luochang212/skill-zoo/tauri-updater

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Use when adding software auto-update to a Tauri 2 desktop app, or when users ask about tauri-plugin-updater integration, app update checking, distinguishing installer vs portable builds for updates, or generating update manifests for GitHub Releases.

Install

npx vskill@latest install luochang212/skill-zoo/tauri-updater

SKILL.md

Tauri Updater

Overview

Add self-update to a Tauri 2 desktop app using tauri-plugin-updater. Covers macOS DMG, Windows NSIS (auto-install), and Windows portable (manual download link). Uses a GitHub Releases-hosted latest.json manifest with signed artifacts.

When to Use

  • User asks to add "auto-update", "software update", "check for updates" to a Tauri app
  • User asks about tauri-plugin-updater integration
  • User wants to distinguish installer vs portable builds for update behavior
  • User needs to generate update manifests for CI

Don't use for:

  • Tauri 1.x apps (different updater API)
  • Mobile apps (different update mechanisms)
  • Apps distributed only via app stores (use store update mechanisms)

Architecture

Installer vs Portable

Tauri updater only works with installers (NSIS, MSI, DMG). Portable builds need a different path.

BuildUpdate methodImplementation
macOS DMGAuto-download + installtauri-plugin-updater full flow
Windows NSISAuto-download + installtauri-plugin-updater full flow
Windows PortableLink to GitHub ReleasesButton opens releases page

Detecting portable at runtime: Use a Cargo feature flag:

toml
# Cargo.toml
[features]
portable = []
rust
// Rust command
#[tauri::command]
pub fn is_portable_build() -> bool {
cfg!(feature = "portable")
}

Normal build: cargo build --release Portable build: cargo build --release --features portable

In lib.rs, conditionally register the updater plugin and skip it when the portable feature is active:

rust
#[cfg(all(desktop, not(feature = "portable")))]
app.handle()
.plugin(tauri_plugin_updater::Builder::new().build())
.expect("Failed to register updater plugin");

When is_portable_build() returns true, the frontend shows a GitHub Releases link instead of the auto-update flow.

Implementation Steps

1. Generate Signing Key (one-time)
bash
bun tauri signer generate -w ~/.tauri/<app-name>.key

Hit enter twice for empty password. Produces:

  • ~/.tauri/<app-name>.key is the private key → store as GitHub Secret TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY
  • ~/.tauri/<app-name>.key.pub is the public key → paste into tauri.conf.json

Empty password is fine because the key lives in encrypted GitHub Secrets. Adding a password means also managing TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY_PASSWORD in CI.

2. Rust Backend

`src-tauri/Cargo.toml`:

toml
[features]
portable = []
[dependencies]
tauri-plugin-updater = "2"
tauri-plugin-process = "2"

`src-tauri/src/lib.rs`:

rust
// Always register process plugin (needed for relaunch after update)
.plugin(tauri_plugin_process::init())
.setup(|app| {
// Skip updater for portable builds
#[cfg(all(desktop, not(feature = "portable")))]
app.handle()
.plugin(tauri_plugin_updater::Builder::new().build())
.expect("Failed to register updater plugin");
Ok(())
})

Register is_portable_build as a Tauri command in the invoke handler.

Command file (e.g. commands/settings.rs):

rust
#[tauri::command]
pub fn is_portable_build() -> bool {
cfg!(feature = "portable")
}
3. Tauri Configuration

`src-tauri/tauri.conf.json`:

json
{
"bundle": {
"createUpdaterArtifacts": true
},
"plugins": {
"updater": {
"pubkey": "<PUBLIC KEY FROM .pub FILE>",
"endpoints": [
"https://github.com/<owner>/<repo>/releases/latest/download/latest.json"
]
}
}
}

The releases/latest/download/ URL pattern uses GitHub's redirect to always serve the latest release's asset.

Update CSP connect-src to allow GitHub release asset domains:

connect-src 'self' ipc: http://ipc.localhost https://api.github.com https://github.com https://objects.githubusercontent.com https://github-releases.githubusercontent.com

`src-tauri/capabilities/default.json`. Add these permissions:

json
{
"permissions": [
"updater:default",
"process:default",
"process:allow-restart"
]
}
4. Frontend

Install:

bash
bun add @tauri-apps/plugin-updater@^2 @tauri-apps/plugin-process@^2

State machine:

idle → checking → up-to-date
→ downloading → ready-to-restart
→ available (download retry) → downloading → ready-to-restart
→ error → idle (retry)
Portable: always shows "GitHub Releases" link button
StateUIAction
idle"Check for Updates" buttoncheck()
checkingSpinner, disabled buttonWait
up-to-date"Up to date"None
downloadingVersion number + cumulative byte progressWait
availableVersion number + "Download & Install"Retry downloadAndInstall() after a download failure
ready-to-restart"Restart Now" buttonrelaunch()
errorFriendly message + Retrycheck()

Key API details:

  • check() returns null when up-to-date (not an error)
  • check() throws on network failure or 404 (manifest doesn't exist yet), so show a friendly message, not the raw error
  • downloadAndInstall() progress callback: use event.data.chunkLength (not position/length). Track cumulative bytes with a state updater.
  • Store the Update object in a useRef to avoid stale closure in the progress callback.

