feat(desktop): add manual "Check for Updates" button in web settings

apps/desktop/src/main.ts

@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import * as Effect from "effect/Effect";
 import type {
   DesktopTheme,
   DesktopUpdateActionResult,
+  DesktopUpdateCheckResult,
   DesktopUpdateState,
 } from "@t3tools/contracts";
 import { autoUpdater } from "electron-updater";
@@ -56,6 +57,7 @@ const UPDATE_STATE_CHANNEL = "desktop:update-state";
 const UPDATE_GET_STATE_CHANNEL = "desktop:update-get-state";
 const UPDATE_DOWNLOAD_CHANNEL = "desktop:update-download";
 const UPDATE_INSTALL_CHANNEL = "desktop:update-install";
+const UPDATE_CHECK_CHANNEL = "desktop:update-check";
 const BASE_DIR = process.env.T3CODE_HOME?.trim() || Path.join(OS.homedir(), ".t3");
 const STATE_DIR = Path.join(BASE_DIR, "userdata");
 const DESKTOP_SCHEME = "t3";
@@ -1211,6 +1213,21 @@ function registerIpcHandlers(): void {
       state: updateState,
     } satisfies DesktopUpdateActionResult;
   });
+
+  ipcMain.removeHandler(UPDATE_CHECK_CHANNEL);
+  ipcMain.handle(UPDATE_CHECK_CHANNEL, async () => {
+    if (!updaterConfigured) {
+      return {
+        checked: false,
+        state: updateState,
+      } satisfies DesktopUpdateCheckResult;
+    }
+    await checkForUpdates("web-ui");
+    return {
+      checked: true,
+      state: updateState,
+    } satisfies DesktopUpdateCheckResult;
+  });
 }
 
 function getIconOption(): { icon: string } | Record<string, never> {

apps/desktop/src/preload.ts

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ const OPEN_EXTERNAL_CHANNEL = "desktop:open-external";
 const MENU_ACTION_CHANNEL = "desktop:menu-action";
 const UPDATE_STATE_CHANNEL = "desktop:update-state";
 const UPDATE_GET_STATE_CHANNEL = "desktop:update-get-state";
+const UPDATE_CHECK_CHANNEL = "desktop:update-check";
 const UPDATE_DOWNLOAD_CHANNEL = "desktop:update-download";
 const UPDATE_INSTALL_CHANNEL = "desktop:update-install";
 const wsUrl = process.env.T3CODE_DESKTOP_WS_URL ?? null;
@@ -32,6 +33,7 @@ contextBridge.exposeInMainWorld("desktopBridge", {
     };
   },
   getUpdateState: () => ipcRenderer.invoke(UPDATE_GET_STATE_CHANNEL),
+  checkForUpdate: () => ipcRenderer.invoke(UPDATE_CHECK_CHANNEL),
   downloadUpdate: () => ipcRenderer.invoke(UPDATE_DOWNLOAD_CHANNEL),
   installUpdate: () => ipcRenderer.invoke(UPDATE_INSTALL_CHANNEL),
   onUpdateState: (listener) => {

apps/web/src/components/Sidebar.tsx

@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 import {
+  ArrowDownToLineIcon,
   ArrowLeftIcon,
   ChevronRightIcon,
   FolderIcon,
   GitPullRequestIcon,
   PlusIcon,
-  RocketIcon,
   SettingsIcon,
   SquarePenIcon,
   TerminalIcon,
@@ -1062,7 +1062,9 @@ export default function Sidebar() {
         ? "text-sky-400"
         : shouldHighlightDesktopUpdateError(desktopUpdateState)
           ? "text-rose-500 animate-pulse"
-          : "text-amber-500 animate-pulse";
+          : desktopUpdateState?.status === "available"
+            ? "text-emerald-500"
+            : "text-muted-foreground";
   const newThreadShortcutLabel = useMemo(
     () =>
       shortcutLabelForCommand(keybindings, "chat.newLocal") ??
@@ -1106,6 +1108,11 @@ export default function Sidebar() {
     }
 
