fix(desktop): use the built-in updater/process plugins (fixes the ACL dead end) (#63)

* fix(desktop): use the built-in updater/process plugins instead of custom commands

The custom updater_check/updater_install commands could never work from the window's
content: it's served over HTTP (remote to Tauri), and custom commands have no ACL
permission to grant remote content, so invoke() was silently denied.

Switch to the standard tauri-plugin-updater + tauri-plugin-process, driven from the
web UI via their JS APIs (check / downloadAndInstall / relaunch), lazily imported
behind window.isTauri so the browser build never loads them. Grant updater:default +
process:default in the capability (which already allows the localhost remote URL) —
plugin commands *do* have permissions, so the ACL can authorize them. Enable devtools
in release so webview/ACL errors are inspectable while the shell is young.

* chore(desktop): log the updater check result for diagnosability

Author: ApocDev

app/package.json

@@ -41,6 +41,8 @@
     "@tanstack/react-table": "latest",
     "@tanstack/router-plugin": "^1.132.0",
     "@tauri-apps/api": "^2.11.1",
+    "@tauri-apps/plugin-process": "^2.3.1",
+    "@tauri-apps/plugin-updater": "^2.10.1",
     "ai": "^6.0.204",
     "better-sqlite3": "^12.6.2",
     "class-variance-authority": "^0.7.1",

app/pnpm-lock.yaml

@@ -21,9 +21,12 @@ tauri-build = { version = "2.6.3", features = [] }
 serde_json = "1.0"
 serde = { version = "1.0", features = ["derive"] }
 log = "0.4"
-tauri = { version = "2.11.3", features = [] }
+# `devtools` enables right-click → Inspect in release too — useful while the desktop
+# shell is young (e.g. to see updater/ACL errors from the webview console).
+tauri = { version = "2.11.3", features = ["devtools"] }
 tauri-plugin-log = "2"
 tauri-plugin-opener = "2"
+tauri-plugin-process = "2"
 tauri-plugin-shell = "2"
 tauri-plugin-single-instance = "2"
 tauri-plugin-updater = "2"

app/src-tauri/Cargo.lock

@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@
   },
   "permissions": [
     "core:default",
+    "updater:default",
+    "process:default",
     {
       "identifier": "shell:allow-execute",
       "allow": [{ "name": "binaries/node", "sidecar": true, "args": true }]

app/src-tauri/Cargo.toml

@@ -27,7 +27,6 @@ window.addEventListener('click', function (e) {
 "#;
 
 use std::sync::Mutex;
-use tauri_plugin_updater::UpdaterExt;
 #[cfg(not(debug_assertions))]
 use tauri::path::BaseDirectory;
 #[cfg(not(debug_assertions))]
@@ -92,101 +91,10 @@ fn open_main_window(app: &tauri::AppHandle) {
     }
 }
 
