xptea · xptea · Jul 13, 2026 · Jul 13, 2026
@@ -57,8 +57,8 @@ jobs:
           .\tests\test_installer.ps1
           -InstallerPath (Get-ChildItem .\dist\VGPU-Mon-*-setup.exe -File).FullName
 
-      - name: Stage bootstrap installer
-        run: Copy-Item .\install.ps1 .\dist\install.ps1
+      - name: Stage release metadata and checksums
+        run: .\tools\stage-release-metadata.ps1
 
       - name: Upload release candidates
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@043fb46d1a93c77aae656e7c1c64a875d1fc6a0a # v7.0.1
@@ -68,5 +68,7 @@ jobs:
             dist/*.zip
             dist/*-setup.exe
             dist/install.ps1
+            dist/version.txt
+            dist/SHA256SUMS.txt
           if-no-files-found: error
           retention-days: 14
@@ -49,14 +49,7 @@ jobs:
           .\tests\test_installer.ps1 -InstallerPath (Get-ChildItem .\dist\VGPU-Mon-*-setup.exe -File).FullName
 
       - name: Write SHA-256 checksums
-        run: |
-          Copy-Item .\install.ps1 .\dist\install.ps1
-          $assets = Get-ChildItem .\dist\VGPU-Mon-*.zip, .\dist\VGPU-Mon-*-setup.exe, .\dist\install.ps1 -File | Sort-Object Name
-          $lines = foreach ($asset in $assets) {
-            $hash = (Get-FileHash $asset.FullName -Algorithm SHA256).Hash.ToLowerInvariant()
-            "$hash  $($asset.Name)"
-          }
-          $lines | Set-Content .\dist\SHA256SUMS.txt -Encoding ascii
+        run: .\tools\stage-release-metadata.ps1
 
       - name: Upload verified release assets
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@043fb46d1a93c77aae656e7c1c64a875d1fc6a0a # v7.0.1
@@ -66,6 +59,7 @@ jobs:
             dist/*.zip
             dist/*-setup.exe
             dist/install.ps1
+            dist/version.txt
             dist/SHA256SUMS.txt
           if-no-files-found: error
 
@@ -76,5 +70,14 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           $zip = (Get-ChildItem .\dist\VGPU-Mon-*.zip -File).FullName
           $setup = (Get-ChildItem .\dist\VGPU-Mon-*-setup.exe -File).FullName
-          gh release create $env:GITHUB_REF_NAME $zip $setup .\dist\install.ps1 .\dist\SHA256SUMS.txt `
+          gh release create $env:GITHUB_REF_NAME $zip $setup .\dist\install.ps1 `
+            .\dist\version.txt .\dist\SHA256SUMS.txt `
             --verify-tag --generate-notes --title "VGPU-Mon $env:GITHUB_REF_NAME"
+
+      - name: Test live automatic update lifecycle
+        if: github.event_name == 'push'
+        run: |
+          $version = $env:GITHUB_REF_NAME.TrimStart('v')
+          .\tests\test_live_update.ps1 `
+            -Executable .\build\vgpu-update-smoke.exe `
+            -ExpectedVersion $version
@@ -4,6 +4,21 @@ All notable user-facing changes are documented here. This project follows [Seman
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+## [1.2.0] - 2026-07-13
+
+### Added
+
+- Check a small version manifest on each installed interactive launch and automatically install newer stable releases.
+- Verify the exact versioned setup executable with Windows SHA-256 APIs before starting an update.
+- Relaunch the monitor with its original interactive options after an update handoff.
+- Add `--update`, `--no-update`, and the `VGPU_MON_NO_UPDATE` environment opt-out.
+
+### Security and quality
+
+- Keep JSON, one-shot, version, help, and demo commands network-free and deterministic.
+- Reject malformed manifests, path-like installer names, HTTPS downgrades, oversized downloads, and checksum mismatches.
+- Publish `version.txt` and checksum it alongside every release asset.
+
 ## [1.1.4] - 2026-07-13
 
 ### Fixed
@@ -55,7 +70,8 @@ All notable user-facing changes are documented here. This project follows [Seman
 
 - Added `/W4 /WX /sdl`, control-flow protection, ASLR/DEP/CET-compatible linker flags, reproducible Release builds, MSVC AddressSanitizer tests, CRT leak checks, static analysis, CodeQL, and pinned CI dependencies.
 
