fix(update): re-check every launch when the cache says up-to-date

CheckForUpdate used to trust any cache entry less than 12h old
whose CurrentAt matched the running binary. Problem: if a user
installs v0.0.72 at 16:05 (cache: up-to-date) and a v0.0.73
release ships at 18:27, relaunching zot at 18:29 hits the
fresh cache and never calls the github api \u2014 the update
banner stays hidden until either 12h pass or the binary is
rebuilt. Noticed in the wild: v0.0.73 latest, zot 0.0.72
running, no banner.

Refined logic: only short-circuit on a cached entry when it
already reports Available=true. If the cache says "up to
date" we let the flow fall through to fetchLatestRelease and
reconcile. The api call is a single ~4s timeout request;
cheap enough to do on every up-to-date launch, and the common
"cache already shows available" path still skips the network
entirely.

Also: manually cleared /Users/pat/Library/Application
Support/zot/update-check.json on my local box so the next
launch sees the new v0.0.73 release without waiting; that's
user state, not something to commit.

commit: 916a6f71d10089261a261af091dc84ad98618c2c
author: patriceckhart · 6mo ago · 2026-04-20 16:31 UTC
parent: 13b8947
signature: unsigned
refs: tag: v0.0.74

1 file · +13 -1

M internal/agent/update.go +13 -1


@@ -62,8 +62,20 @@ func CheckForUpdate(ctx context.Context, zotHome, currentVersion string) UpdateI
62	62		cachePath := filepath.Join(zotHome, updateCheckFile)
63	63		if c, ok := readUpdateCache(cachePath); ok {
64	64		// Cache is fresh and tracks the same binary version.
	65	+	// Additional guard: only trust the cache when it already
	66	+	// reports an available update. If the cache says "up to
	67	+	// date" (Latest <= Current) we re-check anyway so a
	68	+	// release published after the last launch is picked up
	69	+	// without waiting out the full TTL. The API call is a
	70	+	// single 4s request; cheap to do on every up-to-date
	71	+	// launch, and skips entirely for the common "installed a
	72	+	// new version, cache reports update available" path.
65	73		if time.Since(c.CheckedAt) < updateCheckTTL && c.CurrentAt == currentVersion {
66		-	return buildInfo(currentVersion, c.Latest, c.URL)
	74	+	info := buildInfo(currentVersion, c.Latest, c.URL)
	75	+	if info.Available {
	76	+	return info
	77	+	}
	78	+	// fall through to re-check
67	79		}
68	80		}
69	81


@@ -62,8 +62,20 @@ func CheckForUpdate(ctx context.Context, zotHome, currentVersion string) UpdateI
62		cachePath := filepath.Join(zotHome, updateCheckFile)	62		cachePath := filepath.Join(zotHome, updateCheckFile)
63		if c, ok := readUpdateCache(cachePath); ok {	63		if c, ok := readUpdateCache(cachePath); ok {
64		// Cache is fresh and tracks the same binary version.	64		// Cache is fresh and tracks the same binary version.
			65	+	// Additional guard: only trust the cache when it already
			66	+	// reports an available update. If the cache says "up to
			67	+	// date" (Latest <= Current) we re-check anyway so a
			68	+	// release published after the last launch is picked up
			69	+	// without waiting out the full TTL. The API call is a
			70	+	// single 4s request; cheap to do on every up-to-date
			71	+	// launch, and skips entirely for the common "installed a
			72	+	// new version, cache reports update available" path.
65		if time.Since(c.CheckedAt) < updateCheckTTL && c.CurrentAt == currentVersion {	73		if time.Since(c.CheckedAt) < updateCheckTTL && c.CurrentAt == currentVersion {
66	-	return buildInfo(currentVersion, c.Latest, c.URL)	74	+	info := buildInfo(currentVersion, c.Latest, c.URL)
			75	+	if info.Available {
			76	+	return info
			77	+	}
			78	+	// fall through to re-check
67		}	79		}
68		}	80		}
69			81