Auto-Updates
Kangentic checks for updates automatically so you’re always on the latest version.
How Updates Work
Section titled “How Updates Work”The app checks for new versions every four hours via electron-updater, which looks at published GitHub Releases. When an update is available, behavior depends on your platform:
| Platform | Update Mechanism | User Action |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | electron-updater (NSIS) | Downloads in the background and installs on the next restart. The release-notes dialog (below) offers Restart to update to apply it right away |
| macOS | electron-updater | Downloads in the background and installs on the next restart. The release-notes dialog (below) offers Restart to update to apply it right away |
| Linux | electron-updater (deb, rpm) | Downloads in the background, then waits for you to choose Restart to update in the release-notes dialog |
Linux gained auto-updates in v0.36.0. The deb and rpm builds both carry an update manifest, so electron-updater picks the matching package-manager updater and installs the new package the same way you installed the first one. The one deliberate difference from Windows and macOS: Linux never installs silently when you quit. Installing a system package needs elevation (pkexec, gksudo, kdesudo, or sudo), and a password prompt appearing as the window disappears is a bad moment for it, so the download stays staged until you press Restart to update.
Release Notes Before You Restart
Section titled “Release Notes Before You Restart”When a downloaded update is ready, Kangentic opens a centered dialog titled with the new version, rendering that release’s notes as markdown so you can see what you are getting before restarting. It offers Restart to update, Later, and a link to the GitHub release. The notes are baked into the update manifest at build time, so no extra network call is made.
The dialog auto-opens once per version, and the auto-open deliberately does not steal keyboard focus from a running terminal. Choosing Later leaves a small title-bar indicator you can click to reopen it whenever you are ready. A release that ships without notes falls back to a plain update toast.
What’s New After You Restart
Section titled “What’s New After You Restart”The first time you launch a version you have not run before, Kangentic shows a What’s New dialog titled with the release (Kangentic v0.38.0) and renders that build’s notes. It is the counterpart to the pre-restart dialog above, not a repeat of it: this one has already updated you, so it offers no Restart to update action.
It opens once per version. Kangentic records the version in lastWhatsNewShownVersion as soon as the check runs, so the dialog does not reappear on later launches of the same build, and a build that ships without release notes records the version silently rather than opening an empty dialog. Because the check waits for the running version and your config to load before deciding, a fresh install does not mistake its first boot for an upgrade.
Installing a Specific Version
Section titled “Installing a Specific Version”To install a specific version:
npx kangentic@0.2.0The launcher version matches the app version. This downloads the exact matching release.
Rollback
Section titled “Rollback”To roll back to a previous version, run npx kangentic@X.Y.Z with the desired version number. On Windows, the NSIS installer replaces the current version. On macOS, the .app is replaced in ~/Applications/. On Linux, install the older .deb or .rpm over the current one with your package manager.
Troubleshooting
Section titled “Troubleshooting”Update Not Appearing
Section titled “Update Not Appearing”- Verify the release is published (not a draft) on GitHub
- The app checks every four hours - restart the app to trigger an immediate check
- On macOS, check System Settings > General > Software Update for pending restarts
Clearing Update Cache
Section titled “Clearing Update Cache”Delete %LOCALAPPDATA%\kangentic-updater\ and restart the app.
Delete ~/Library/Caches/kangentic-updater/ and restart the app.
Delete ~/.cache/kangentic-updater/ (or $XDG_CACHE_HOME/kangentic-updater/) and restart the app.
The updater keeps its downloads in a cache directory of its own, separate from the app’s data directory (Kangentic, without the suffix), so clearing it never touches your projects, boards, or session history. A half-downloaded installer lives in the pending/ subfolder.
Next steps
Section titled “Next steps”See also:
- Installation - platform-specific install paths and rollback
- Privacy & Analytics - what’s collected during update checks
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