feat: add GitHub update check and APK handling for in-app updates

.github/workflows/build.yml

@@ -80,10 +80,19 @@ jobs:
           VERSION=${GITHUB_REF_NAME:-dev}
           COMMIT=$(git rev-parse --short HEAD)
           DATE=$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)
-          LDFLAGS="-s -w -X github.com/sartoopjj/thefeed/internal/version.Version=${VERSION} -X github.com/sartoopjj/thefeed/internal/version.Commit=${COMMIT} -X github.com/sartoopjj/thefeed/internal/version.Date=${DATE}"
           ext=""
           BUILD_MODE=""
           if [ "${{ matrix.goos }}" = "windows" ]; then ext=".exe"; fi
+          # AssetTemplate matches the published filename in the
+          # thefeed-files repo so the in-app update prompt links straight
+          # to the right binary. {V} is replaced at runtime with the
+          # version string read from the public VERSION file.
+          if [ "${{ matrix.goos }}" = "android" ]; then
+            ASSET_TEMPLATE="thefeed-client-android-${{ matrix.goarch }}"
+          else
+            ASSET_TEMPLATE="thefeed-client-{V}-${{ matrix.goos }}-${{ matrix.goarch }}${ext}"
+          fi
+          LDFLAGS="-s -w -X github.com/sartoopjj/thefeed/internal/version.Version=${VERSION} -X github.com/sartoopjj/thefeed/internal/version.Commit=${COMMIT} -X github.com/sartoopjj/thefeed/internal/version.Date=${DATE} -X github.com/sartoopjj/thefeed/internal/version.AssetTemplate=${ASSET_TEMPLATE}"
           # Modern Android requires PIE for executables launched via exec(),
           # and several heuristic AV engines (Kaspersky Boogr.gsh,
           # several VT vendors) flag non-PIE bundled binaries as suspicious.

Makefile

@@ -15,6 +15,14 @@ LDFLAGS = -s -w \
 GOFLAGS = -trimpath -ldflags="$(LDFLAGS)"
 export CGO_ENABLED = 0
 
+# CLIENT_GOFLAGS appends the platform-specific AssetTemplate so the
+# in-app GitHub update check (internal/update) can point users at the
+# right published binary. {V} is replaced at runtime with the version
+# string read from the public VERSION file. Pass the asset filename as
+# the first argument.
+#   $(call CLIENT_GOFLAGS,thefeed-client-{V}-linux-amd64)
+CLIENT_GOFLAGS = -trimpath -ldflags="$(LDFLAGS) -X github.com/sartoopjj/thefeed/internal/version.AssetTemplate=$(1)"
+
 all: test build
 
 build: build-server build-client
@@ -49,45 +57,45 @@ build-all: build-linux-amd64 build-linux-arm64 build-darwin-amd64 build-darwin-a
 build-linux-amd64:
 	@mkdir -p $(BUILD_DIR)
 	GOOS=linux GOARCH=amd64 go build $(GOFLAGS) -o $(BUILD_DIR)/$(BINARY_SERVER)-linux-amd64 ./cmd/server
-	GOOS=linux GOARCH=amd64 go build $(GOFLAGS) -o $(BUILD_DIR)/$(BINARY_CLIENT)-linux-amd64 ./cmd/client
+	GOOS=linux GOARCH=amd64 go build $(call CLIENT_GOFLAGS,thefeed-client-{V}-linux-amd64) -o $(BUILD_DIR)/$(BINARY_CLIENT)-linux-amd64 ./cmd/client
 
 build-linux-arm64:
 	@mkdir -p $(BUILD_DIR)
 	GOOS=linux GOARCH=arm64 go build $(GOFLAGS) -o $(BUILD_DIR)/$(BINARY_SERVER)-linux-arm64 ./cmd/server
-	GOOS=linux GOARCH=arm64 go build $(GOFLAGS) -o $(BUILD_DIR)/$(BINARY_CLIENT)-linux-arm64 ./cmd/client
+	GOOS=linux GOARCH=arm64 go build $(call CLIENT_GOFLAGS,thefeed-client-{V}-linux-arm64) -o $(BUILD_DIR)/$(BINARY_CLIENT)-linux-arm64 ./cmd/client
 