-[Unreleased]: https://github.com/xptea/VGPU-Mon/compare/v1.1.4...HEAD
+[Unreleased]: https://github.com/xptea/VGPU-Mon/compare/v1.2.0...HEAD
+[1.2.0]: https://github.com/xptea/VGPU-Mon/compare/v1.1.4...v1.2.0
 [1.1.4]: https://github.com/xptea/VGPU-Mon/compare/v1.1.3...v1.1.4
 [1.1.3]: https://github.com/xptea/VGPU-Mon/compare/v1.1.2...v1.1.3
 [1.1.2]: https://github.com/xptea/VGPU-Mon/compare/v1.1.1...v1.1.2

@@ -32,23 +32,32 @@ add_executable(vgpu-mon
     src/nvml_dyn.c
     src/dxgi_gpu.c
     src/pdh_gpu.c
+    src/updater.c
     src/vgpu.rc)
 vgpu_configure_target(vgpu-mon)
 target_link_libraries(vgpu-mon PRIVATE
-    pdh dxgi dxguid psapi advapi32 shell32 ole32)
+    pdh dxgi dxguid psapi advapi32 shell32 ole32 winhttp bcrypt)
 
 include(CTest)
 if(BUILD_TESTING)
     add_executable(vgpu-tests
         tests/test_core.c
         src/util.c
-        src/pdh_gpu.c)
+        src/pdh_gpu.c
+        src/updater.c)
     vgpu_configure_target(vgpu-tests)
-    target_link_libraries(vgpu-tests PRIVATE pdh psapi advapi32)
+    target_link_libraries(vgpu-tests PRIVATE pdh psapi advapi32 shell32 winhttp bcrypt)
 
     add_executable(vgpu-conpty-tests tests/test_conpty.c)
     vgpu_configure_target(vgpu-conpty-tests)
 
+    add_executable(vgpu-update-smoke
+        tests/update_smoke.c
+        src/updater.c)
+    vgpu_configure_target(vgpu-update-smoke)
+    target_link_libraries(vgpu-update-smoke PRIVATE
+        advapi32 shell32 winhttp bcrypt)
+
     add_test(NAME core COMMAND vgpu-tests)
     add_test(NAME conpty COMMAND vgpu-conpty-tests $<TARGET_FILE:vgpu-mon>)
 endif()
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ It is a real full-screen terminal application, not a wrapper around `nvidia-smi`
 - Pause/resume and adjustable 250-5000 ms refresh interval
 - CSV logging
 - One-shot human-readable and JSON output for scripts
+- Automatic, checksum-verified updates for installed interactive launches
 - Statically linked MSVC runtime; no NVML SDK or third-party runtime required
 
 ## Runtime requirements and compatibility
@@ -62,6 +63,10 @@ vgpu --json
 
 Existing terminal processes keep their old environment. Uninstalling VGPU-Mon from Windows Settings removes the PATH entry only when the installer originally added it.
 
+Starting with VGPU-Mon 1.2.0, an installed interactive launch checks the latest stable release's small `version.txt` manifest. If a newer version exists, VGPU-Mon downloads that exact versioned installer, verifies its SHA-256 with Windows cryptography, installs it without elevation, and reopens with the same interactive options. Network or GitHub failures do not prevent the monitor from opening. Redirected output and script commands (`--json`, `--once`, `--version`, and `--demo`) never perform an automatic update check.
+
+Use `vgpu --update` to check immediately. Use `--no-update` for one launch or set `VGPU_MON_NO_UPDATE=1` to disable automatic checks. Portable ZIP copies do not update silently; `vgpu --update` converts a portable copy into the normal per-user installation.
+
 Prefer to inspect scripts before running them? [Read `install.ps1`](install.ps1), or download the versioned installer/portable ZIP manually from Releases. Release assets include `SHA256SUMS.txt`. Windows SmartScreen may warn about community-built releases until the project has a trusted code-signing certificate; always verify the download came from this repository.
 