     if (desktopUpdateButtonAction === "install") {
+      const version = desktopUpdateState.downloadedVersion ?? desktopUpdateState.availableVersion;
+      const confirmed = window.confirm(
+        `Install update${version ? ` ${version}` : ""} and restart T3 Code?\n\nAny running tasks will be interrupted. Make sure you're ready before continuing.`,
+      );
+      if (!confirmed) return;
       void bridge
         .installUpdate()
         .then((result) => {
@@ -1185,10 +1192,10 @@ export default function Sidebar() {
                       aria-label={desktopUpdateTooltip}
                       aria-disabled={desktopUpdateButtonDisabled || undefined}
                       disabled={desktopUpdateButtonDisabled}
-                      className={`inline-flex size-7 ml-auto mt-1.5 items-center justify-center rounded-md text-muted-foreground transition-colors ${desktopUpdateButtonInteractivityClasses} ${desktopUpdateButtonClasses}`}
+                      className={`inline-flex size-7 ml-auto mt-1.5 items-center justify-center rounded-md transition-colors ${desktopUpdateButtonInteractivityClasses} ${desktopUpdateButtonClasses}`}
                       onClick={handleDesktopUpdateButtonClick}
                     >
-                      <RocketIcon className="size-3.5" />
+                      <ArrowDownToLineIcon className="size-3.5" />
                     </button>
                   }
                 />

apps/web/src/components/desktopUpdate.logic.test.ts

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import type { DesktopUpdateActionResult, DesktopUpdateState } from "@t3tools/contracts";
 
 import {
+  canCheckForUpdate,
   getArm64IntelBuildWarningDescription,
   getDesktopUpdateActionError,
   getDesktopUpdateButtonTooltip,
@@ -207,3 +208,57 @@ describe("desktop update UI helpers", () => {
     expect(getArm64IntelBuildWarningDescription(state)).toContain("Download the available update");
   });
 });
+
+describe("canCheckForUpdate", () => {
+  it("returns false for null state", () => {
+    expect(canCheckForUpdate(null)).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("returns false when updates are disabled", () => {
+    expect(canCheckForUpdate({ ...baseState, enabled: false, status: "disabled" })).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("returns false while checking", () => {
+    expect(canCheckForUpdate({ ...baseState, status: "checking" })).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("returns false while downloading", () => {
+    expect(canCheckForUpdate({ ...baseState, status: "downloading", downloadPercent: 50 })).toBe(
+      false,
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("returns true when idle", () => {
+    expect(canCheckForUpdate({ ...baseState, status: "idle" })).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("returns true when up-to-date", () => {
+    expect(canCheckForUpdate({ ...baseState, status: "up-to-date" })).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("returns true when an update is available", () => {
+    expect(
+      canCheckForUpdate({ ...baseState, status: "available", availableVersion: "1.1.0" }),
+    ).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("returns true on error so the user can retry", () => {
+    expect(
+      canCheckForUpdate({
+        ...baseState,
+        status: "error",
+        errorContext: "check",
+        message: "network",
+      }),
+    ).toBe(true);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("getDesktopUpdateButtonTooltip", () => {
+  it("returns 'Up to date' for non-actionable states", () => {
+    expect(getDesktopUpdateButtonTooltip({ ...baseState, status: "idle" })).toBe("Up to date");
+    expect(getDesktopUpdateButtonTooltip({ ...baseState, status: "up-to-date" })).toBe(
+      "Up to date",
+    );
+  });
+});

apps/web/src/components/desktopUpdate.logic.ts

@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ export function getDesktopUpdateButtonTooltip(state: DesktopUpdateState): string
     }
     return state.message ?? "Update failed";
   }
-  return "Update available";
+  return "Up to date";
 }
 
 export function getDesktopUpdateActionError(result: DesktopUpdateActionResult): string | null {
@@ -94,3 +94,10 @@ export function shouldHighlightDesktopUpdateError(state: DesktopUpdateState | nu
   if (!state || state.status !== "error") return false;
   return state.errorContext === "download" || state.errorContext === "install";
 }
+
+export function canCheckForUpdate(state: DesktopUpdateState | null): boolean {
+  if (!state || !state.enabled) return false;
+  return (
+    state.status !== "checking" && state.status !== "downloading" && state.status !== "disabled"
+  );
+}