 build-darwin-amd64:
 	@mkdir -p $(BUILD_DIR)
 	GOOS=darwin GOARCH=amd64 go build $(GOFLAGS) -o $(BUILD_DIR)/$(BINARY_SERVER)-darwin-amd64 ./cmd/server
-	GOOS=darwin GOARCH=amd64 go build $(GOFLAGS) -o $(BUILD_DIR)/$(BINARY_CLIENT)-darwin-amd64 ./cmd/client
+	GOOS=darwin GOARCH=amd64 go build $(call CLIENT_GOFLAGS,thefeed-client-{V}-darwin-amd64) -o $(BUILD_DIR)/$(BINARY_CLIENT)-darwin-amd64 ./cmd/client
 
 build-darwin-arm64:
 	@mkdir -p $(BUILD_DIR)
 	GOOS=darwin GOARCH=arm64 go build $(GOFLAGS) -o $(BUILD_DIR)/$(BINARY_SERVER)-darwin-arm64 ./cmd/server
-	GOOS=darwin GOARCH=arm64 go build $(GOFLAGS) -o $(BUILD_DIR)/$(BINARY_CLIENT)-darwin-arm64 ./cmd/client
+	GOOS=darwin GOARCH=arm64 go build $(call CLIENT_GOFLAGS,thefeed-client-{V}-darwin-arm64) -o $(BUILD_DIR)/$(BINARY_CLIENT)-darwin-arm64 ./cmd/client
 
 build-freebsd-amd64:
 	@mkdir -p $(BUILD_DIR)
 	GOOS=freebsd GOARCH=amd64 go build $(GOFLAGS) -o $(BUILD_DIR)/$(BINARY_SERVER)-freebsd-amd64 ./cmd/server
-	GOOS=freebsd GOARCH=amd64 go build $(GOFLAGS) -o $(BUILD_DIR)/$(BINARY_CLIENT)-freebsd-amd64 ./cmd/client
+	GOOS=freebsd GOARCH=amd64 go build $(call CLIENT_GOFLAGS,thefeed-client-{V}-freebsd-amd64) -o $(BUILD_DIR)/$(BINARY_CLIENT)-freebsd-amd64 ./cmd/client
 
 build-freebsd-arm64:
 	@mkdir -p $(BUILD_DIR)
 	GOOS=freebsd GOARCH=arm64 go build $(GOFLAGS) -o $(BUILD_DIR)/$(BINARY_SERVER)-freebsd-arm64 ./cmd/server
-	GOOS=freebsd GOARCH=arm64 go build $(GOFLAGS) -o $(BUILD_DIR)/$(BINARY_CLIENT)-freebsd-arm64 ./cmd/client
+	GOOS=freebsd GOARCH=arm64 go build $(call CLIENT_GOFLAGS,thefeed-client-{V}-freebsd-arm64) -o $(BUILD_DIR)/$(BINARY_CLIENT)-freebsd-arm64 ./cmd/client
 
 build-windows-amd64:
 	@mkdir -p $(BUILD_DIR)
 	GOOS=windows GOARCH=amd64 go build $(GOFLAGS) -o $(BUILD_DIR)/$(BINARY_SERVER)-windows-amd64.exe ./cmd/server
-	GOOS=windows GOARCH=amd64 go build $(GOFLAGS) -o $(BUILD_DIR)/$(BINARY_CLIENT)-windows-amd64.exe ./cmd/client
+	GOOS=windows GOARCH=amd64 go build $(call CLIENT_GOFLAGS,thefeed-client-{V}-windows-amd64.exe) -o $(BUILD_DIR)/$(BINARY_CLIENT)-windows-amd64.exe ./cmd/client
 
