macOS auto-update doesn't update and instead relaunches the same version

[AxelTerizaki]

Hello.

I've seen several issues with similar problems here while doing some research on the matter, but I can't find them anymore, so, sorry if this is a duplicate and you're already working on it.

Recently we've had macOS users reporting they couldn't update our app. The update detects a new version, downloads it, restarts, but it looks like it's not installed, and they restart with the same version they had.

During some tests, I found out that running the app from the command-line by opening a terminal and getting into the .app/Contents/MacOS folder to launch the app there... actually works? After the app shutdown, there's a user password prompt, and then the app restarts as the new version.

Some logs, but unsure if that'll help since they end at the same place. I cut the app's specific lines in the logs to keep the Updater ones only

• Not working (launched by double-clicking the app)

{"level":"info","message":"Checking for updates and notify","service":"ElectronUpdater","timestamp":"2025-01-22T09:52:08.875Z"}
{"level":"info","message":"Checking for update","timestamp":"2025-01-22T09:52:08.875Z"}
{"level":"info","message":"Found version 8.0.56 (url: Karaoke Mugen-8.0.56-mac-x64.zip, Karaoke Mugen-8.0.56-mac-arm64.zip, Karaoke Mugen-8.0.56-mac-x64.dmg, Karaoke Mugen-8.0.56-mac-arm64.dmg)","timestamp":"2025-01-22T09:52:09.286Z"}
{"level":"info","message":"Update detected","service":"ElectronUpdater","timestamp":"2025-01-22T09:52:09.286Z"}
{"level":"debug","message":"checkForUpdatesAndNotify called, downloadPromise is null","timestamp":"2025-01-22T09:52:09.567Z"}
{"level":"info","message":"Downloading update from Karaoke Mugen-8.0.56-mac-x64.zip, Karaoke Mugen-8.0.56-mac-arm64.zip, Karaoke Mugen-8.0.56-mac-x64.dmg, Karaoke Mugen-8.0.56-mac-arm64.dmg","timestamp":"2025-01-22T09:52:12.623Z"}
{"level":"debug","message":"Checking for macOS Rosetta environment","timestamp":"2025-01-22T09:52:12.623Z"}
{"level":"info","message":"Checked for macOS Rosetta environment (isRosetta=false)","timestamp":"2025-01-22T09:52:12.625Z"}
{"level":"debug","message":"Checking for arm64 in uname","timestamp":"2025-01-22T09:52:12.625Z"}
{"level":"info","message":"Checked 'uname -a': arm64=true","timestamp":"2025-01-22T09:52:12.627Z"}
{"level":"debug","message":"updater cache dir: /Users/karaokemugen/Library/Caches/karaokemugen-app-updater","timestamp":"2025-01-22T09:52:12.627Z"}
{"level":"info","message":"Update has already been downloaded to /Users/karaokemugen/Library/Caches/karaokemugen-app-updater/pending/Karaoke Mugen-8.0.56-mac-arm64.zip).","timestamp":"2025-01-22T09:52:12.864Z"}
{"level":"debug","message":"Creating proxy server for native Squirrel.Mac (fileToProxy=https://mugen.karaokes.moe/downloads/Karaoke%20Mugen-8.0.56-mac-arm64.zip)","timestamp":"2025-01-22T09:52:12.864Z"}
{"level":"debug","message":"Proxy server for native Squirrel.Mac is created (fileToProxy=https://mugen.karaokes.moe/downloads/Karaoke%20Mugen-8.0.56-mac-arm64.zip)","timestamp":"2025-01-22T09:52:12.865Z"}
{"level":"debug","message":"Proxy server for native Squirrel.Mac is starting to listen (fileToProxy=https://mugen.karaokes.moe/downloads/Karaoke%20Mugen-8.0.56-mac-arm64.zip)","timestamp":"2025-01-22T09:52:12.865Z"}
{"level":"debug","message":"Proxy server for native Squirrel.Mac is listening (address=http://127.0.0.1:65523, fileToProxy=https://mugen.karaokes.moe/downloads/Karaoke%20Mugen-8.0.56-mac-arm64.zip)","timestamp":"2025-01-22T09:52:12.865Z"}
{"level":"info","message":"Update downloaded","service":"ElectronUpdater","timestamp":"2025-01-22T09:52:12.867Z"}
{"level":"info","message":"/ requested","timestamp":"2025-01-22T09:52:13.150Z"}
{"level":"info","message":"/51a29ce535b2a89188e9b83e9d3539d50e08a91a0b50f157fa843d1cecc85c831c0769f99f865457954c4ce260e96de48ce2d4dac8df47bd8945a3549d26185f.zip requested","timestamp":"2025-01-22T09:52:13.153Z"}
{"level":"info","message":"/51a29ce535b2a89188e9b83e9d3539d50e08a91a0b50f157fa843d1cecc85c831c0769f99f865457954c4ce260e96de48ce2d4dac8df47bd8945a3549d26185f.zip requested by Squirrel.Mac, pipe /Users/karaokemugen/Library/Caches/karaokemugen-app-updater/pending/Karaoke Mugen-8.0.56-mac-arm64.zip","timestamp":"2025-01-22T09:52:13.153Z"}
{"level":"debug","message":"nativeUpdater.update-downloaded","timestamp":"2025-01-22T09:52:16.712Z"}
{"level":"debug","message":"Closing proxy server","timestamp":"2025-01-22T09:52:20.210Z"}
{"level":"info","message":"Proxy server for native Squirrel.Mac is closed (fileToProxy=https://mugen.karaokes.moe/downloads/Karaoke%20Mugen-8.0.56-mac-arm64.zip)","timestamp":"2025-01-22T09:52:20.210Z"}

