Upload only the consumed feed files; uniform nupkg names

release.py no longer uploads the legacy RELEASES and assets.*.json
manifests — the in-app updater reads only releases.<channel>.json plus
the nupkg it references. The Windows feed nupkg gains its -win channel
marker (vpk omits it for the legacy default channel), so all platforms
are uniformly mediahive-{ver}-{channel}-full.nupkg. The -full suffix is
Velopack's asset type and stays.

.gitea/workflows/release.yaml

@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+name: release
+
+on:
+  push:
+    tags:
+      - "v*"
+
+# Runner host prerequisites: git, uv, node/npm, .NET SDK.
+jobs:
+  gui-build:
+    strategy:
+      fail-fast: false
+      matrix:
+        include:
+          - os: macos
+            shell: bash
+          - os: windows
+            shell: cmd
+          - os: linux
+            shell: bash
+    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
+    steps:
+      # Plain git clone: full history so setuptools_scm sees tags, and both
+      # shells work. Windows uses cmd: bash resolves to WSL (refuses SYSTEM
+      # accounts) and powershell hits the script execution policy under SYSTEM.
+      - name: Checkout
+        shell: ${{ matrix.shell }}
+        run: |
+          git clone "${{ gitea.server_url }}/${{ gitea.repository }}.git" .
+          git checkout -f "${{ gitea.sha }}"
+
+      - name: Build GUI app and dist packages
+        shell: ${{ matrix.shell }}
+        run: uv run --extra gui scripts/guibuild.py
+
+      # Every platform converges on the one release for the tag; release.py
+      # reuses an existing release and skips already-uploaded assets.
+      # Only the linux job publishes the wheel/sdist (identical across platforms).
+      - name: Create Gitea release and upload assets
+        if: matrix.os == 'linux'
+        shell: ${{ matrix.shell }}
+        env:
+          GITEA_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITEA_TOKEN }}
+        run: uv run scripts/release.py
+
+      - name: Attach platform artifact to the Gitea release
+        if: matrix.os != 'linux'
+        shell: ${{ matrix.shell }}
+        env:
+          GITEA_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITEA_TOKEN }}
+        run: uv run scripts/release.py --no-dist

.gitignore

@@ -19,3 +19,4 @@ package-lock.json
 # Dotfiles
 .*
 !.gitignore
+!.gitea/

README.md

@@ -4,12 +4,13 @@
 
 Netflix style browsing of your local media archive. Supports keyboard, mouse and gamepad navigation. Uses your favorite movie player.
 
-**[Windows and Mac portable ZIP downloads](https://git.zi.fi/LeoVasanko/mediahive/releases)**
+**[Windows, Mac and Linux downloads](https://git.zi.fi/LeoVasanko/mediahive/releases)**
 
 ## Getting Started
 
-- Windows and macOS: Download the portable ZIP from the releases page, extract it anywhere, and run `MediaHive`.
-- Linux and other platforms: Install [UV](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/getting-started/installation/) and run directly with `uvx --from mediahive[gui] mediahive`.
+- Windows: Download `*-win64-setup.exe` from the releases page and run it (no admin needed; auto-updates included). A `-win64-portable.zip` is also available.
+- macOS: Download `*-macos-setup.pkg` and install (auto-updates included).
+- Linux: Download the `.AppImage`, `chmod +x` it, and run. Alternatively install [UV](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/getting-started/installation/) and run directly with `uvx --from mediahive[gui] mediahive`.
 
 ## What It Does
 

docs/development.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # Development
 
-This document covers the developer-facing ways to run MediaHive locally. The main [README.md](../README.md) covers end-user startup across platforms (portable ZIPs on Windows/macOS, `uvx --from mediahive[gui] mediahive` on Linux/other).
+This document covers the developer-facing ways to run MediaHive locally. The main [README.md](../README.md) covers end-user startup across platforms (installer/AppImage downloads, `uvx --from mediahive[gui] mediahive` on Linux/other).
 
 ## Requirements
 
@@ -44,8 +44,8 @@ This launches the same pywebview-based desktop flow used by the Windows build.
 
