[Bug] Update for 0.24 fails and installer wipes out settings

[EvoGamer]

Bug Description

Trying to update within the app fails with a checksum error.

When I use ToolHive.Setup.exe from Releases to force the update, it completely wiped the ToolHive Local Appdata folder, removing all my existing tools, configurations, and secrets.

Steps to Reproduce

No response

Expected Behavior

The setup exe should not wipe the existing config, unless a 'Clean Install' option is chosen.

Actual Behavior

No response

Priority

Medium

Environment

Windows 11 25H2
ToolHive v0.23 updating to v0.24

Additional Context

[2026-03-19 14:11:25.352] [info]  checking-for-update
[2026-03-19 14:11:25.353] [info]  [update] checking for updates...
[2026-03-19 14:11:26.461] [info]  update-available; downloading...
[2026-03-19 14:11:26.462] [info]  [update] update is available, starting download...
[2026-03-19 14:11:27.704] [info]  updater error
[2026-03-19 14:11:27.705] [info]  Error: Command failed: 4294967295
System.AggregateException: One or more errors occurred. ---> System.Exception: Checksummed file size doesn't match: C:\Users\Stewart\AppData\Local\ToolHive\packages\ToolHive-0.24.0-full.nupkg
   at Squirrel.UpdateManager.DownloadReleasesImpl.checksumPackage(ReleaseEntry downloadedRelease)
   at Squirrel.UpdateManager.DownloadReleasesImpl.<>c__DisplayClass2_0.<<DownloadReleases>b__1>d.MoveNext()
--- End of stack trace from previous location where exception was thrown ---
   at System.Runtime.ExceptionServices.ExceptionDispatchInfo.Throw()
   at Squirrel.Utility.<>c__DisplayClass13_1`1.<<ForEachAsync>b__1>d.MoveNext()
--- End of stack trace from previous location where exception was thrown ---
   at System.Runtime.ExceptionServices.ExceptionDispatchInfo.Throw()
   at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.HandleNonSuccessAndDebuggerNotification(Task task)
   at Squirrel.UpdateManager.DownloadReleasesImpl.<DownloadReleases>d__2.MoveNext()
--- End of stack trace from previous location where exception was thrown ---
   at System.Runtime.ExceptionServices.ExceptionDispatchInfo.Throw()
   at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.HandleNonSuccessAndDebuggerNotification(Task task)
   at Squirrel.UpdateManager.<DownloadReleases>d__9.MoveNext()
--- End of stack trace from previous location where exception was thrown ---
   at System.Runtime.ExceptionServices.ExceptionDispatchInfo.Throw()
   at Squirrel.Update.Program.<Update>d__5.MoveNext()
   --- End of inner exception stack trace ---
   at System.Threading.Tasks.Task.ThrowIfExceptional(Boolean includeTaskCanceledExceptions)
   at System.Threading.Tasks.Task.Wait(Int32 millisecondsTimeout, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Squirrel.Update.Program.executeCommandLine(String[] args)
   at Squirrel.Update.Program.main(String[] args)
   at Squirrel.Update.Program.Main(String[] args)
---> (Inner Exception #0) System.Exception: Checksummed file size doesn't match: C:\Users\Stewart\AppData\Local\ToolHive\packages\ToolHive-0.24.0-full.nupkg
   at Squirrel.UpdateManager.DownloadReleasesImpl.checksumPackage(ReleaseEntry downloadedRelease)
   at Squirrel.UpdateManager.DownloadReleasesImpl.<>c__DisplayClass2_0.<<DownloadReleases>b__1>d.MoveNext()
--- End of stack trace from previous location where exception was thrown ---
   at System.Runtime.ExceptionServices.ExceptionDispatchInfo.Throw()
   at Squirrel.Utility.<>c__DisplayClass13_1`1.<<ForEachAsync>b__1>d.MoveNext()
--- End of stack trace from previous location where exception was thrown ---
   at System.Runtime.ExceptionServices.ExceptionDispatchInfo.Throw()
   at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.HandleNonSuccessAndDebuggerNotification(Task task)
   at Squirrel.UpdateManager.DownloadReleasesImpl.<DownloadReleases>d__2.MoveNext()
--- End of stack trace from previous location where exception was thrown ---
   at System.Runtime.ExceptionServices.ExceptionDispatchInfo.Throw()
   at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.HandleNonSuccessAndDebuggerNotification(Task task)
   at Squirrel.UpdateManager.<DownloadReleases>d__9.MoveNext()
--- End of stack trace from previous location where exception was thrown ---
   at System.Runtime.ExceptionServices.ExceptionDispatchInfo.Throw()
   at Squirrel.Update.Program.<Update>d__5.MoveNext()<---


    at ChildProcess.<anonymous> (node:electron/js2c/browser_init:2:11241)
    at ChildProcess.emit (node:events:520:35)
    at ChildProcess._handle.onexit (node:internal/child_process:294:12)

[peppescg]

@EvoGamer thanks for reporting this 🙏
We will take a look on Monday.

[samuv]

Thanks for reporting this @EvoGamer there are actually two separate issues involved here.

First, version 0.23.0 had a problem with the generated artifacts, which could cause the upgrade to fail. This has been identified on our side.

Second, on Windows there’s a known limitation related to how the installer works. The application data folder is currently shared with the ToolHive CLI, and during a reinstall via the setup, that folder may be cleared. As a result, existing JSON files and run configurations can be removed. Unfortunately, this behavior comes from the underlying installer system and isn’t something we fully control.

To clarify, this only happens when reinstalling via the setup over an existing installation.

We’re planning to change how this folder is managed in the future to avoid this kind of issue, although we don’t have a timeline yet.

[EvoGamer]

The simplest solution I can see would be to move the actual tool config files into the Roaming AppData location, rather than Local. That doesn't appear to get wiped out. That would (in theory) also allow the settings to be carrying across machines in a networked environment.

A quicker (but possibly more complicated in the long term) solution would be to simply backup any existing AppData folders during the install sequence. Then the backup can be redeployed selectively by the main app itself.

[samuv]

Unfortunately, both options are a bit convoluted. Moving the thv files would mean supporting two locations retroactively, and reconciling them isn’t as easy as it sounds. As for install backups, we don’t have a hook to add custom logic when someone reinstalls from scratch, everything is handled by the Windows Squirrel installer.

I’ll keep you posted once we reach an agreement on this.

In the meantime, I think the auto-update shouldn’t fail anymore.