 ## Build and run
@@ -185,6 +190,8 @@ Options:
 --interval MS      Sampling interval from 250 to 5000
 --log PATH         Start CSV logging when interactive mode opens
 --demo             Use deterministic sample data for previews and tests
+--update           Check for and install an update now
+--no-update        Skip the automatic update check for this run
 --help             Show help
 --version          Show the version
 ```

@@ -22,18 +22,22 @@ if exist build\obj\analyze rmdir /s /q build\obj\analyze
 mkdir build\obj\analyze\app
 mkdir build\obj\analyze\core
 mkdir build\obj\analyze\conpty
+mkdir build\obj\analyze\update
 
 set "ANALYZE_FLAGS=/nologo /c /std:c11 /utf-8 /W4 /WX /sdl /analyze /analyze:external- /D_DEBUG"
 
 cl %ANALYZE_FLAGS% /Fo:build\obj\analyze\app\ ^
-  src\main.c src\util.c src\nvml_dyn.c src\dxgi_gpu.c src\pdh_gpu.c
+  src\main.c src\util.c src\nvml_dyn.c src\dxgi_gpu.c src\pdh_gpu.c src\updater.c
 if errorlevel 1 exit /b 1
 
 cl %ANALYZE_FLAGS% /Fo:build\obj\analyze\core\ ^
-  tests\test_core.c src\util.c src\pdh_gpu.c
+  tests\test_core.c src\util.c src\pdh_gpu.c src\updater.c
 if errorlevel 1 exit /b 1
 
 cl %ANALYZE_FLAGS% /Fo:build\obj\analyze\conpty\ tests\test_conpty.c
 if errorlevel 1 exit /b 1
 
+cl %ANALYZE_FLAGS% /Fo:build\obj\analyze\update\ tests\update_smoke.c
+if errorlevel 1 exit /b 1
+
 echo MSVC static analysis passed.
@@ -44,19 +44,20 @@ if /i "%CONFIG%"=="Sanitize" (
 
 if not exist build\obj\app mkdir build\obj\app
 if not exist build\obj\tests mkdir build\obj\tests
+if not exist build\obj\tests\update mkdir build\obj\tests\update
 
 rc /nologo /fo build\obj\app\vgpu.res src\vgpu.rc
 if errorlevel 1 exit /b %errorlevel%
 
 cl %CFLAGS% /Fo:build\obj\app\ /Fd:build\obj\app\compiler.pdb /Fe:build\%OUTPUT_NAME%.exe ^
-  src\main.c src\util.c src\nvml_dyn.c src\dxgi_gpu.c src\pdh_gpu.c build\obj\app\vgpu.res ^
-  /link %LFLAGS% pdh.lib dxgi.lib dxguid.lib psapi.lib advapi32.lib shell32.lib ole32.lib
+  src\main.c src\util.c src\nvml_dyn.c src\dxgi_gpu.c src\pdh_gpu.c src\updater.c build\obj\app\vgpu.res ^
+  /link %LFLAGS% pdh.lib dxgi.lib dxguid.lib psapi.lib advapi32.lib shell32.lib ole32.lib winhttp.lib bcrypt.lib
 if errorlevel 1 exit /b %errorlevel%
 
 if /i "%RUN_TESTS%"=="test" (
   cl %CFLAGS% /Fo:build\obj\tests\ /Fd:build\obj\tests\compiler.pdb /Fe:build\vgpu-tests.exe ^
-    tests\test_core.c src\util.c src\pdh_gpu.c ^
-    /link %LFLAGS% pdh.lib psapi.lib advapi32.lib
+    tests\test_core.c src\util.c src\pdh_gpu.c src\updater.c ^
+    /link %LFLAGS% pdh.lib psapi.lib advapi32.lib shell32.lib winhttp.lib bcrypt.lib
   if errorlevel 1 exit /b 1
   build\vgpu-tests.exe
   if errorlevel 1 exit /b 1
@@ -65,6 +66,10 @@ if /i "%RUN_TESTS%"=="test" (
   if errorlevel 1 exit /b 1
   build\vgpu-conpty-tests.exe build\%OUTPUT_NAME%.exe
   if errorlevel 1 exit /b 1
+  cl %CFLAGS% /Fo:build\obj\tests\update\ /Fd:build\obj\tests\update\compiler.pdb /Fe:build\vgpu-update-smoke.exe ^
+    tests\update_smoke.c src\updater.c ^
+    /link %LFLAGS% shell32.lib advapi32.lib winhttp.lib bcrypt.lib
+  if errorlevel 1 exit /b 1
   powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File tests\test_cli.ps1 -Executable build\%OUTPUT_NAME%.exe
   if errorlevel 1 exit /b 1
 )

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # Architecture
 
-VGPU-Mon is a single native Windows process. It has no service, kernel component, injected DLL, background updater, or vendor SDK dependency.
+VGPU-Mon is a native Windows application. It has no service, kernel component, injected DLL, persistent background updater, or vendor SDK dependency. An installed interactive launch performs a bounded HTTPS update check before provider initialization; a verified update uses a short-lived PowerShell handoff only after the monitor exits.
 
 ## Data flow
 
@@ -10,12 +10,16 @@ VGPU-Mon is a single native Windows process. It has no service, kernel component
 4. The sampler normalizes those sources into one `GpuTelemetry` snapshot plus bounded process rows and chart histories.
 5. The renderer builds one bounded frame in memory and repaints the visible terminal region in a single write.
 
+The updater reads `version.txt` from the latest stable GitHub Release, validates its strict version, installer, and hash fields, and compares semantic versions. It downloads an exact tag-specific installer to the user temporary directory and hashes it with Windows CNG before starting a transient installer helper. Offline, malformed, oversized, downgraded, or hash-mismatched responses fail closed for the update and fail open for monitoring. Non-interactive output paths do not access the network.
+
