---
title: hephd self-update
modified: 2026-06-04
tags:
  - how-to
---

# hephd self-update

`hephd` can keep itself current: it polls the forge for a newer release and, when
one appears, rebuilds and restarts onto it — unattended. It is **opt-in and off
by default**.

## Enable it

On the managed service:

```bash
heph daemon start --self-update
```

That generates a launchd/systemd service that runs `hephd --self-update` and
gives it a `PATH` that can find `cargo`. Override the 6h poll cadence with
`--self-update-interval-secs <secs>`:

```bash
heph daemon start --self-update                              # default: poll every 6h
heph daemon start --self-update --self-update-interval-secs 3600
```

Both `start` and `restart` preserve an already-baked setting (the flag and its
interval), so a bare invocation won't silently disable it — pass `--self-update`
again only to turn it on later. To run the daemon directly instead:

```bash
hephd --self-update                              # default: poll every 6h
hephd --self-update --self-update-interval-secs 3600
```

## How it works

1. Each interval, `hephd` GETs the forge's `releases/latest` and compares the tag
   against its own version (the one `heph --version` reports).
2. On a newer release it runs `cargo install --locked --git <public-https-url>
   --tag vX.Y.Z` for `heph`/`hephd`/`heph-tui`/`heph-quickadd`. hephaestus is a
   public repo, so this is an anonymous clone — **no credentials**.
3. On a successful install it exits cleanly; the service manager (launchd
   `KeepAlive` / systemd `Restart=always`) brings the new binary up.

A failed poll or build is logged and the daemon keeps running on its current
version — self-update never takes the daemon down.

## Requirements & notes

- The **Rust toolchain** (`cargo`) must be installed for the service user; the
  update builds from source.
- Off by default — nothing happens unless `--self-update` is passed.
- The first real cross-version upgrade is observable on the first release cut
  after enabling it.

## Related

- [[run-the-daemon]] — running `hephd` as an OS service
- [[install-heph]] — installing the binaries