Kachalka is a free open-source desktop application for Windows and macOS that downloads videos from platforms like YouTube, TikTok, VK, and Instagram. The software uses yt-dlp for video extraction, FFmpeg for merging audio and video, and CustomTkinter for the user interface.
The developer encountered two major issues during the build process. TikTok blocked the application due to TLS fingerprinting, which was resolved by integrating the curl_cffi package. Additionally, macOS failed to recognize the video track in downloaded files because of an incorrect time base, a problem fixed by re-packaging the video with FFmpeg.
The application is built using PyInstaller and GitHub Actions, which generate executable files for both Windows and macOS upon tagging. The developer provides attestation for the binaries, allowing users to verify that the files were built from the official repository.
To address connectivity issues caused by regional blocks, the software translates raw network errors into user-friendly messages, advising users to enable a system-wide VPN. Future updates may include a menu bar icon for macOS to simplify the download process.