apps/web/src/lib/desktopUpdateReactQuery.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+import { queryOptions } from "@tanstack/react-query";
+
+export const desktopUpdateQueryKeys = {
+  all: ["desktop", "update"] as const,
+  state: () => ["desktop", "update", "state"] as const,
+};
+
+export function desktopUpdateStateQueryOptions() {
+  return queryOptions({
+    queryKey: desktopUpdateQueryKeys.state(),
+    queryFn: async () => {
+      const bridge = window.desktopBridge;
+      if (!bridge || typeof bridge.getUpdateState !== "function") return null;
+      return bridge.getUpdateState();
+    },
+    staleTime: Infinity,
+  });
+}

apps/web/src/routes/_chat.settings.tsx

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { createFileRoute } from "@tanstack/react-router";
-import { useQuery } from "@tanstack/react-query";
+import { useQuery, useQueryClient } from "@tanstack/react-query";
 import { ChevronDownIcon, PlusIcon, RotateCcwIcon, Undo2Icon, XIcon } from "lucide-react";
-import { type ReactNode, useCallback, useState } from "react";
+import { type ReactNode, useCallback, useEffect, useState } from "react";
 import { type ProviderKind, DEFAULT_GIT_TEXT_GENERATION_MODEL } from "@t3tools/contracts";
 import { getModelOptions, normalizeModelSlug } from "@t3tools/shared/model";
 import {
@@ -25,11 +25,17 @@ import {
 } from "../components/ui/select";
 import { SidebarTrigger } from "../components/ui/sidebar";
 import { Switch } from "../components/ui/switch";
+import {
+  canCheckForUpdate,
+  getDesktopUpdateButtonTooltip,
+  resolveDesktopUpdateButtonAction,
+} from "../components/desktopUpdate.logic";
 import { SidebarInset } from "../components/ui/sidebar";
 import { Tooltip, TooltipPopup, TooltipTrigger } from "../components/ui/tooltip";
 import { resolveAndPersistPreferredEditor } from "../editorPreferences";
 import { isElectron } from "../env";
 import { useTheme } from "../hooks/useTheme";
+import { desktopUpdateStateQueryOptions } from "../lib/desktopUpdateReactQuery";
 import { serverConfigQueryOptions } from "../lib/serverReactQuery";
 import { cn } from "../lib/utils";
 import { ensureNativeApi, readNativeApi } from "../nativeApi";
@@ -58,6 +64,132 @@ const TIMESTAMP_FORMAT_LABELS = {
   "24-hour": "24-hour",
 } as const;
 
