Updates
How updates work
When Operon checks, the banner vs the required-update modal, and platform caveats.
Operon keeps itself up to date, but never behind your back. It quietly checks whether a newer version exists, tells you when one is ready, and lets you decide when to restart and install. This page explains when those checks happen, the difference between an optional update and a required one, and the platform-specific caveats worth knowing about.
When Operon checks
Operon asks its update service — a small endpoint that knows the latest published release for your operating system — at three points. None of them interrupt what you are doing.
- About ten seconds after launch, so startup is never blocked by a network call.
- Every four hours while the app stays open, so long-running sessions still learn about a new release.
- On demand, whenever you trigger a manual check from Settings.
Note
Update checks are turned off in development builds. If you are running Operon from source you will not see update prompts — this flow is for the packaged app.
Optional updates: the banner
When a normal, non-mandatory update has downloaded and is ready, Operon shows a thin banner across the top of the window: "Operon vX is ready to install." The banner is unobtrusive and fully dismissible — you can keep working and install later. It gives you three choices: read what changed, restart to update now, or dismiss it. If you dismiss it and a newer update arrives afterward, the banner comes back.
Required updates: the modal
Occasionally a release is flagged as mandatory — for a critical fix, say. In that case Operon shows a blocking modal instead of a banner. It cannot be dismissed with Escape or by clicking away, and it explains that the update is required to continue. Operon downloads it, then offers the restart button. Mandatory updates are the exception, not the rule; most releases are optional and use the banner.
Note
The banner and the modal never appear at the same time. A given update is either optional (banner) or mandatory (modal), decided by the release itself.
You control the restart
This is the core promise: Operon downloads and verifies an update automatically, but it never restarts or installs on its own while you are working. The install only happens when you click the restart button. That means an update can never interrupt a session mid-flight — you finish what you are doing and apply it on your schedule.
Installing an update
- 1
Wait for the prompt
When an update is ready, the banner (optional) or the modal (required) appears. There is nothing to do until then — Operon handles the download and verification for you.
- 2
Read what changed
Click "What’s new" on the banner, or read the notes in the modal, to see the release notes for the version.
- 3
Restart to update
When you are at a good stopping point, click "Restart to update". Operon closes, installs the new version, and reopens.
- 4
Check manually anytime
You do not have to wait for the automatic checks — trigger a manual check from Settings whenever you want to see if a newer version is available.
Platform caveats
Auto-update does not behave identically on every operating system, and it is better to know the differences up front than to be surprised by them.
| Platform | Auto-update behavior |
|---|---|
| macOS | Auto-update requires the build to be signed with a Developer ID and notarized by Apple. Current builds are not signed or notarized yet, so the mac auto-update path is not live — download and reinstall the new version manually, and the first launch needs a right-click → Open to get past Gatekeeper. |
| Windows | The installer self-updates independently and is the smoothest path. |
| Linux (AppImage) | The AppImage build self-updates independently, like Windows. |
| Linux (.deb) | The .deb package has no auto-update path. Updating it means downloading the new package and reinstalling by hand. |
Important
If you are on macOS, you will not see update prompts today — the build is not signed or notarized yet, so the auto-update path is disabled; check for a new version manually and reinstall by hand. If you installed the Linux .deb, there is no in-app update at all: you must download and reinstall the newer package yourself. The Windows and Linux AppImage builds are the ones that update cleanly on their own.
Note
Operon updates come from Operon’s own release pipeline — installers are published to a dedicated download host and the app checks it directly. Operon is not distributed through the Mac App Store, the Microsoft Store, or a Linux package manager, so those channels will not offer updates.