 build-android-arm64:
 	@mkdir -p $(BUILD_DIR)
-	GOOS=android GOARCH=arm64 go build $(GOFLAGS) -o $(BUILD_DIR)/$(BINARY_CLIENT)-android-arm64 ./cmd/client
+	GOOS=android GOARCH=arm64 go build $(call CLIENT_GOFLAGS,thefeed-client-android-arm64) -o $(BUILD_DIR)/$(BINARY_CLIENT)-android-arm64 ./cmd/client
 
 build-android-arm:
 	@mkdir -p $(BUILD_DIR)
-	GOOS=linux GOARCH=arm GOARM=7 go build $(GOFLAGS) -o $(BUILD_DIR)/$(BINARY_CLIENT)-android-arm ./cmd/client
+	GOOS=linux GOARCH=arm GOARM=7 go build $(call CLIENT_GOFLAGS,thefeed-client-android-arm) -o $(BUILD_DIR)/$(BINARY_CLIENT)-android-arm ./cmd/client
 
 # UPX compression (requires upx in PATH) — only for Linux/Windows binaries
 upx:

android/app/src/main/java/com/thefeed/android/ThefeedService.kt

@@ -81,6 +81,9 @@ class ThefeedService : Service() {
                 val env = mutableMapOf<String, String>()
                 env["HOME"] = filesDir.absolutePath
                 env["TMPDIR"] = cacheDir.absolutePath
+                // Tells internal/update to point the user at the APK on
+                // GitHub instead of the bare client binary.
+                env["THEFEED_ANDROID_APK"] = "1"
 