-/// Holds the update found by `updater_check` so `updater_install` can consume it.
-struct PendingUpdate(Mutex<Option<tauri_plugin_updater::Update>>);
-
-/// Update metadata handed to the web UI (which renders its own toast + changelog).
-#[derive(serde::Serialize)]
-#[serde(rename_all = "camelCase")]
-struct UpdateInfo {
-    version: String,
-    current_version: String,
-    notes: Option<String>,
-    date: Option<String>,
-}
-
-/// Download progress, streamed to the UI over a channel so it can show a bar.
-#[derive(Clone, serde::Serialize)]
-#[serde(tag = "event", content = "data", rename_all = "camelCase")]
-enum DownloadEvent {
-    Progress {
-        chunk_length: usize,
-        content_length: Option<u64>,
-    },
-    Finished,
-}
-
-/// Check GitHub for a newer release. Returns its metadata (and stashes the pending
-/// update for `updater_install`), or `null` if current / the check failed. The web UI
-/// calls this on launch, guarded by `window.isTauri`, so a plain browser never does.
-#[tauri::command]
-async fn updater_check(
-    app: tauri::AppHandle,
-    pending: tauri::State<'_, PendingUpdate>,
-) -> Result<Option<UpdateInfo>, String> {
-    log::info!("updater_check: querying for updates");
-    let updater = app.updater().map_err(|e| {
-        log::error!("updater_check: updater unavailable: {e}");
-        e.to_string()
-    })?;
-    let update = updater.check().await.map_err(|e| {
-        log::error!("updater_check: check failed: {e}");
-        e.to_string()
-    })?;
-    match &update {
-        Some(u) => log::info!("updater_check: update available: {}", u.version),
-        None => log::info!("updater_check: up to date"),
-    }
-    let info = update.as_ref().map(|u| UpdateInfo {
-        version: u.version.clone(),
-        current_version: u.current_version.clone(),
-        notes: u.body.clone(),
-        date: u.date.map(|d| d.to_string()),
-    });
-    *pending.0.lock().unwrap() = update;
-    Ok(info)
-}
-
-/// Download + install the pending update (streaming progress), then relaunch. The
-/// signature verifies against the baked-in public key inside `download_and_install`.
-#[tauri::command]
-async fn updater_install(
-    app: tauri::AppHandle,
-    pending: tauri::State<'_, PendingUpdate>,
-    on_event: tauri::ipc::Channel<DownloadEvent>,
-) -> Result<(), String> {
-    let update = pending
-        .0
-        .lock()
-        .unwrap()
-        .take()
-        .ok_or_else(|| "no pending update".to_string())?;
-    let on_finish = on_event.clone();
-    update
-        .download_and_install(
-            move |chunk_length, content_length| {
-                let _ = on_event.send(DownloadEvent::Progress {
-                    chunk_length,
-                    content_length,
-                });
-            },
-            move || {
-                let _ = on_finish.send(DownloadEvent::Finished);
-            },
-        )
-        .await
-        .map_err(|e| e.to_string())?;
-    // Kill the node sidecar before relaunching; restart() may not run the Exit
-    // handler, and a lingering server would hold port 34115 and break the new
-    // instance's own sidecar.
-    #[cfg(not(debug_assertions))]
-    if let Some(state) = app.try_state::<ServerChild>() {
-        if let Some(child) = state.0.lock().unwrap().take() {
-            let _ = child.kill();
-        }
-    }
-    app.restart()
-}
+// The self-updater is the standard tauri-plugin-updater + tauri-plugin-process,
+// driven from the web UI via their JS APIs (guarded by `window.isTauri`). The window
+// loads the app over HTTP, so that content is "remote" to Tauri and the capability
+// grants it `updater:default` + `process:default` (see capabilities/default.json).
 
 #[cfg_attr(mobile, tauri::mobile_entry_point)]
 pub fn run() {
@@ -217,18 +125,16 @@ pub fn run() {
         .plugin(tauri_plugin_shell::init())
         .plugin(tauri_plugin_opener::init())
         .plugin(tauri_plugin_updater::Builder::new().build())
+        .plugin(tauri_plugin_process::init())
         .plugin(tauri_plugin_window_state::Builder::default().build())
-        .manage(PendingUpdate(Mutex::new(None)))
-        .invoke_handler(tauri::generate_handler![updater_check, updater_install])
         .setup(|app| {
-            // Log in every build (stdout + the OS log dir), so the updater path — the
-            // one place that uses Tauri IPC — can be diagnosed from a terminal even on
-            // a release, where the webview console isn't available.
-            app.handle().plugin(
-                tauri_plugin_log::Builder::default()
-                    .level(log::LevelFilter::Info)
-                    .build(),
-            )?;
+            if cfg!(debug_assertions) {
+                app.handle().plugin(
+                    tauri_plugin_log::Builder::default()
+                        .level(log::LevelFilter::Info)
+                        .build(),
+                )?;
+            }
 
             // Bundled build: start the server via the vendored node sidecar. The data
             // dir is the per-OS app-data dir; migrations + mod source are bundled
@@ -257,8 +163,8 @@ pub fn run() {
                 tauri::async_runtime::spawn(async move { while rx.recv().await.is_some() {} });
             }
 
-            // The web UI drives the update check (calls `updater_check` on launch when
-            // it detects it's inside the desktop shell), so nothing to spawn here.
+            // The web UI drives the update via the updater/process plugins on launch
+            // (guarded by window.isTauri), so nothing to spawn here.
 
