June 28, 2026
Desktop auto-updates and a clearer settings foundation
The desktop app gained signed, channel-aware updates and the first version of global update settings.
The desktop app becomes the primary install path #2201
The legacy ao start command now finds, downloads, and opens the desktop app instead of treating npm as the application channel.
Stable and preview updates inside the desktop app #2221
Desktop updates understand stable and preview channels and can install through the app's update runtime.
Update controls and download progress in Settings #2235
Global settings now expose migration and update-channel controls, with visible progress while the desktop app is downloaded.
Improvements
CLI
- Ao start fetch/open for Windows and Linux (T6/T7) #2204
Product
- Dashboard legacy-migration popup + app-state migration marker #2219
Desktop
- Add blank Global Settings page #2218
Updates
- Electron-updater feed publishing + macOS signing #2226
Bug fixes
Product
- Stop orchestrator id-increment + OS-native daemon liveness link #2185
- Refine notification bell count #2180
Pull requests
- Hide backend subprocess windows on Windows #2179
- Nightly channel never resolves (missing allowPrerelease) #2265
Browser
- Clip preview view to its panel column so it can't render out of bounds #2203
Updates
- Bundle app-update.yml so electron-updater can install (forge omits it) #2244
CLI
- Treat run-file removal as stopped in
ao stop#2215