A shepherd for your Appimages.
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Aly Raffauf
(Jun 18, 2026, 10:56 AM EDT)
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- **Real apps, not loose files.** Installed AppImages show up in your application menu with their real name and icon.
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- **Install from anywhere.** Point it at a local file or paste a download link.
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- **Updates without the pile-up.** A newer version replaces the old one.
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- **Verified updates.** Pins the publisher's signing key on first install, then refuses tampered or re-keyed updates.
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- **One-command rollback.** A bad update? Put the old version back instantly.
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- **Stays out of the way.** It only touches launchers it created. Your Flatpaks and hand-made shortcuts are safe.
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## Installation
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### Build from source
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Requires Go 1.24+.
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Requires Go 1.25+.
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```bash
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git clone https://github.com/alyraffauf/appherder.git
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appherder upgrade --check # just see what's out of date
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```
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Undo a bad update:
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```bash
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appherder rollback foo # restore the version the last update replaced
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appherder rollback foo 1.2.3 # or restore a specific saved version
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```
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appherder keeps the last few versions of each app and saves the current one whenever an install or upgrade replaces it.
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Coming from another AppImage tool? `appherder migrate` adopts the ones in `~/AppImages` and clears out launchers whose AppImage is gone.
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## Verified updates
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Some AppImages are signed by their publisher. The first time appherder installs a signed app, it pins that signing key. From then on, every update must be signed by the same key: an unsigned, tampered, or differently-signed build is refused instead of installed. Changing the trusted key is deliberate, so swapping publishers means uninstalling and reinstalling. Apps that aren't signed keep working as before; the pin only takes effect once a real signature has been seen.
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`appherder list` shows each app's status in the **SIGNATURE** column: `pinned` (key locked in), `signed` (carries a signature appherder hasn't pinned yet), or `none`.
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## Under the hood
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