                 val pb = ProcessBuilder(
                     bin.absolutePath,

internal/update/update.go

@@ -0,0 +1,190 @@
+// Package update talks to the public thefeed-files repo to find out
+// whether a newer client is available, and hands the frontend a
+// platform-correct download URL.
+//
+// This is independent of the in-protocol /api/version-check flow that
+// reads the version from the server over DNS — that path requires a
+// configured profile, while this one works as soon as the binary boots
+// and only needs plain HTTPS reachability.
+package update
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"net/http"
+	"os"
+	"runtime"
+	"strconv"
+	"strings"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/sartoopjj/thefeed/internal/version"
+)
+
+// BaseURL is the directory the release assets live under. The "raw"
+// path resolves to the actual file bytes; pointing the user's browser
+// here triggers a download.
+const BaseURL = "https://github.com/sartoopjj/thefeed-files/raw/main/clients"
+
+// VersionURL returns the plain-text VERSION file. Plain raw.githubusercontent
+// host avoids the HTML wrapper github.com puts around blob views.
+const VersionURL = "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sartoopjj/thefeed-files/main/clients/VERSION"
+
+// Status is the JSON returned to the frontend.
+type Status struct {
+	Current     string `json:"current"`
+	Latest      string `json:"latest"`
+	HasUpdate   bool   `json:"hasUpdate"`
+	DownloadURL string `json:"downloadURL"`
+}
+
+// httpClient is shared so we get connection reuse between repeated
+// background checks. 30s is plenty for a 16-byte text file.
+var httpClient = &http.Client{Timeout: 30 * time.Second}
+
+// Check fetches the VERSION file and assembles a Status for the running
+// platform. Errors are returned to the caller — the frontend decides
+// whether to surface them or stay quiet.
+func Check(ctx context.Context) (Status, error) {
+	s := Status{Current: version.Version}
+
+	req, err := http.NewRequestWithContext(ctx, http.MethodGet, VersionURL, nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		return s, err
+	}
+	// GitHub's raw host doesn't require a UA but rejects empty Accept
+	// occasionally; set both defensively.
+	req.Header.Set("User-Agent", "thefeed-client/"+version.Version)
+	req.Header.Set("Accept", "text/plain")
+
+	resp, err := httpClient.Do(req)
+	if err != nil {
+		return s, err
+	}
+	defer resp.Body.Close()
+	if resp.StatusCode != 200 {
+		return s, fmt.Errorf("VERSION fetch: %s", resp.Status)
+	}
+	body, err := io.ReadAll(io.LimitReader(resp.Body, 1024))
+	if err != nil {
+		return s, err
+	}
+	s.Latest = strings.TrimSpace(string(body))
+	if s.Latest == "" {
+		return s, fmt.Errorf("VERSION file empty")
+	}
+	s.HasUpdate = IsNewer(s.Latest, s.Current)
+	s.DownloadURL = AssetURL(s.Latest)
+	return s, nil
+}
+
+// AssetURL builds the download URL for the running platform at the
+// requested version. Falls back to a runtime-derived template if
+// AssetTemplate wasn't injected at build time (e.g., `go run`).
+func AssetURL(latest string) string {
+	tmpl := version.AssetTemplate
+	if isAndroidAPK() {
+		// APK wrapper takes priority over the bare client binary —
+		// users who installed the APK should update the APK.
+		tmpl = androidAPKTemplate()
+	}
+	if tmpl == "" {
+		tmpl = defaultTemplate()
+	}
+	if tmpl == "" {
+		return ""
+	}
+	name := strings.ReplaceAll(tmpl, "{V}", strings.TrimSpace(latest))
+	return BaseURL + "/" + name
+}
+
+// IsNewer compares semver-ish version strings, tolerating the "v" prefix
+// and numeric pre-release suffixes. Returns false if either side is "dev".
+func IsNewer(latest, current string) bool {
+	a := strings.TrimPrefix(strings.TrimSpace(latest), "v")
+	b := strings.TrimPrefix(strings.TrimSpace(current), "v")
+	if a == "" || b == "" {
+		return false
+	}
+	if b == "dev" {
+		// `go run` / unreleased build — never nag.
+		return false
+	}
+	if a == b {
+		return false
+	}
+	as := strings.Split(stripPre(a), ".")
+	bs := strings.Split(stripPre(b), ".")
+	n := len(as)
+	if len(bs) > n {
+		n = len(bs)
+	}
+	for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
+		ai, bi := 0, 0
+		if i < len(as) {
+			ai, _ = strconv.Atoi(as[i])
+		}
+		if i < len(bs) {
+			bi, _ = strconv.Atoi(bs[i])
+		}
+		if ai > bi {
+			return true
+		}
+		if ai < bi {
+			return false
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+func stripPre(v string) string {
+	if i := strings.IndexAny(v, "-+"); i >= 0 {
+		return v[:i]
+	}
+	return v
+}
+
+// isAndroidAPK returns true when this binary is running inside the
+// Android APK wrapper rather than as a standalone Termux/CLI client.
+// Two signals are checked:
+//   - THEFEED_ANDROID_APK=1 set by ThefeedService.kt before exec.
+//   - The executable path lives under com.thefeed.android's
+//     nativeLibraryDir, which always contains "com.thefeed.android".
+func isAndroidAPK() bool {
+	if runtime.GOOS != "android" {
+		return false
+	}
+	if os.Getenv("THEFEED_ANDROID_APK") == "1" {
+		return true
+	}
+	if exe, err := os.Executable(); err == nil {
+		if strings.Contains(exe, "com.thefeed.android") {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+// androidAPKTemplate returns the asset name for the user-facing APK
+// (not the raw client binary) at version "{V}".
+func androidAPKTemplate() string {
+	abi := "arm64-v8a"
+	if runtime.GOARCH == "arm" {
+		abi = "armeabi-v7a"
+	}
+	return "thefeed-android-{V}-" + abi + ".apk"
+}
+
+// defaultTemplate is the fallback used when AssetTemplate wasn't
+// injected by ldflags. Mirrors the matrix in .github/workflows/build.yml.
+func defaultTemplate() string {
+	switch runtime.GOOS {
+	case "android":
+		return "thefeed-client-android-" + runtime.GOARCH
+	case "windows":
+		return "thefeed-client-{V}-windows-" + runtime.GOARCH + ".exe"
+	default:
+		return "thefeed-client-{V}-" + runtime.GOOS + "-" + runtime.GOARCH
+	}
+}