• Working (launched from terminal)

{"level":"debug","message":"checkForUpdatesAndNotify called, downloadPromise is null","timestamp":"2025-01-22T10:03:20.447Z"}
{"level":"info","message":"Downloading update from Karaoke Mugen-8.0.56-mac-x64.zip, Karaoke Mugen-8.0.56-mac-arm64.zip, Karaoke Mugen-8.0.56-mac-x64.dmg, Karaoke Mugen-8.0.56-mac-arm64.dmg","timestamp":"2025-01-22T10:03:26.094Z"}
{"level":"debug","message":"Checking for macOS Rosetta environment","timestamp":"2025-01-22T10:03:26.094Z"}
{"level":"info","message":"Checked for macOS Rosetta environment (isRosetta=false)","timestamp":"2025-01-22T10:03:26.098Z"}
{"level":"debug","message":"Checking for arm64 in uname","timestamp":"2025-01-22T10:03:26.098Z"}
{"level":"info","message":"Checked 'uname -a': arm64=true","timestamp":"2025-01-22T10:03:26.101Z"}
{"level":"debug","message":"updater cache dir: /Users/karaokemugen/Library/Caches/karaokemugen-app-updater","timestamp":"2025-01-22T10:03:26.101Z"}
{"level":"info","message":"Update has already been downloaded to /Users/karaokemugen/Library/Caches/karaokemugen-app-updater/pending/Karaoke Mugen-8.0.56-mac-arm64.zip).","timestamp":"2025-01-22T10:03:26.338Z"}
{"level":"debug","message":"Creating proxy server for native Squirrel.Mac (fileToProxy=https://mugen.karaokes.moe/downloads/Karaoke%20Mugen-8.0.56-mac-arm64.zip)","timestamp":"2025-01-22T10:03:26.339Z"}
{"level":"debug","message":"Proxy server for native Squirrel.Mac is created (fileToProxy=https://mugen.karaokes.moe/downloads/Karaoke%20Mugen-8.0.56-mac-arm64.zip)","timestamp":"2025-01-22T10:03:26.339Z"}
{"level":"debug","message":"Proxy server for native Squirrel.Mac is starting to listen (fileToProxy=https://mugen.karaokes.moe/downloads/Karaoke%20Mugen-8.0.56-mac-arm64.zip)","timestamp":"2025-01-22T10:03:26.339Z"}
{"level":"debug","message":"Proxy server for native Squirrel.Mac is listening (address=http://127.0.0.1:49208, fileToProxy=https://mugen.karaokes.moe/downloads/Karaoke%20Mugen-8.0.56-mac-arm64.zip)","timestamp":"2025-01-22T10:03:26.339Z"}
{"level":"info","message":"Update downloaded","service":"ElectronUpdater","timestamp":"2025-01-22T10:03:26.342Z"}
{"level":"info","message":"/ requested","timestamp":"2025-01-22T10:03:26.757Z"}
{"level":"info","message":"/cd71e37c3c3b6d2333830301a0f17fff98ca5365dc5d672dd70b01cbccc2a47d34340526e1103f67363f4760be237e3f76ca6eee2923d736e3d4e86b1767113f.zip requested","timestamp":"2025-01-22T10:03:26.759Z"}
{"level":"info","message":"/cd71e37c3c3b6d2333830301a0f17fff98ca5365dc5d672dd70b01cbccc2a47d34340526e1103f67363f4760be237e3f76ca6eee2923d736e3d4e86b1767113f.zip requested by Squirrel.Mac, pipe /Users/karaokemugen/Library/Caches/karaokemugen-app-updater/pending/Karaoke Mugen-8.0.56-mac-arm64.zip","timestamp":"2025-01-22T10:03:26.759Z"}
{"level":"debug","message":"nativeUpdater.update-downloaded","timestamp":"2025-01-22T10:03:35.259Z"}
{"level":"debug","message":"Closing proxy server","timestamp":"2025-01-22T10:03:35.259Z"}
{"level":"info","message":"Proxy server for native Squirrel.Mac is closed (fileToProxy=https://mugen.karaokes.moe/downloads/Karaoke%20Mugen-8.0.56-mac-arm64.zip)","timestamp":"2025-01-22T10:03:35.260Z"}

Note : another user tried this trick but it didn't work for them.

Any help would be appreciated!

[mmaietta]

Hi there! Missing a key piece of info for me to triage off of. What version of electron-updater are you on?

This is actually the first I've heard of this issue tbh, would love to see the other issues if you're able to locate them

[AxelTerizaki]

My bad! Here :

• electron-builder  version=24.13.3 os=24.2.0

I will take a look again at the issues here to try to find out where this was mentionned.

[AxelTerizaki]

Actually I found it, it's #6058 .

I realize I haven't read the issue completely there, I might try some of the workarounds people have listed, but I still think is a bug as it didn't happen to us before recently. I've managed to reproduce it on our build machine so it's just not a few isolated users. :)

I'll further comment tomorrow if I find a workaround that solves our problem.

[mmaietta]

Thank you! I'll take a look later tonight

Re: electron-builder version=24.13.3 os=24.2.0. That's the electron-builder version that is installed. What's the electron-updater semver in your package.json? (Even better would be the exact version specific in your lockfile)

[AxelTerizaki]

My bad again. It's 6.3.9.

[mmaietta]

Kk, thanks!

Out of curiosity, did you recently update your electron-updater version? (Hoping I can do a git bisect or diff to see if anything sticks out in particular)

[AxelTerizaki]

We did update back in october. However, we frequently update things like Electron, we're at 33.2.1 right now.