[BUG] Automatic updates reinstall software removed outside its package manager

[hayashishungenn]

Please confirm these before moving forward

• I searched open and closed issues and did not find a duplicate.
• I reproduced this on the latest installed stable release.
• I checked the FAQ.
• This report describes unexpected behavior.

UniGetUI Version

2026.2.2.0

Windows version, edition, and architecture

Windows 11 Pro 10.0.26200, x64

Describe your issue

When Automatically update packages is enabled, UniGetUI can silently reinstall an application that the user has already removed outside its package manager.

In this case, OpenCode Desktop had been removed, but Chocolatey's opencode-desktop package metadata still reported version 1.17.10. UniGetUI's daemon detected 1.17.11 and automatically ran:

choco.exe upgrade opencode-desktop -y --no-progress

Chocolatey treats this as an upgrade and runs the installer, so the application reappears without an explicit install request. From the user's point of view, UniGetUI keeps restoring software they intentionally uninstalled.

I understand that stale package metadata originates in the underlying package manager. However, automatic updating should ideally avoid silently reinstalling software whose installed application/uninstall entry is no longer present. Possible safe behaviors would be to skip and notify, mark the package state as inconsistent, or require confirmation before reinstalling.

Steps to reproduce the issue

1. Install an application through Chocolatey/UniGetUI.
2. Enable Automatically update packages.
3. Remove the application using its vendor uninstaller or Windows Installed Apps, leaving Chocolatey package metadata behind.
4. Wait until a newer package version becomes available (or otherwise trigger UniGetUI's automatic update processing).
5. Observe that UniGetUI runs choco upgrade <package> and the removed application is installed again.

UniGetUI Log

UniGetUI is running in the background as:
UniGetUI.exe --daemon

The configuration marker `AutomaticallyUpdatePackages` is present.

At 2026-06-27 12:15, the automatic package operation was initiated through UniGetUI. The application files were recreated at 12:16.

Package Managers Logs

2026-06-27 12:13:09 [DEBUG] Process Tree: Chocolatey CLI => Chocolatey CLI => UniGetUI => explorer
2026-06-27 12:13:10 [INFO ] opencode-desktop|1.17.10|1.17.11|false

2026-06-27 12:15:08 [DEBUG] Command line: choco.exe upgrade opencode-desktop -y --no-progress
2026-06-27 12:15:09 [DEBUG] Process Tree: Chocolatey CLI => Chocolatey CLI => UniGetUI => explorer
2026-06-27 12:15:09 [WARN ] You have opencode-desktop v1.17.10 installed. Version 1.17.11 is available.
2026-06-27 12:16:32 [INFO ] The upgrade of opencode-desktop was successful.
2026-06-27 12:16:32 [INFO ] Software installed as EXE, install location is likely default.

Relevant information

• UniGetUI uses its bundled per-user Chocolatey 2.5.0 installation.
• UniGetUI starts at login with --daemon.
• This report is distinct from [BUG] Improper Uninstall, then Update behaviour #3690, which concerns the explicit Uninstall, then update action.
• The package's separate uninstall-script quoting bug is unrelated to the automatic reinstall behavior described here.

Screenshots and videos

Not applicable; the package-manager log captures the automatic operation and process tree.

[Kobi-Blade]

I understand that stale package metadata originates in the underlying package manager.

You are asking UniGetUI to guess whether the metadata is stale, which would cause more issues than it solves.

The same issue happens if you try to update directly through Chocolatey. This scenario is generally considered user error, as packages managed by package managers, should not be uninstalled using external methods.

Furthermore, I fail to see how this relates to the specific issue you quoted, since that had nothing to do with stale metadata.