internal/update/update_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+package update
+
+import (
+	"runtime"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/sartoopjj/thefeed/internal/version"
+)
+
+func TestIsNewer(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		latest, current string
+		want            bool
+	}{
+		{"v0.13.5", "v0.13.4", true},
+		{"v0.13.5", "0.13.4", true},
+		{"0.13.5", "v0.13.4", true},
+		{"v0.13.5", "v0.13.5", false},
+		{"v0.13.4", "v0.13.5", false},
+		{"v1.0.0", "v0.99.99", true},
+		{"v0.13.5", "dev", false},
+		{"", "v0.13.5", false},
+		{"v0.13.5", "", false},
+		{"v0.13.5-rc1", "v0.13.4", true},
+		{"v0.13.5", "v0.13.5-rc1", false}, // numeric parts equal → not newer
+	}
+	for _, c := range cases {
+		if got := IsNewer(c.latest, c.current); got != c.want {
+			t.Errorf("IsNewer(%q, %q) = %v, want %v", c.latest, c.current, got, c.want)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAssetURLFromTemplate(t *testing.T) {
+	old := version.AssetTemplate
+	defer func() { version.AssetTemplate = old }()
+
+	version.AssetTemplate = "thefeed-client-{V}-linux-amd64"
+	url := AssetURL("v0.13.5")
+	want := BaseURL + "/thefeed-client-v0.13.5-linux-amd64"
+	if url != want {
+		t.Errorf("got %q, want %q", url, want)
+	}
+
+	version.AssetTemplate = "thefeed-client-{V}-windows-amd64.exe"
+	url = AssetURL("v0.14.0")
+	want = BaseURL + "/thefeed-client-v0.14.0-windows-amd64.exe"
+	if url != want {
+		t.Errorf("got %q, want %q", url, want)
+	}
+
+	// Unversioned template (Android client binary) — {V} not present,
+	// substitution should be a no-op.
+	version.AssetTemplate = "thefeed-client-android-arm64"
+	url = AssetURL("v0.13.5")
+	want = BaseURL + "/thefeed-client-android-arm64"
+	if url != want {
+		t.Errorf("got %q, want %q", url, want)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAssetURLFallback(t *testing.T) {
+	old := version.AssetTemplate
+	defer func() { version.AssetTemplate = old }()
+	version.AssetTemplate = ""
+
+	url := AssetURL("v0.13.5")
+	if url == "" {
+		t.Fatal("expected non-empty URL even without AssetTemplate")
+	}
+	if !strings.HasPrefix(url, BaseURL+"/") {
+		t.Errorf("URL %q missing base prefix", url)
+	}
+	// Should at minimum mention the running OS.
+	if !strings.Contains(url, runtime.GOOS) && runtime.GOOS != "android" {
+		t.Errorf("URL %q should mention %q", url, runtime.GOOS)
+	}
+}

internal/version/version.go

@@ -5,4 +5,18 @@ var (
 	Version = "dev"
 	Commit  = "unknown"
 	Date    = "unknown"
+
+	// AssetTemplate is the GitHub release asset filename pattern for the
+	// running platform. The literal "{V}" is replaced with the new version
+	// string (with the "v" prefix, e.g., "v0.13.5") at update-check time.
+	//
+	// Examples baked in by the build workflow:
+	//   thefeed-client-{V}-linux-amd64
+	//   thefeed-client-{V}-windows-amd64.exe
+	//   thefeed-client-android-arm64        (no version — Android client)
+	//
+	// The Android-APK case is detected at runtime in internal/update and
+	// overrides this with thefeed-android-{V}-{abi}.apk because the same
+	// client binary ships both inside the APK and as a Termux download.
+	AssetTemplate = ""
 )

