following information with each push:

Troubleshooting

Nothing happens after selecting PotatoVN in the download menu

Check, in order:

• PotatoVN is installed, and PotatoDownload is installed and enabled in its plugin market
• The browser did not block the potato-vn:// protocol, and the "Open PotatoVN?" prompt was not dismissed
• The PotatoVN log (Logs\log.txt) for errors mentioning PotatoDownload

PotatoVN opens but jumps to its home page

This is expected. PotatoVN navigates to its start page on any protocol activation; the pushed task is still received by the plugin. Click Download in the sidebar to see it.

PotatoVN reports an invalid push request

Common causes:

• The temporary download link has expired — push the file again from Shionlib to get a new link
• The file is not an archive — PotatoDownload only handles archive formats such as 7Z, ZIP, RAR and TAR

Can I push directly if PotatoVN is not opened in advance?

Yes.

After selecting PotatoVN, the system will automatically launch the application and transfer the download task.

Download does not start after the human verification

Reopen the download menu and select Send to PotatoVN again.