Show an error when manual AppInstaller update check cannot fetch the feed

[indierawk2k2]

Problem

When the user clicks Check for updates and the AppInstaller feed cannot be resolved or fetched, the UX can appear to do nothing.

This is easy to hit before the MSIX/AppInstaller feed files are merged to master: the fallback feed URLs currently resolve to raw GitHub master paths such as:

• https://raw.githubusercontent.com/openclaw/openclaw-windows-node/master/installer/appinstaller/openclaw-x64.appinstaller
• https://raw.githubusercontent.com/openclaw/openclaw-windows-node/master/installer/appinstaller/openclaw-arm64.appinstaller

Before PR #468 lands, those URLs can return 404. The update check should surface that failure clearly instead of silently leaving the user unsure whether anything happened.

Expected behavior

If manual update check cannot resolve/fetch/parse the AppInstaller feed, show a user-visible error or status message, for example:

Could not check for updates. The AppInstaller feed is unavailable.

Include enough detail for diagnostics/logs, but avoid overwhelming normal users.

Notes

• This should cover missing feed / HTTP 404 / invalid feed / no registered AppInstaller source cases.
• It should not change the packaging behavior; it is a UX/error-reporting follow-up.
• Discovered during PR MSIX distribution hardening: AppInstaller updates and packaged setup launch #468 MSIX/AppInstaller validation.

[clawsweeper]

Codex review: keeping this open for maintainer follow-up; there is still a little grit to resolve. Reviewed June 12, 2026, 12:57 AM ET / 04:57 UTC.

Summary
Current main cannot reproduce the AppInstaller-specific failure because it still uses Updatum; the requested visible error remains necessary if AppInstaller support lands, and the only owning implementation is the open conflicted draft PR #468.

Reproducibility: no. Current main has no AppInstaller update-check path, so the reported feed failure cannot be reproduced there; the relevant implementation exists only in the proposed distribution PR.

Ways to help us reproduce this

• Add a screenshot or short recording showing the behavior.
• Add expected vs actual behavior.

Next step
Maintainers must first decide whether and how the conflicted AppInstaller distribution work will land; then this issue can be attached to that implementation or a clean successor.

Review details

Best possible solution:

Apply the existing localized failed-check dialog pattern inside the final approved AppInstaller update service, logging diagnostic detail for missing feeds, HTTP failures, invalid XML, and unavailable registration while keeping normal user copy concise.

Do we have a high-confidence way to reproduce the issue?

No. Current main has no AppInstaller update-check path, so the reported feed failure cannot be reproduced there; the relevant implementation exists only in the proposed distribution PR.

Is this the best way to solve the issue?

Yes, conditionally. Reusing the current Updatum failure-dialog pattern is the narrowest maintainable UX, but it should be added only within the AppInstaller architecture maintainers decide to land.

AGENTS.md: found, but no applicable review policy affected this item.

Remaining risk / open question:

• The requirement has no callable AppInstaller path on current main, so implementing it before the distribution architecture is settled would create speculative or duplicate update logic.
• The related draft PR is conflicted and broad, so its eventual update-service boundary may change before landing.

Codex review notes: model internal, reasoning high; reviewed against 913ba4e8f504.

Label changes

Label justifications:

• P2: A silent manual update-check failure is a normal-priority usability defect with limited blast radius.
• impact:other: The issue affects user-visible update diagnostics and confidence, which does not fit a more specific owned impact category.

Evidence reviewed

What I checked:

• Current main update path: Manual and startup update checks are coordinated through Updatum; failures are stored as Status = "Failed" and the user-initiated path displays the localized failed-check dialog. (src/OpenClaw.Tray.WinUI/Services/UpdateCoordinator.cs:47, 913ba4e8f504)
• Existing UX precedent: The English resources already define “Couldn't check for updates” and a detail-bearing failure message for the current Updatum path, providing the appropriate UX pattern for future AppInstaller failures. (src/OpenClaw.Tray.WinUI/Strings/en-us/Resources.resw:384, 913ba4e8f504)
• AppInstaller absent from main: A repository-wide source, test, and docs search finds no AppInstaller update service or feed handling on current main; AppInstaller appears only in the open proposal’s file list. (src/OpenClaw.Tray.WinUI/Services/UpdateCoordinator.cs:92, 913ba4e8f504)
• Related implementation remains open: The AppInstaller distribution PR is still open, draft, and conflicting; it adds AppInstallerUpdateService and therefore remains the natural owner of this requirement rather than proof that main implements it. (e697b5be95a2)
• Canonical search: GitHub searches found this issue and the open AppInstaller PR, with no merged fix or viable replacement that supersedes the remaining work.
• Feature history: Commit d5543b9 extracted the current update flow into UpdateCoordinator, and blame assigns the central check path to that refactor; commit d23f8ca subsequently hardened the same service. (src/OpenClaw.Tray.WinUI/Services/UpdateCoordinator.cs:47, d5543b904507)

Likely related people:

• AlexAlves87: Extracted the current update coordination service and owns most of its central check path on current main. (role: recent update-flow contributor; confidence: high; commits: d5543b904507; files: src/OpenClaw.Tray.WinUI/Services/UpdateCoordinator.cs)
• Scott Hanselman: Most recently hardened and annotated the current update coordinator after its extraction. (role: recent hardening contributor; confidence: medium; commits: d23f8ca50013; files: src/OpenClaw.Tray.WinUI/Services/UpdateCoordinator.cs)

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[github-actions]

🤖 This is an automated response from Repo Assist.

Good catch — the silent-failure path here is a real UX gap. A few notes that may help when implementing:

Where the current Updatum flow handles failures (for reference parity):
App.xaml.cs around line 3383 catches AppUpdater.CheckForUpdatesAsync exceptions and stores Status = "Failed", which then shows the localized failure dialog. The AppInstaller path should aim for the same visible result.

Specific failure modes to cover (the issue already lists these, but worth noting which are tricky):

• HTTP 404 / network unreachable: straightforward HttpRequestException catch
• Invalid/unparseable .appinstaller XML: catch XmlException / deserialization error
• No registered AppInstaller source: PackageManager.GetPackageVolumes / AddPackageByAppInstallerFileAsync may throw UnauthorizedAccessException or return a null/empty result
• Feed URL resolves but returns wrong content type: check Content-Type before parsing

Suggested message (matching the existing Updatum tone):

"Could not check for updates — the update feed is unavailable. Check your network connection and try again."
With a details/copy button for the diagnostic message.

This should be straightforward to add once the AppInstaller update path in PR #468 lands. Happy to take a first pass at the error-handling layer if that's useful.

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[github-actions]

This issue has been automatically marked as stale due to inactivity.
Please add updated OpenClaw Windows details or it will be closed.