internal/web/static/index.html

@@ -2219,9 +2219,11 @@
           <span data-i18n="latest_version">Latest Version</span>
           <span id="latestVersionEl">-</span>
         </div>
-        <div class="settings-info-row">
+        <div class="settings-info-row" style="display:flex;gap:6px">
           <button class="btn btn-outline btn-sm" id="checkVersionBtn" onclick="checkLatestVersion()"
-            data-i18n="check_now" style="width:100%">Check Now</button>
+            data-i18n="check_now" style="flex:1">Check Now</button>
+          <button class="btn btn-outline btn-sm" id="checkGitHubBtn" onclick="checkGitHubUpdate(true)"
+            data-i18n="check_github" style="flex:1">Check on GitHub</button>
         </div>
         <div class="settings-info-row">
           <button class="btn btn-flat btn-sm" onclick="clearCache()"
@@ -2585,9 +2587,14 @@
         latest_version: 'آخرین نسخه قابل دانلود',
         check_latest_version: 'بررسی نسخه جدید',
         check_now: 'بررسی',
+        check_github: 'بررسی در گیتهاب',
         checking_version: 'در حال بررسی...',
         version_up_to_date: 'نسخه شما به‌روز است: {v}',
         version_check_failed: 'بررسی نسخه ناموفق بود',
+        update_check_failed: 'بررسی به‌روزرسانی ناموفق بود',
+        update_download_hint: 'برای دانلود نسخه جدید روی دکمه زیر کلیک کنید:',
+        update_download_btn: 'دانلود',
+        update_later_btn: 'بعداً',
         channel_mgmt_note: 'قابلیت مدیریت کانال نیاز به فعال سازی سمت سرور دارد. اگر توسط ادمین غیرفعال شده باشد، افزودن/حذف کار نمی\u200cکند.',
         channel_mgmt_inactive: 'برای مدیریت کانال\u200cها، ابتدا این پروفایل را فعال کنید.',
         channel_placeholder: 'نام کاربری کانال',
@@ -2758,9 +2765,14 @@
         latest_version: 'Latest Version',
         check_latest_version: 'Check for Updates',
         check_now: 'Check Now',
+        check_github: 'Check on GitHub',
         checking_version: 'Checking...',
         version_up_to_date: 'You are up to date: {v}',
         version_check_failed: 'Version check failed',
+        update_check_failed: 'Update check failed',
+        update_download_hint: 'Click the button below to download the new version:',
+        update_download_btn: 'Download',
+        update_later_btn: 'Later',
         channel_mgmt_note: 'Channel management requires server-side support. If disabled by the server admin, adding/removing channels will not work.',
         channel_mgmt_inactive: 'Switch to this profile first to manage its channels.',
         channel_placeholder: 'channel_username',
@@ -2998,6 +3010,10 @@
       loadBgImage();
       connectSSE();
       refreshResolversBadge();
+      // Quietly ask GitHub for the latest published client version. Runs in
+      // the background so a slow github.com response can't delay startup —
+      // if there's an update, the dialog shows up a few seconds later.
+      checkGitHubUpdate(false).catch(function () { });
       try {
         var r = await fetch('/api/status'); var st = await r.json();
         await loadProfiles();
@@ -3256,6 +3272,74 @@
       } catch (e) { }
     }
 
