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Allow an option using OS-bundled Chakra.dll on Windows #1

@gnh1201

Description

@gnh1201

Summary

There are cases where building ChakraCore.dll separately or obtaining a prebuilt binary is difficult.

Examples include:

  • Legacy or restricted Windows systems
  • Environments without a suitable build toolchain
  • Offline or air-gapped systems where binary distribution is limited

In such cases, Windows already provides a built-in JavaScript engine in the form of Chakra.dll, which is used internally by the OS (e.g., by legacy Edge / system components).

Proposal

Allow the runtime to optionally fall back to using the OS-bundled Chakra.dll on Windows when:

  • ChakraCore.dll is not found
  • or explicit configuration enables this behavior

This would improve:

  • Ease of setup on Windows
  • Compatibility with constrained or legacy environments
  • Developer experience for users who cannot easily build or ship ChakraCore

Expected Behavior

  • On Windows, detect whether ChakraCore.dll is available
  • If not, allow opting into using the system Chakra.dll
  • Clearly document limitations and differences (if any) compared to ChakraCore

Notes

  • This behavior should be Windows-only
  • Default behavior can remain unchanged unless explicitly enabled
  • A runtime flag or build option could control this fallback

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