Fix for the RetroArch Achievements Login Error - RA Cheevos Bridge [Release]

If you use RetroAchievements with RetroArch, you may have seen the "Login failed" error message that pops up when your session expires. This forces you to go back into the settings and re-enter your password, this is especially frustrating when using a frontend.

For the people that has this issue, I've created a "set and forget" app for windows called RA Cheevos Bridge.

The Problem
After you log into RetroAchievements, RetroArch saves a temporary session token. When that token expires days later, the login fails.

The Solution
RA Cheevos Bridge is a lightweight, invisible app that acts as a middleman. You point your frontend to “RA_Bridge.exe” instead of retroarch.exe and you’re done. Every time you launch a game this app forces RetroArch to perform a fresh login.

Key Features

• Set and Forget: Two minutes setup.

• Completely Invisible:  You won't see any extra windows or pop-ups.

• Frontend Friendly: It passes all commands through, so it works perfectly with frontends like LaunchBox, Playnite, EmulationStation, etc.

• Failsafe: If the bridge app is ever forcefully closed, it will automatically close RetroArch too, preventing orphaned processes.

How to Use:

Step 1: Download the file (unblock the downloaded zip) and extract it.

Step 2: Copy the 3 extracted items “RA_Bridge.exe”, “cheevos_login.ini” and “_internal" folder into your RetroArch directory, right next to retroarch.exe.

Step 3: Open “cheevos_login.ini” with any text editor and replace the placeholder details with your own username and password. Save and close the file.

Step 4: Configure Your Setup
You have three options depending on your case:

• Method A (Most Frontends):
  In your frontend's emulator settings (launchbox for example), simply change the executable path from ...\retroarch.exe to ...\RA_Bridge.exe.

• Method B (Frontends with "retroarch.exe" hardcoded):

  1. Rename your original retroarch.exe to retroarch_real.exe

  2. Rename RA_Bridge.exe to retroarch.exe.

• Method C (No frontend)
  If you use RetroArch without a frontend, just run "RA_Bridge.exe" instead of retroarch.exe.
  

That's it! The next time you launch a game, the login will be handled automatically.

A Quick Note on Security:
The data stored in “cheevos_login.ini” is only used locally, to force RetroArch login every time instead of using the temporary token.

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