Feather Client Patch

Keep using Feather. Stops the forced update to Dawn, removes ads, and brings back the version list,
mods and in-game menu that broke when Feather's servers were shut down.

🔗 Quick links

🎬 Video guide	How to install it, step by step (YouTube)
💬 Support & updates	Join the Discord server: ask for help, report problems, hear about fixes first
⬇️ Download the patch	FeatherClient-Patch (ZIP)
🪶 Download Feather (if you don't have it)	feathermc.com/download/windows
🛠️ Something broke?	Troubleshooting · Discord

Tip

Stuck or something not working? Join the Discord. That's where fixes are announced first and where you can get help.

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🚀 Quick start

1. Download the patch and unzip it.
2. Double-click Patch Feather.bat.
   • No Feather on this PC? It asks "Would you like to install Feather automatically?" Press Y and it installs it for you.
   • It asks "Would you like this patch to update itself automatically?" Press Y (recommended) and you never have to download it again.
3. Wait for Done, then open Feather from its Desktop or Start Menu shortcut.

No administrator rights needed (unless Feather is installed in Program Files, then it asks once). Safe to run again any time: it only applies what's missing.

✨ What you get

• No forced update to Dawn, and no ads.

• All versions back, each listed twice so you can pick the client:

  You pick	In-game client
  1.21.8-feather (1.8.9 … 26.2)	the original Feather client (its final build)
  1.21.8-dawn (1.8.9 … 26.2)	Dawn's client
  26.3-dawn and newer	Dawn's client: Feather stopped at 26.2, new versions appear automatically

• Mods work: Feather mods, Modrinth browsing/updates, and your own uploaded mods on every version.

• The in-game Feather menu works even while Feather's menu server is down.

• Cosmetics load from Dawn's CDN, which still has every Feather cosmetic plus Dawn's newer ones.

• DevTools with Ctrl+Shift+I.

🔄 Auto-update

Feather keeps losing servers, and every fix used to mean downloading the patch again. Now you run it once:

• When you open Feather from its Desktop / Start Menu shortcut, it quietly checks this repo. If there's a newer patch, it applies it, then starts Feather. Usually that adds about a second; an actual update takes a few more.
• It never touches a running Feather or game. If Feather is already open, the update waits until next time.
• Version lists, mod lists and other data fixes are live for everyone immediately, with no update needed.
• The log is at %APPDATA%\.feather\featherfix\update.log.

To turn it off, run the patch again and press N when it asks about auto-update. Without auto-update, download and run the patch again whenever there's a fix.

Note

Opening Feather from a taskbar pin made before patching skips the check. Re-pin it from the Start Menu shortcut.

🧰 Troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
A version hangs on "Version Loading" right after an update	Close Feather completely and open it again.
No Play button / no versions	Run Patch Feather.bat again (it sets the version list source).
In-game menu shows "Connection timed out" (Cloudflare 522)	Run the latest patch (or open Feather from its shortcut so it auto-updates).
Game won't start: "Error opening zip file … javaagent"	Fixed in patch 2026.10.14 (usernames with a space). Update the patch.
Antivirus warns about Feather Launcher.exe	Expected for a patched app: allow/restore it in your antivirus, then re-run the patch (details under Safety below).
Mods missing after updating	Re-run the patch: it copies your mods to the new version names.
Dawn's own launcher opens Feather or shows "Connection timed out"	Fixed in patch 2026.10.14.3. Update the patch, then restart Dawn.
"Unable to connect to the remote server" while installing Feather	Your network is blocking feathermc.com. Download Feather in your browser from feathermc.com/download/windows, leave it in Downloads (or put it next to the patch), and run the patch again.
"Feather isn't installed" but it is (in C:\Program Files\Feather Launcher)	Fixed in patch 2026.10.15.2. Download the latest patch, run it and approve the admin prompt.
"This doesn't look like a supported Feather version"	Your Feather is a different build. Run the latest patch and press Y when it offers to install the supported version (2.6.13).
Anything else	Ask on Discord, ideally with the launcher log (log window → Copy Logs).

Don't have Feather (anymore)?

The patch can install it for you (press Y when asked). It uses the installer Feather's updater left on your PC if there is one, otherwise it downloads it from https://feathermc.com/download/windows (2.6.13, ~128 MB), and only runs it if the file matches the hash below.

