A shepherd for your Appimages.
README.md: narrow description
Aly Raffauf
(Jun 18, 2026, 12:05 AM EDT)
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<div align="center">
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<h1>appherder</h1>
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<h3>A herder for your AppImages.</h3>
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<p>Install AppImages so they act like real apps instead of loose files in your Downloads.</p>
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<h3>A shepherd for your AppImages.</h3>
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On its own, an AppImage is just an executable in a folder. No icon, no menu entry, nothing in your launcher.
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appherder fixes that. Point it at an AppImage and you get a real app, kind of like dropping something into Applications on macOS. Delete it later and everything it set up goes too.
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appherder automatically installs, removes, and upgrades your AppImages. Throw them in `~/AppImages` and appherder does the rest: apps appear in your menu, deleted ones disappear from it, and supported apps update in place.
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## Features
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- **Set it and forget it.** Manages and upgrades your AppImages for you in the background.
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- **Set it and forget it.** Watches `~/AppImages` and checks for updates in the background.
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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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## Usage
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Enable automatic sync and upgrades:
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```bash
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appherder autosync # sync whenever ~/AppImages changes
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appherder autoupgrade # check for updates once a day
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```
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Then use `~/AppImages` like the place AppImages belong. Add a file and it gets a launcher. Remove a file and its launcher goes away. When an update is available, appherder installs it without leaving the old copy behind.
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Install an app from a file or URL:
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```bash
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```bash
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appherder upgrade # download and install available updates
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appherder upgrade --check # just see what's out of date
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```
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Or let it handle itself:
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```bash
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appherder autosync # sync whenever ~/AppImages changes
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appherder autoupgrade # check for updates once a day
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```
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Coming from another AppImage tool? `appherder migrate` adopts the ones in `~/AppImages` and clears out launchers whose AppImage is gone.