fix(desktop): tell apt, dnf, and AUR users how to update

[t3dotgg]

On Linux installs that are not an AppImage (AUR today, and .deb and .rpm from #13177), automatic updates are off. The only message says "Automatic updates on Linux require running the AppImage build.", and the sidebar still shows "Check for updates" or "Up to date". Users get no hint that the fix is apt upgrade.

The updater now reads electron-builder's resources/package-type marker and names the command to run:

• deb: sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
• rpm: sudo dnf upgrade
• pacman: the AUR helper, for example yay -Syu
• any other value: the system package manager
• no marker: unchanged AppImage message

The disabled state carries this text in message. The sidebar and Settings tooltips show it, and a remote update request from another device gets the same reason. The AUR PKGBUILDs now write the pacman marker. electron-updater never starts in these installs, so the marker cannot make it pick a package updater.

Tests: desktop updates (49) and web update logic (32) pass. I did not check this in a running app.

Created with Claude Fable 5.1 and Claude Opus 5.5 in Claude Code.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

Summary by CodeRabbit

• New Features

  • Linux package installations now display package-specific guidance when automatic updates are unavailable.
  • Update controls show the relevant reason when automatic updates are disabled.
  • Arch Linux packages now identify their package type to provide accurate update guidance.

• Bug Fixes

  • Improved update-state handling for Linux package installs and AppImage installations.
  • Preserved the correct precedence for AppImage settings and environment-based update configuration.

[github-actions]

Thread transfer impact

✅ Thread transfer remains within every enforced ceiling.

ℹ️ The exact PR base did not have a successful artifact. Baseline uses the latest successful main measurement shown below.

Provider	Metric	Main baseline	This PR	Impact	PR ceiling
Codex	Total thread wire	13.5 KiB	13.5 KiB	+6 B (+0.0%)	15.1 KiB	✅
Codex	Thread snapshot wire	7.0 KiB	7.1 KiB	+6 B (+0.1%)	7.3 KiB	✅
Codex	Live turn WebSocket wire	6.5 KiB	6.5 KiB	0 B (0.0%)	7.8 KiB	✅
Codex	Live turn WebSocket decoded	56.3 KiB	56.3 KiB	0 B (0.0%)	66.4 KiB	✅
Codex	Live turn messages	10	10	0 (0.0%)	21	✅
Claude	Total thread wire	13.5 KiB	13.5 KiB	−26 B (−0.2%)	15.1 KiB	✅
Claude	Thread snapshot wire	7.1 KiB	7.1 KiB	−9 B (−0.1%)	7.3 KiB	✅
Claude	Live turn WebSocket wire	6.5 KiB	6.4 KiB	−17 B (−0.3%)	7.8 KiB	✅
Claude	Live turn WebSocket decoded	57.0 KiB	57.0 KiB	0 B (0.0%)	66.4 KiB	✅
Claude	Live turn messages	9	9	0 (0.0%)	21	✅

Baseline: 408ff8a · PR result: ec44411 · Source CI: success

Scenario and decoded snapshot size

10 historical turns, 5 command tools per turn, 878.9 KiB retained MCP result per historical turn, and a 1.05 MiB retained result in the measured turn.

• Codex decoded thread snapshot: 114.0 KiB
• Claude decoded thread snapshot: 114.6 KiB

Updated in place by a trusted workflow. PR artifacts are strictly validated and never executed.

[macroscopeapp]

Approvability

Verdict: Approved at ec44411

Macroscope's review found this PR approvable — This is a small, localized update-message fix: Linux package installs gain accurate apt, dnf, or AUR guidance while updater execution remains unchanged. The added package marker and UI state messaging are covered by focused tests, with no schema, security, deployment, or default-setting changes.

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ℹ️ Recent review info

⚙️ Run configuration

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Run ID: 0d36f740-0630-4646-b03c-1f52f95a2fa4

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between a493946 and ec44411.

📒 Files selected for processing (8)

• apps/desktop/src/updates/DesktopUpdates.test.ts
• apps/desktop/src/updates/DesktopUpdates.ts
• apps/desktop/src/updates/updatesTestHarness.ts
• apps/web/src/components/desktopUpdate.logic.test.ts
• apps/web/src/components/desktopUpdate.logic.ts
• apps/web/src/components/sidebar/SidebarUpdatePill.tsx
• packaging/aur/t3code-bin/PKGBUILD
• packaging/aur/t3code-nightly-bin/PKGBUILD

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📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

Linux packaged builds now identify their package manager through a package-type marker. The desktop updater maps that marker to a disabled-update reason and exposes it in state. The web sidebar displays the reason in the update tooltip.

Changes

Linux update messaging

Layer / File(s)	Summary
Package marker resolution packaging/aur/*/PKGBUILD, apps/desktop/src/updates/updatesTestHarness.ts, apps/desktop/src/updates/DesktopUpdates.ts	Arch packages write a pacman marker. The updater reads the marker from the configured resources directory on Linux packaged builds.
Disabled reason state propagation apps/desktop/src/updates/DesktopUpdates.ts, apps/desktop/src/updates/DesktopUpdates.test.ts	Package markers map to package-specific instructions. Configure and channel changes propagate the resolved reason into disabled state. Tests cover package markers, precedence, exposed state, and disabled channel changes.
Disabled tooltip display apps/web/src/components/desktopUpdate.logic.ts, apps/web/src/components/desktopUpdate.logic.test.ts, apps/web/src/components/sidebar/SidebarUpdatePill.tsx	Disabled update tooltips show the provided reason or the fallback Automatic updates are off..

Priority: ⬇️ Low

Estimated code review effort: 3 (Moderate) | ~25 minutes

Change: Bug fix

Suggested reviewers: juliusmarminge, maria-rcks

Merge Risk: ⚪ Minimal · up to ec444

Linux package installs retain disabled automatic updates while showing package-manager-specific guidance in the desktop UI. The changed behavior is covered by targeted tests and is ready to merge.

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 4 | ❌ 1

❌ Failed checks (1 warning)

Check name	Status	Explanation	Resolution
Docstring Coverage	⚠️ Warning	Docstring coverage is 37.50% which is insufficient. The required threshold is 80.00%. Docstring coverage is scoped to functions touched by this diff. Analyzed 8 functions across 6 files. (2 skipped: 2…	Write docstrings for the functions missing them to satisfy the coverage threshold.

✅ Passed checks (4 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Title check	✅ Passed	The title clearly and concisely describes the main change: package-specific update instructions for Linux desktop users, including AUR users.
Description check	✅ Passed	The description clearly explains what changed, why it changed, affected Linux package types, UI behavior, tests, and the runtime-check limitation. It does not follow the template headings or include t…
Linked Issues check	✅ Passed	Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.
Out of Scope Changes check	✅ Passed	Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.

Full details: Docstring Coverage

Explanation

Docstring coverage is 37.50% which is insufficient. The required threshold is 80.00%. Docstring coverage is scoped to functions touched by this diff. Analyzed 8 functions across 6 files. (2 skipped: 2 unsupported.)

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[t3dotgg]

Note

🤖 Claude Opus 5.5 responding on behalf of Theo

Folded into #13177 as commit 824474a, so the packages and their update message ship together.