DeckSpace docsUpdating
A banner appears, you press it, the app replaces itself and restarts. From 3.7.3 that channel covers macOS, Windows and the Linux AppImage. Debian and RPM packages are not on it.
Open Settings → Updates to check manually, control background checks and read the latest result. Nothing installs without a click. Preview and development builds use manual installation.
How a new version reaches you
The app fetches a small update manifest from https://deckspace.dev/deckspace/updates/latest.json. The manifest names the newest version and, per platform, a download URL and a signature. If its version is newer than yours, an update is available.
- DeckSpace fetches the manifest on the schedule below.
- If a newer version exists for your platform, the Update now banner appears at the top of the window.
- You press Update now. The app downloads the archive with a progress bar.
- The signature is checked against a public key compiled into the app. A download that does not verify is not installed.
- The app replaces itself and relaunches.
There is no silent or background install. The download does not start until you press the button, and the only thing that happens without you is the check itself.
When it checks
| Trigger | When |
|---|---|
| After launch | 15 seconds after the app starts |
| On a timer | every 4 hours while the app is awake |
| On window focus | each time the window regains focus |
| Rate floor | automatic checks run at most once every 30 minutes |
The focus trigger exists because a deck can sit open for weeks. A launch-only check would never fire on a machine that is never restarted.
The rate floor is per process. Settings → Updates → Check for updates checks immediately, including when you have disabled background checks. The panel distinguishes a successful result from an error and shows the time of the last successful check.
What the banner does
The banner reads DeckSpace x.y.z is available. and carries two controls.
| Control | What happens |
|---|---|
| Update now | Downloads, verifies, installs, relaunches. The banner turns into a progress bar. |
| Later | Hides the banner. The next check re-offers the same update — it is dismissed, not declined. |
During the install the banner shows Downloading update… N%, then Restarting…. If the server does not report a file size, the percentage is replaced by Installing… and an indeterminate bar — that is a missing content length, not a stall.
If the install fails, you get a toast reading Update failed: plus the underlying error, and the banner returns to its Update now state so you can retry.
The manifest carries a notes field, but the banner renders a fixed line instead of it. To read what changed before you install, open the changelog.
One macOS download, both chips
Since 3.6.0 the macOS release is a universal build. The manifest lists two platform keys, and both point at the same archive with the same signature.
| Your Mac | Platform key it asks for | What the manifest serves |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Silicon | darwin-aarch64 | the universal archive |
| Intel | darwin-x86_64 | the same universal archive |
Releases up to and including 3.5.5 were x86_64-only, so Apple Silicon ran the whole app through Rosetta. From 3.6.0 the app itself runs natively.
The 3.7.3 release used an Intel DeckTest engine on Apple Silicon and required Rosetta for that component. The new release candidate includes a native Apple Silicon engine. Check your installed version and the release notes; a source change does not update an older installed app.
The minimum supported macOS is 12.0.
What the update channel covers
The live manifest carries signed entries for macOS on both Intel and Apple Silicon, for Windows, and for the Linux AppImage. Debian and RPM packages are not on the channel, and that is the one case where a new version still means downloading it yourself.
| Platform | In-app updates | How you get a new version |
|---|---|---|
| macOS | yes banner + one click | automatic offer, manual install |
| Windows | yes banner + one click | automatic offer, the installer runs |
| Linux — AppImage | yes banner + one click | automatic offer, manual install |
| Linux — deb / rpm | not on the channel | download and reinstall |
Windows and Linux AppImage builds now produce updater artifacts, they are signed with the same key as the macOS build, and both are in the live manifest. The .deb and .rpm packages are not: they carry no updater artifact, and they are not served by a package repository either, so nothing will move them forward on your behalf.
A .deb or .rpm installation does not contact the in-app updater. The Updates panel explains that you need a current package. Download it through your existing delivery link, then use your package manager to install it. This website does not provide an apt or dnf repository.
Checking your version
The installed version is the chip beside the DeckSpace wordmark in the top-left of the window, for example v3.6.0. It is read from the installed application bundle, so it is what you are actually running, not what you meant to install.
The newest release the updater will ever offer you is the version field of the manifest. You can read it without the app:
curl -s https://deckspace.dev/deckspace/updates/latest.json \ | python3 -c 'import json,sys; m=json.load(sys.stdin); print(m["version"], sorted(m["platforms"]))'
That prints the version and the platform keys it carries. If your platform key is not in that list, your app will not be offered anything, however long you wait.
If the app stops offering updates
- Open Settings → Updates and choose Check for updates. Read the result before retrying.
- If the check fails, confirm your connection and that the update manifest opens in a browser on the same machine. Retry the manual check.
- Compare your installed version and platform with the current release. Preview builds and Linux package installations explain their manual installation path in the panel.
- If installation fails after a download, keep the error text and retry Update now. The app does not relaunch after a failed installation.
Use the re-send page with your subscription email if you need your delivery link again. The link serves the current build for the selected platform. Review a Setup & diagnostics support report before sharing it with support.
Application data is stored separately from the app bundle. Before replacing or rolling back a build, stop active work and keep a backup of your project files and app data. A newer database format is not automatically compatible with an older binary.
Release notes
The banner reports the available version and installation progress. Read the changelog for release notes before installing. An available download or a successful check does not mean that installation has completed.