+function DesktopUpdateCheckSection() {
+  const queryClient = useQueryClient();
+  const updateStateQuery = useQuery(desktopUpdateStateQueryOptions());
+  const [checkError, setCheckError] = useState<string | null>(null);
+
+  const updateState = updateStateQuery.data ?? null;
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const bridge = window.desktopBridge;
+    if (!bridge || typeof bridge.onUpdateState !== "function") return;
+
+    const opts = desktopUpdateStateQueryOptions();
+    const unsubscribe = bridge.onUpdateState((nextState) => {
+      queryClient.setQueryData(opts.queryKey, nextState);
+    });
+
+    return () => {
+      unsubscribe();
+    };
+  }, [queryClient]);
+
+  const handleButtonClick = useCallback(() => {
+    const bridge = window.desktopBridge;
+    if (!bridge) return;
+    setCheckError(null);
+
+    const action = updateState ? resolveDesktopUpdateButtonAction(updateState) : "none";
+    const opts = desktopUpdateStateQueryOptions();
+
+    if (action === "download") {
+      void bridge
+        .downloadUpdate()
+        .then((result) => {
+          queryClient.setQueryData(opts.queryKey, result.state);
+        })
+        .catch((error: unknown) => {
+          setCheckError(error instanceof Error ? error.message : "Download failed.");
+        });
+      return;
+    }
+
+    if (action === "install") {
+      const version = updateState?.downloadedVersion ?? updateState?.availableVersion;
+      const confirmed = window.confirm(
+        `Install update${version ? ` ${version}` : ""} and restart T3 Code?\n\nAny running tasks will be interrupted. Make sure you're ready before continuing.`,
+      );
+      if (!confirmed) return;
+      void bridge
+        .installUpdate()
+        .then((result) => {
+          queryClient.setQueryData(opts.queryKey, result.state);
+        })
+        .catch((error: unknown) => {
+          setCheckError(error instanceof Error ? error.message : "Install failed.");
+        });
+      return;
+    }
+
+    if (typeof bridge.checkForUpdate !== "function") return;
+    void bridge
+      .checkForUpdate()
+      .then((result) => {
+        queryClient.setQueryData(opts.queryKey, result.state);
+        if (!result.checked) {
+          setCheckError(
+            result.state.message ?? "Automatic updates are not available in this build.",
+          );
+        }
+      })
+      .catch((error: unknown) => {
+        setCheckError(error instanceof Error ? error.message : "Update check failed.");
+      });
+  }, [queryClient, updateState]);
+
+  const action = updateState ? resolveDesktopUpdateButtonAction(updateState) : "none";
+  const buttonTooltip = updateState ? getDesktopUpdateButtonTooltip(updateState) : null;
+  const buttonDisabled = !canCheckForUpdate(updateState);
+
+  const actionLabel: Record<string, string> = { download: "Download", install: "Install" };
+  const statusLabel: Record<string, string> = {
+    checking: "Checking…",
+    downloading: "Downloading…",
+    "up-to-date": "Up to Date",
+  };
+  const buttonLabel =
+    actionLabel[action] ?? statusLabel[updateState?.status ?? ""] ?? "Check for Updates";
+
+  return (
+    <SettingsRow
+      title="Updates"
+      description={
+        updateState?.checkedAt
+          ? `Last checked: ${new Date(updateState.checkedAt).toLocaleString()}`
+          : "Check for available updates."
+      }
+      control={
+        <Tooltip>
+          <TooltipTrigger
+            render={
+              <Button
+                size="xs"
+                variant="outline"
+                disabled={buttonDisabled}
+                onClick={handleButtonClick}
+              >
+                {buttonLabel}
+              </Button>
+            }
+          />
+          {buttonTooltip ? <TooltipPopup>{buttonTooltip}</TooltipPopup> : null}
+        </Tooltip>
+      }
+      status={
+        <>
+          {checkError ? <p className="text-xs text-destructive">{checkError}</p> : null}
+          {updateState?.status === "error" && updateState.errorContext === "check" ? (
+            <p className="text-xs text-destructive">
+              {updateState.message ?? "Could not check for updates."}
+            </p>
+          ) : null}
+        </>
+      }
+    />
+  );
+}
+
 type InstallBinarySettingsKey = "claudeBinaryPath" | "codexBinaryPath";
 type InstallProviderSettings = {
   provider: ProviderKind;
@@ -976,6 +1108,7 @@ function SettingsRouteView() {
                   <code className="text-xs font-medium text-muted-foreground">{APP_VERSION}</code>
                 }
               />
+              {isElectron ? <DesktopUpdateCheckSection /> : null}
             </SettingsSection>
           </div>
         </div>

packages/contracts/src/ipc.ts

@@ -95,6 +95,11 @@ export interface DesktopUpdateActionResult {
   state: DesktopUpdateState;
 }
 
+export interface DesktopUpdateCheckResult {
+  checked: boolean;
+  state: DesktopUpdateState;
+}
+
 export interface DesktopBridge {
   getWsUrl: () => string | null;
   pickFolder: () => Promise<string | null>;
@@ -107,6 +112,7 @@ export interface DesktopBridge {
   openExternal: (url: string) => Promise<boolean>;
   onMenuAction: (listener: (action: string) => void) => () => void;
   getUpdateState: () => Promise<DesktopUpdateState>;
+  checkForUpdate: () => Promise<DesktopUpdateCheckResult>;
   downloadUpdate: () => Promise<DesktopUpdateActionResult>;
   installUpdate: () => Promise<DesktopUpdateActionResult>;
   onUpdateState: (listener: (state: DesktopUpdateState) => void) => () => void;