Updating Headmaster
Headmaster ships updates regularly with two channels:
Switch to Prerelease from Settings → About → Include prerelease updates.
How updates work
1
Update check
The desktop app checks the Headmaster release endpoint on launch and every few hours after that.
2
Download banner
When a new version is found, a banner appears with a Download button. Download runs in the background.
3
Restart to install
When the download finishes, the app prompts you to Restart to update. Restarting quits the app, swaps the binaries in place, and relaunches with the new version.
When the runtime also changes
Some updates ship with a runtime change. In that case, Restart also tears down the old runtime and starts a fresh one with the new version. This takes a few seconds. The status indicator in the sidebar footer shows the runtime coming back up.Release notes
After updating, click the Update Log link in Settings → About to view release notes on the Headmaster site.Offline updates
If your machine is air-gapped:1
Download the installer on a connected machine
Get it from the Headmaster site.
2
Transfer to the air-gapped machine
USB, network share, or any transfer method.
3
Run the installer
It detects the existing install and upgrades in place. Your data is preserved.
Rollback
1
Download the previous installer
Get it from the Headmaster site.
2
Run it over the current install
The installer downgrades only the binaries — not data formats.
Rollback is manual — there’s no automatic “revert to previous version” button. Your data is always preserved.
Installer vs. portable
If the update check fails
If the app shows “Update check failed” in the About panel:- Check your network connection.
- On corporate networks, the release endpoint (
gcaplabs.com) may be blocked — ask your network admin to allow it. - You can always update manually by downloading the installer from the Headmaster site.
Troubleshooting
If an update causes problems, see the troubleshooting guide.
Data privacy
Your data is always preserved across updates.