+    // checkGitHubUpdate hits /api/update/github (which fetches the VERSION
+    // file from the public thefeed-files repo) and prompts the user with
+    // a download link tailored to their platform. `manual=true` shows a
+    // toast on "no update", `manual=false` stays silent.
+    async function checkGitHubUpdate(manual) {
+      try {
+        var r = await fetch('/api/update/github');
+        if (!r.ok) {
+          if (manual) showToast(t('update_check_failed') || 'Update check failed');
+          return;
+        }
+        var data = await r.json();
+        if (!data || !data.latest) return;
+        latestVersion = data.latest;
+        renderLatestVersion();
+        if (data.hasUpdate && data.downloadURL) {
+          if (!manual) {
+            // Don't nag the same user about the same version twice.
+            var seenKey = 'thefeed_seen_gh_update_' + normalizeVersion(data.latest);
+            if (localStorage.getItem(seenKey) === '1') return;
+            localStorage.setItem(seenKey, '1');
+          }
+          showUpdateDialog(data.latest, data.downloadURL);
+        } else if (manual) {
+          showToast((t('version_up_to_date') || 'Up to date: {v}').replace('{v}', data.latest));
+        }
+      } catch (e) {
+        if (manual) showToast(e.message || t('update_check_failed') || 'Update check failed');
+      }
+    }
+
+    function showUpdateDialog(newVersion, url) {
+      // Re-use the existing modal styling. Two buttons: download (opens
+      // the binary URL in a new tab / hands off to system app on Android)
+      // and later (just dismisses).
+      var msg = (t('update_available') || 'New version available: {v}').replace('{v}', newVersion);
+      var hint = t('update_download_hint') || 'Download the new version below.';
+      var dl = t('update_download_btn') || 'Download';
+      var later = t('update_later_btn') || 'Later';
+      var overlay = document.createElement('div');
+      overlay.className = 'modal-overlay active';
+      overlay.innerHTML = '<div class="modal" style="max-width:380px">'
+        + '<h2 style="margin-top:0">' + esc(msg) + '</h2>'
+        + '<p style="font-size:13px;color:var(--text-dim);margin-bottom:12px;line-height:1.6">' + esc(hint) + '</p>'
+        + '<p style="font-size:11px;color:var(--text-dim);margin-bottom:16px;word-break:break-all"><code>' + esc(url) + '</code></p>'
+        + '<div class="modal-actions">'
+        + '  <button class="btn btn-flat" id="updateLater">' + esc(later) + '</button>'
+        + '  <button class="btn btn-primary" id="updateDownload">' + esc(dl) + '</button>'
+        + '</div></div>';
+      document.body.appendChild(overlay);
+      document.getElementById('updateLater').onclick = function () {
+        if (overlay.parentNode) overlay.parentNode.removeChild(overlay);
+      };
+      document.getElementById('updateDownload').onclick = function () {
+        try {
+          var a = document.createElement('a');
+          a.href = url;
+          a.target = '_blank';
+          a.rel = 'noopener noreferrer';
+          a.style.display = 'none';
+          document.body.appendChild(a);
+          a.click();
+          a.remove();
+        } catch (e) { }
+        if (overlay.parentNode) overlay.parentNode.removeChild(overlay);
+      };
+    }
+
     async function checkLatestVersion() {
       var btn = document.getElementById('checkVersionBtn');
       var prevText = btn ? btn.textContent : '';

internal/web/web.go

@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/sartoopjj/thefeed/internal/client"
 	"github.com/sartoopjj/thefeed/internal/protocol"
+	"github.com/sartoopjj/thefeed/internal/update"
 	"github.com/sartoopjj/thefeed/internal/version"
 )
 
@@ -264,6 +265,7 @@ func (s *Server) Run() error {
 	mux.HandleFunc("/api/auto-update/toggle", s.handleAutoUpdateToggle)
 	mux.HandleFunc("/api/settings", s.handleSettings)
 	mux.HandleFunc("/api/version-check", s.handleVersionCheck)
+	mux.HandleFunc("/api/update/github", s.handleGitHubUpdateCheck)
 	mux.HandleFunc("/api/cache/clear", s.handleClearCache)
 	mux.HandleFunc("/api/bg-image", s.handleBgImage)
 	mux.HandleFunc("/api/resolvers/apply-saved", s.handleApplySavedResolvers)
@@ -2581,6 +2583,25 @@ func (s *Server) handleVersionCheck(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	writeJSON(w, map[string]any{"ok": true, "latestVersion": v})
 }
 
+// handleGitHubUpdateCheck queries the public thefeed-files repo for the
+// latest published client version and returns a download URL tailored
+// to this binary's platform. Independent of the DNS-protocol version
+// check above — works without a configured profile.
+func (s *Server) handleGitHubUpdateCheck(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+	if r.Method != http.MethodGet && r.Method != http.MethodPost {
+		http.Error(w, "method not allowed", 405)
+		return
+	}
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(r.Context(), 35*time.Second)
+	defer cancel()
+	st, err := update.Check(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		http.Error(w, fmt.Sprintf("update check failed: %v", err), 502)
+		return
+	}
+	writeJSON(w, st)
+}
+
 // runMediaCacheSweep evicts expired media-cache entries every hour for the
 // lifetime of the process.
 func (s *Server) runMediaCacheSweep() {