MyAiDesk/nomifun-tauri/apps/desktop/updater/README.md

NomiFun Desktop Updater

This directory documents the Tauri updater wiring for nomifun-desktop.

The updater is a scaffold, not a ready production release channel. The plugin is installed and the desktop command exists, but public releases still require release-owner credentials, a real HTTPS endpoint, and a signing key pair that is controlled outside the repository.

Current State

• Rust plugin: apps/desktop/Cargo.toml includes tauri-plugin-updater.
• Frontend package: ui/package.json includes @tauri-apps/plugin-updater.
• Tauri config: apps/desktop/tauri.conf.json contains plugins.updater.endpoints and plugins.updater.pubkey.
• Desktop command: check_for_updates is exposed through Tauri invoke and returns a version string or null.
• Build script: bun run build:updater produces updater signatures (.sig) next to release installers when the signing environment variables are set.

The configured endpoint is a placeholder. The configured pubkey must be treated as a development value unless the release owner has explicitly replaced it and stored the matching private key in release infrastructure.

Required Before Public Release

1. Generate an updater signing key pair owned by the release owner:

   bun x tauri signer generate -w <private-key-output-path>
   

2. Put the printed public key in plugins.updater.pubkey in apps/desktop/tauri.conf.json.

3. Store the private key and password in CI or another release-secret store. Never commit them.

4. Replace plugins.updater.endpoints with a real HTTPS URL that serves latest.json.

5. Build release artifacts with updater signing enabled.

6. Upload installers and signatures to your release hosting.

7. Publish latest.json with the correct URLs and signatures.

Updater signing is separate from OS code signing. macOS Developer ID signing and notarization are documented in apps/desktop/signing/README.md. Windows SmartScreen reputation still requires an external code-signing certificate and publisher reputation.

Build A Signed Update Artifact

Set the private key content, not a path:

export TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY="$(cat <private-key-output-path>)"
export TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY_PASSWORD="<private-key-password-or-empty>"
bun run build:updater

Artifacts land under target/release/bundle/. Each installer that supports updates gets a sibling .sig file, for example:

target/release/bundle/nsis/NomiFun_0.1.1_x64-setup.exe
target/release/bundle/nsis/NomiFun_0.1.1_x64-setup.exe.sig

Copy the full .sig file content into the matching platform entry in latest.json.

latest.json

The Tauri updater expects a manifest similar to:

{
  "version": "0.1.1",
  "notes": "Release notes for users.",
  "pub_date": "2026-06-24T00:00:00Z",
  "platforms": {
    "windows-x86_64": {
      "signature": "<contents-of-.sig>",
      "url": "https://example.com/downloads/NomiFun_0.1.1_x64-setup.exe"
    },
    "darwin-aarch64": {
      "signature": "<contents-of-.sig>",
      "url": "https://example.com/downloads/NomiFun_0.1.1_aarch64.dmg"
    },
    "linux-x86_64": {
      "signature": "<contents-of-.sig>",
      "url": "https://example.com/downloads/nomifun_0.1.1_amd64.AppImage"
    }
  }
}

Common platform keys are:

• windows-x86_64
• darwin-x86_64
• darwin-aarch64
• linux-x86_64

Client Behavior

The current command only checks for an available update:

import { invoke } from "@tauri-apps/api/core";

const newVersion = await invoke<string | null>("check_for_updates");

Download/install UX can be implemented either in the frontend with @tauri-apps/plugin-updater (check, downloadAndInstall) or in the Rust command by calling download_and_install after a user confirms the action.

Safety Checklist

• Private updater key is stored only in release secrets.
• plugins.updater.pubkey matches the private key used by CI.
• plugins.updater.endpoints points to HTTPS.
• latest.json contains real installer URLs and exact signature contents.
• OS code signing and notarization are handled separately for each platform.