Feather's updater may also have left a copy at %LOCALAPPDATA%\feather-updater\installer.exe (ignore the small dawn.exe in pending; that's Dawn). Both are the same file:

SHA-256  e36573f9990060e72e3083c949baa444d1bc96a192c58a9f416b7c96a2494ba0

Check with certutil -hashfile "path\to\installer.exe" SHA256. When the installer finishes, close Feather right away if it opens, then run the patch before using the launcher.

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🔍 What exactly the patch changes

Edits to your installed launcher (%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\feather):

• Blocks the auto-update to Dawn.
• Disables ads (ad bar and ad panel).
• Enables DevTools (Ctrl+Shift+I), sets the footer year to 2026.
• Disables the Electron asar-integrity fuse, so the modified launcher is allowed to load.
• Version list: Feather loads this repo's list (index/), rebuilt from Dawn's public one every 6 hours. Feather's own version server was shut down. It's set inside Feather only, so Dawn's launcher keeps using its own list.
• Removes Feather's frozen version allow-list, so newer versions can launch.
• Mod lists (mods.json, modrinth.json) load from this repo, with the newer versions and -feather / -dawn entries.
• Launcher language / background / server-list files load from this repo's mirror/ (the launcher can't get past its splash screen without them).
• Mods on the new version names: custom mod folders, Modrinth search/updates/version rows and the incompatible-mod checks assumed names like 26.1-fabric.
• Cosmetics download from Dawn's CDN (same paths, plus Dawn's newer items).
• In-game menu fallback: a ~4 KB Java agent (agent/, our own code, source included). At game start it checks mc-webapp.feathermc.com; only if that's down it points the menu at Feather's own beta web app.
• Copies your per-version mods to the new version names (backup: feather-mods.json.featherfix.bak).
• Auto-update: %APPDATA%\.feather\featherfix\ plus the Desktop / Start Menu shortcuts.

Where game files come from: original Feather jars from the featherarchived copy (pinned by hash in tools/feather_builds.json); Dawn's client and newer versions from Dawn's public CDN; Minecraft, Fabric and libraries from the usual Mojang/Fabric/Maven servers. Dawn's NeoForge builds use a format Feather's launcher can't read, so they're left out.

🛡️ Safety

• Feather jars: every one is pinned by hash, matching Feather's own version files. The launcher checks hashes on download; a test serving a different jar under a pinned hash was refused (Hash check failed) and the game never started.
• Auto-update downloads patch-feather.ps1 and agent/featherfix-agent.jar from this repository over HTTPS and runs them. Only use it if you trust this repo; you can turn it off (see above) and update manually instead.
• Antivirus note: patching changes the launcher, so its digital signature no longer matches. Windows Defender, AVAST, etc. may warn about or quarantine Feather Launcher.exe. Allow/restore it (or add the folder to exclusions), then run the patch again if it was removed.

⚠️ Known limits

• -dawn versions: Dawn's client gets some things from Dawn's own launcher, which isn't running here: your head icon in Dawn's menu stays generic, cosmetic thumbnails show "?", and the "new release" store card stays empty (Cosmetic atlas doesn't exist in the log). The game itself runs fine; -feather versions don't have this. DRM check failed / FieldNamingPolicy log lines are normal (Dawn's own launcher shows them too).
• If Feather's account server shuts down: before every launch Feather's launch engine checks a token signed by Feather's account server (api.feathermc.com, the engine calls this DRM). Without it nothing can launch, -feather or -dawn. Getting around that would mean defeating Feather's DRM, which this project doesn't do. Prism Launcher still runs Fabric with your own Microsoft account.
• What this depends on: Dawn's public version list, the featherarchived jars, and Feather's asset/mod-list/account servers. If one moves, this repo gets updated (and auto-update brings it to you).

↩️ Backups & how to undo

The script backs up the originals once:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\feather\Feather Launcher.exe.featherfix.bak
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\feather\resources\app.asar.featherfix.bak

To revert, restore those two over the originals (remove .featherfix.bak). That brings back the stock launcher, including ads and the Dawn auto-update. Also run the patch once more and press N for auto-update.

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Questions, bugs, or just want updates? Join the Discord · Watch the guide

Disclaimer

This project is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Feather, InPVP, Dawn, or Digital Ingot, Inc. "Feather", "Dawn" and related names are trademarks of their respective owners. This tool only modifies a copy of software already installed on your own machine; it does not distribute that software. Provided as-is, for personal use, with no warranty: use at your own risk.