The app
Updates
Signed updates from privategoat.app, checked once a day. Switch the automatic check off at any time and check by hand instead.
PrivateGoat updates itself through Sparkle. It checks https://privategoat.app/appcast.xml once a day when
automatic checks are on, and installs only an update whose EdDSA signature matches the key the app carries.
One switch turns the automatic check off, and Check for Updates… always works by hand.
How to use it
- Let it happen: with automatic checks on, the app checks about once a day in the background.
- Check now: Check for Updates… in the menu-bar menu, or the same item in Settings → General → Updates.
- Install: Sparkle downloads and installs the update, replacing the app bundle. PrivateGoat does not keep a second copy.
Settings
| Setting | Where | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Check for updates automatically | Settings → General → Updates | On |
The welcome tour asks the same question on first launch, and the answer is the same preference.
What is stored
| Item | Where |
|---|---|
| The automatic-check preference | App preferences |
| A downloaded update | Unpacked and installed by Sparkle in place of the app bundle |
What leaves your Mac
| Request | Carries |
|---|---|
https://privategoat.app/appcast.xml | The version you have, and the request's IP address |
| The update download from the GitHub release named in the appcast | The download request, and its IP address |
No meeting, transcript, account data or system profile is sent. See What leaves your Mac for the complete list.
When it is off or fails
- Automatic checks off: no request is made unless you choose Check for Updates….
- A build that cannot update itself: outside an app bundle (a development build), in the demo, or when the feed URL or public key is missing, the updater is not started — those builds do not update themselves.
- A failed check: it is silent apart from Sparkle's own reporting.
- A tampered download: the signature does not match the key, and the update is not installed.
Related
- Install PrivateGoat — the first install, download or Homebrew.
- What leaves your Mac — the update check beside every other request.
- Menu bar and settings — where the Updates group lives.