 `--demo` replaces steps 1–3 with deterministic values while keeping the real sampling, layout, JSON, input, and rendering paths. It exists for testing and UI previews; it is never presented as hardware telemetry.
 
 ## Ownership and cleanup
 
 Each provider owns its query/library/COM handles and exposes an idempotent close function. Application cleanup calls all close functions even after partial initialization. Dynamic arrays, command-line conversion buffers, terminal buffers, process handles, tokens, pseudo-console resources, and test capture buffers have explicit paired cleanup.
 
+Updater HTTP, file, registry, hashing, and child-process handles are closed on every path. Partial downloads and helper scripts are deleted after failure or handoff. The updater runs before GPU providers open, so no telemetry handles are inherited by the installer helper.
+
 Debug builds use the MSVC debug heap to report leaks. Sanitizer builds compile the application and native tests with MSVC AddressSanitizer. CI also runs `/analyze` and CodeQL. These checks reduce risk but do not prove the absence of every defect.
 
 ## Terminal model
@@ -32,4 +36,6 @@ The displayed per-process GPU percentage is the busiest engine for that process,
 
 VGPU-Mon runs with the caller’s privileges. Process termination is opt-in, confirmed, and rejects self/system targets. Windows remains the authority for process access. The app does not elevate itself or bypass protected processes.
 
+Automatic updates trust HTTPS certificate validation and the assets attached to this repository's stable GitHub Release. The downloaded setup executable must match the release manifest SHA-256 before execution. Updates remain per-user and do not request elevation.
+
 Process names, GPU UUIDs, CSV files, and JSON snapshots can disclose local system activity. Users should review telemetry before sharing it.
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 #include "nvml_dyn.h"
 #include "dxgi_gpu.h"
 #include "pdh_gpu.h"
+#include "updater.h"
 
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
@@ -1409,6 +1410,8 @@ static void print_help(void) {
         "  --interval MS      Sampling interval, 250-5000 (default 1000)\n"
         "  --log PATH         Start interactive CSV logging immediately\n"
         "  --demo             Use deterministic sample data (UI preview/testing)\n"
+        "  --update           Check for and install an update now\n"
+        "  --no-update        Skip the automatic update check for this run\n"
         "  --help             Show this help\n"
         "  --version          Show the version\n\n"
         "Run without options in Windows Terminal for the interactive UI.\n"
@@ -1512,6 +1515,7 @@ static int app_main(int argc, char **argv) {
         }
         else if (strcmp(argument, "--log") == 0 && argument_index < argc) initial_log = argv[argument_index++];
         else if (strcmp(argument, "--demo") == 0) app->demo_mode = true;
+        else if (strcmp(argument, "--no-update") == 0) { /* handled before app initialization */ }
         else if (strcmp(argument, "--help") == 0 || strcmp(argument, "-h") == 0) { print_help(); free(app); return 0; }
         else if (strcmp(argument, "--version") == 0) { printf("VGPU-Mon %s\n", VGPU_VERSION); free(app); return 0; }
         else { fprintf(stderr, "Unknown or incomplete option: %s\n", argument); print_help(); free(app); return 2; }
@@ -1635,6 +1639,29 @@ int wmain(int argc, wchar_t **wide_argv) {
     _CrtSetReportFile(_CRT_WARN, _CRTDBG_FILE_STDERR);
     _CrtSetDbgFlag(_CRTDBG_ALLOC_MEM_DF);
 #endif
+    bool force_update = updater_is_forced(argc, wide_argv);
+    DWORD input_mode = 0, output_mode = 0;
+    bool interactive_console =
+        GetConsoleMode(GetStdHandle(STD_INPUT_HANDLE), &input_mode) != FALSE &&
+        GetConsoleMode(GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE), &output_mode) != FALSE;
+    if (force_update || (interactive_console && updater_should_check(argc, wide_argv))) {
+        VgpuUpdateResult update = updater_check_and_start(
+            argc, wide_argv, VGPU_VERSION, force_update);
+        if (update == VGPU_UPDATE_STARTED) return 0;
+        if (force_update) {
+            if (update == VGPU_UPDATE_CURRENT) {
+                printf("VGPU-Mon %s is already up to date.\n", VGPU_VERSION);
+                return 0;
+            }
+            if (update == VGPU_UPDATE_SKIPPED) {
+                fputs("VGPU-Mon: the update check was skipped.\n", stderr);
+            } else {
+                fputs("VGPU-Mon: the update check failed; the current version was not changed.\n",
+                      stderr);
+            }
+            return 1;
+        }
+    }
     char **argv = (char **)calloc((size_t)argc, sizeof(*argv));
     if (!argv) {
         fputs("VGPU-Mon: out of memory while reading arguments.\n", stderr);