app-updater

Updates local apps from GitHub Releases. Configured through settings.json.

updater.ps1 is app-agnostic. For another app, copy the folder with its own settings.json. The shortcut scripts (shortcut.ps1, startmenu.ps1) are hardcoded for mpv.

Requirements

• PowerShell 5.1+ (built-in on Windows 10+)
• curl.exe and tar.exe (built-in on Windows 10 1803+)

Installation

1. Click Code > Download ZIP
2. Extract to %LOCALAPPDATA%\{APPNAME}\update

shortcut.ps1

Creates update.lnk in BaseDirectory, launching updater.ps1 via powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass.

Windows blocks .ps1 on double-click; the shortcut works around it.

Usage:

powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\shortcut.ps1

Run once, then double-click update.lnk.

How it works

With no local executable, date comparison is skipped and the latest release installs.

1. Validate: check paths, stop running apps
2. Fetch metadata: latest release info from GitHub
3. Select targets: release dates against local timestamps
4. Download: fetch selected assets with curl.exe
5. Verify: SHA256 against digest; [NONE] when absent, skip on mismatch
6. Extract: unpack archives in the temp directory
7. Install: remove the previous install if full, then move files in
8. Cleanup: remove the download directory, optionally clear cache

Multiple targets

List several targets to follow one app across build sources:

"mpv": {
    "Executable": "mpv.exe",
    "UpdateTargets": [
        { "Preferred": false, "Force": false, "Repository": "sohnyj/minimal-mpv-winbuild",  "AssetFilter": "mpv-x86_64-v3" },
        { "Preferred": false, "Force": false, "Repository": "shinchiro/mpv-winbuild-cmake", "AssetFilter": "mpv-x86_64-v3" },
        { "Preferred": false, "Force": false, "Repository": "zhongfly/mpv-winbuild",        "AssetFilter": "mpv-x86_64-v3" }
    ],
    "InstallFilters": []
}

One asset is installed per app: the newest release among the matched targets wins. Preferred narrows the candidates to those targets, and falls back to the rest when none of them match.

settings.json

Caution

A full update deletes everything in BaseDirectory except UpdateDirectory and ExcludedNames matches. AppCache.Clear also wipes AppCache.Directories. Incorrect paths may cause data loss.

Paths

Key	Description
BaseDirectory	App install path
UpdateDirectory	Script path; downloads land in download\ under it. Skipped by the full-update deletion

UpdateRules

Key	Description
ForceUpdate	Update regardless of date
LocalTimestampOffsetMinutes	Minutes added to local LastWriteTime, offsetting the build-to-publish gap
AssetTypes.Executable	Installed as a single file; LastWriteTime set to the release date
AssetTypes.Archive	Extracted before install; original LastWriteTime kept. Compressed tarballs unpack in one pass
ExcludedNames	Names kept during full-update deletion (exact match)

Api

Key	Description
Endpoint	GitHub release API endpoint
Token	For the metadata request. Empty = 60 req/hour, set = 5000. Not used for downloads

Note

Token is plain text. Never commit one. Public repositories need none; otherwise use a read-only, minimal-scope token.

Apps

Key	Description
Executable	Name used to read LastWriteTime
UpdateTargets	Repository and asset filter pairs
InstallFilters	Items to install from an archive. Empty = all

UpdateTargets

Key	Description
Preferred	Prefer over the app's other targets
Force	Update regardless of date
Repository	GitHub repository as owner/repo
AssetFilter	Substring matched against asset names

Misc options

Key	Description
AppCache.Clear	Clear them on full update
AppCache.ClearOnPartialUpdate	Clear on partial updates too
AppCache.Directories	Cache directories emptied after update
StartMenu.Create	Run the Start Menu script after a successful update
StartMenu.Script	Script file name, resolved beside the updater
ErrorActionPreference	PowerShell error handling (Continue / Stop)
ProgressPreference	PowerShell progress bar visibility for the metadata request (SilentlyContinue to hide)