Error handling pattern. Never expose raw errors:

tsx
try {
const result = await check();
if (result) { /* downloadAndInstall() immediately */ }
else { /* up-to-date */ }
} catch {
// Network error, 404, rate limit, etc.
setStatus("error"); // shows friendly t("updater.error") message
}
5. CI Pipeline

Build job. Pass the signing key:

yaml
- name: Tauri build
uses: tauri-apps/tauri-action@v0
env:
TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY: ${{ secrets.TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY }}
with:
args: --target ${{ matrix.target }}

Rename updater artifacts (after build, before upload):

yaml
- name: Rename updater artifacts
shell: bash
run: |
case "${{ matrix.target }}" in
universal-apple-darwin)
TAR=$(find "$BUNDLE/macos" -name "*.app.tar.gz" | head -1)
[ -n "$TAR" ] && mv "$TAR" "$BUNDLE/<App>-${VERSION}-macOS.app.tar.gz"
[ -f "${TAR}.sig" ] && mv "${TAR}.sig" "$BUNDLE/<App>-${VERSION}-macOS.app.tar.gz.sig"
;;
x86_64-pc-windows-msvc)
EXE_SIG=$(find "$BUNDLE/nsis" -name "*.exe.sig" | head -1)
[ -f "$EXE_SIG" ] && mv "$EXE_SIG" "$BUNDLE/<App>-${VERSION}-Windows.exe.sig"
;;
esac

Windows portable rebuild:

yaml
- name: Create portable zip (Windows)
if: matrix.target == 'x86_64-pc-windows-msvc'
shell: pwsh
run: |
cargo build --release --manifest-path src-tauri/Cargo.toml --target ${{ matrix.target }} --features portable
# ... package the portable binary as before

The --features portable flag compiles a binary where is_portable_build() returns true and the updater plugin is not registered.

Generate `latest.json` (in release job, after all artifacts are available):

yaml
- name: Generate updater manifest
run: |
MACOS_SIG=$(cat artifacts/macos/*.app.tar.gz.sig 2>/dev/null || echo "")
WINDOWS_SIG=$(cat artifacts/windows/*.exe.sig 2>/dev/null || echo "")
jq -n \
--arg version "$VERSION" \
--arg pub_date "$(date -u +"%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ")" \
--arg macos_sig "$MACOS_SIG" \
--arg macos_url "https://github.com/<owner>/<repo>/releases/download/${VERSION}/<App>-${VERSION}-macOS.app.tar.gz" \
--arg windows_sig "$WINDOWS_SIG" \
--arg windows_url "https://github.com/<owner>/<repo>/releases/download/${VERSION}/<App>-${VERSION}-Windows.exe" \
'{
version: $version,
notes: "",
pub_date: $pub_date,
platforms: {
"darwin-x86_64": { signature: $macos_sig, url: $macos_url },
"darwin-aarch64": { signature: $macos_sig, url: $macos_url },
"windows-x86_64": { signature: $windows_sig, url: $windows_url }
}
}' > latest.json
- name: Upload manifest
run: gh release upload "$TAG_NAME" latest.json

macOS universal binary: Both darwin-x86_64 and darwin-aarch64 point to the same .app.tar.gz with the same signature.

Platform Artifacts Summary
BuildStandard outputUpdater artifactUpdater uses?
macOS universal<App>-*.dmg<App>-*.app.tar.gz + .sigYes (tar.gz)
Windows NSIS<App>-*.exe<App>-*.exe + .sigYes (exe re-used)
Windows Portable<App>-*-Portable.zipN/ANo (releases link)

Common Mistakes

MistakeFix
Pushing tag before mainAlways push main first. Tag on unpushed commit won't trigger CI on correct SHA
Forgetting createUpdaterArtifactsNo .app.tar.gz or .sig files will be generated
CSP blocking downloadAdd objects.githubusercontent.com and github-releases.githubusercontent.com to connect-src
Missing process:allow-restartrelaunch() fails silently
Showing raw errors to userCatch and show friendly message. The first release won't have latest.json yet. That's a 404, not a bug
Wrong progress event fieldsTauri 2 uses event.data.chunkLength, not position/length
Treating check() null as errornull = no update available, it's a success case
Stale closure in download callbackStore Update in useRef, not just useState
Manifest URL case mismatchlatest.json in endpoints must match the uploaded filename exactly
Not cleaning up unused i18n keysWhen replacing a manual releases button with updater UI, remove old translation keys

Post-Release Notes

  • First release: Existing users won't have the updater code, so they must download this release manually. After that, updates are automatic.
  • Homebrew: The .app.tar.gz and .sig are separate from the DMG. Homebrew cask formulas are unaffected.
  • Signature errors: If the updater reports signature verification failure, the pubkey in tauri.conf.json likely doesn't match the private key used in CI. Regenerate and redeploy.
  • Testing: Build a newer version to test the full download-and-install flow end-to-end.

Security

  • Security scanPassed, 90 of 100Pattern checks on the skill's files.
  • Model reviewPassed

Quality evaluation

  • Task evaluationNot runNo evaluation yet. Run one in Skill Studio.

Source

Popularity

7-day trend score
0

Refreshed 31 Oct 2026, yesterday.

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