             // Wait for the server off the main thread, then open the window on it.
             let handle = app.handle().clone();

app/src-tauri/capabilities/default.json

@@ -43,7 +43,10 @@ export function UpdatePrompt() {
     if (checked.current) return; // launch-only; no polling
     checked.current = true;
     checkForUpdate()
-      .then((u) => u && setUpdate(u))
+      .then((u) => {
+        console.info("[updater] check:", u ? `update ${u.version} available` : "up to date");
+        if (u) setUpdate(u);
+      })
       .catch((err) => console.error("[updater] check failed", err));
   }, []);
 

app/src-tauri/src/lib.rs

@@ -1,12 +1,13 @@
-// Client for the desktop shell's self-updater. The updater logic lives in Rust
-// (`app/src-tauri`: the `updater_check` / `updater_install` commands + a signature
-// check); this module just calls them when we detect we're running inside the Tauri
-// window. In a plain browser it's inert — except for a `?mockUpdate=` dev switch that
-// fakes an update so the toast + dialog can be built and reviewed in `vp dev` without
-// a bundled build.
+// Client for the desktop shell's self-updater. It drives the standard
+// tauri-plugin-updater + tauri-plugin-process via their JS APIs when we detect we're
+// inside the Tauri window. In a plain browser it's inert — except for a `?mockUpdate=`
+// dev switch that fakes an update so the toast + dialog can be built and reviewed in
+// `vp dev` without a bundled build.
 //
-// `@tauri-apps/api` is imported dynamically and only under `isTauri()`, so the browser
-// build / web deploy never loads it.
+// The plugin JS is imported dynamically and only under `isTauri()`, so the browser
+// build / web deploy never loads it — no hard Tauri dependency in the web runtime.
+
+import type { Update } from "@tauri-apps/plugin-updater";
 
 export interface UpdateInfo {
   version: string;
@@ -69,19 +70,30 @@ export function mockUpdate(): UpdateInfo | null {
   };
 }
 
+// The pending Update from the last check, so installUpdate can download + install it.
+let pending: Update | null = null;
+
 /** Check once for a newer release. Returns metadata, or null when up to date / not in
  * the desktop shell / the check failed. */
 export async function checkForUpdate(): Promise<UpdateInfo | null> {
   const mock = mockUpdate();
   if (mock) return mock;
   if (!isTauri()) return null;
-  const { invoke } = await import("@tauri-apps/api/core");
-  return await invoke<UpdateInfo | null>("updater_check");
+  const { check } = await import("@tauri-apps/plugin-updater");
+  const update = await check();
+  pending = update;
+  if (!update) return null;
+  return {
+    version: update.version,
+    currentVersion: update.currentVersion,
+    notes: update.body ?? null,
+    date: update.date ?? null,
+  };
 }
 
 /** Download + install the pending update, reporting progress as a 0..1 fraction (or
- * null while the total size is unknown). In the real shell the app relaunches when
- * done, so this may never resolve; in mock mode it simulates a few seconds. */
+ * null while the total size is unknown), then relaunch. In the real shell the app
+ * relaunches when done; in mock mode it simulates a few seconds. */
 export async function installUpdate(onProgress: (fraction: number | null) => void): Promise<void> {
   if (mockUpdate()) {
     for (let p = 0; p <= 1; p += 0.04) {
@@ -91,21 +103,23 @@ export async function installUpdate(onProgress: (fraction: number | null) => voi
     onProgress(1);
     return;
   }
-  const { invoke, Channel } = await import("@tauri-apps/api/core");
-  type Msg =
-    | { event: "progress"; data: { chunkLength: number; contentLength: number | null } }
-    | { event: "finished" };
-  const channel = new Channel<Msg>();
+  if (!pending) throw new Error("no pending update");
   let downloaded = 0;
   let total = 0;
-  channel.onmessage = (msg) => {
-    if (msg.event === "progress") {
-      if (msg.data.contentLength) total = msg.data.contentLength;
-      downloaded += msg.data.chunkLength;
-      onProgress(total ? Math.min(downloaded / total, 1) : null);
-    } else if (msg.event === "finished") {
-      onProgress(1);
+  await pending.downloadAndInstall((event) => {
+    switch (event.event) {
+      case "Started":
+        total = event.data.contentLength ?? 0;
+        break;
+      case "Progress":
+        downloaded += event.data.chunkLength;
+        onProgress(total ? Math.min(downloaded / total, 1) : null);
+        break;
+      case "Finished":
+        onProgress(1);
+        break;
     }
-  };
-  await invoke("updater_install", { onEvent: channel });
+  });
+  const { relaunch } = await import("@tauri-apps/plugin-process");
+  await relaunch();
 }