 The helper scripts are directly executable via their `uv run` shebang (on Windows, run them with `uv run scripts/<name>.py`):
 
-- `./scripts/guibuild.py` builds the PyInstaller desktop app and a versioned portable ZIP under `build/`.
-- `./scripts/release.py` publishes a release to the Gitea releases page.
+- `./scripts/guibuild.py` builds the PyInstaller desktop app and packages it with Velopack under `build/`: per-user `Setup.exe` (Windows), `.pkg` installer (macOS), `.AppImage` (Linux), plus the update feed in `build/velopack/`. On Windows it also creates a `-win64-portable.zip` (no auto-updates). Requires node/npm and the .NET SDK (>= 10 runtime) installed on the build host; `vpk` and ffmpeg are downloaded once into a persistent user cache (`~/.cache/mediahive-build`, `%LOCALAPPDATA%\mediahive-build` on Windows).
+- `./scripts/release.py` publishes a release to the Gitea releases page, uploading the platform artifacts and the Velopack update feed files — installed apps auto-update from the latest release.
 
 Python packaging builds the frontend automatically through the hatch build hook `scripts/fastapi-vue/buildhook.py` (see `pyproject.toml`), so wheels and sdists always ship a fresh `mediahive/frontend-build`.
 

mediahive/assets/macos-installer-welcome.txt

@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+Welcome to the MediaHive installer.
+
+During installation and on first launch, macOS may ask you to allow
+permissions (for example, access to your media folders or the local
+network). Please allow these so MediaHive can find and play your media.
+
+Click Continue to begin.

mediahive/config.py

@@ -1,17 +1,19 @@
 r"""Platform-appropriate config persistence for MediaHive.
 
-Config file location:
-  Windows:  %APPDATA%\mediahive\config.toml
-  macOS:    ~/Library/Application Support/mediahive/config.toml
-  Linux:    $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/mediahive/config.toml  (~/.config/mediahive/config.toml)
+Locations (via platformdirs):
+  Config — Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\mediahive\config.toml
+           macOS:   ~/Library/Application Support/mediahive/config.toml
+           Linux:   $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/mediahive/config.toml
+  Logs   — Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\mediahive\mediahive.log
+           macOS:   ~/Library/Logs/mediahive/mediahive.log
+           Linux:   $XDG_STATE_HOME/mediahive/mediahive.log
 """
 
-import os
-import sys
 from pathlib import Path
 
 import msgspec
 import msgspec.toml
+from platformdirs import user_config_path, user_log_path
 
 
 class Config(msgspec.Struct, omit_defaults=True):
@@ -20,13 +22,15 @@ class Config(msgspec.Struct, omit_defaults=True):
 
 
 def config_dir() -> Path:
-    if sys.platform == "win32":
-        base = Path(os.environ.get("APPDATA") or Path.home())
-    elif sys.platform == "darwin":
-        base = Path.home() / "Library" / "Application Support"
-    else:
-        base = Path(os.environ.get("XDG_CONFIG_HOME") or (Path.home() / ".config"))
-    return base / "mediahive"
+    # appauthor=False: avoid the doubled %LOCALAPPDATA%\mediahive\mediahive.
+    # roaming=False: config is machine-specific state, not something to sync
+    # across a domain profile.
+    return user_config_path("mediahive", appauthor=False, roaming=False)
+
+
+def log_dir() -> Path:
+    # opinion=False: no extra Logs/ subdir; mediahive.log sits beside config.
+    return user_log_path("mediahive", appauthor=False, opinion=False)
 
 
 def config_path() -> Path:

mediahive/winmain.py

@@ -26,9 +26,13 @@ from pathlib import Path
 
 import msgspec.structs
 import uvicorn
+import velopack
 import webview
+from fastapi_vue.logging import patch_log_config
+from fastapi_vue.startupbox import print_box
+from tracerite.html import html_traceback
 
-from mediahive.config import load_config, save_config
+from mediahive.config import load_config, log_dir, save_config
 from mediahive.volume_control import get_volume, set_volume, volume_max
 
 logger = logging.getLogger("mediahive.winmain")
@@ -39,6 +43,7 @@ HEALTH_TIMEOUT = 2  # seconds
 BACKEND_HEALTH_REQUEST_TIMEOUT = 2  # seconds
 BACKEND_HEALTH_POLL_SECONDS = 0.25
 MPC_BE_URL = "http://127.0.0.1:13579"
+VELOPACK_REPO_URL = "https://git.zi.fi/LeoVasanko/mediahive"
 GAMEPAD_REPEAT_SECONDS = 0.008
 GAMEPAD_POLL_SECONDS = 0.008
 MPC_BE_FRAME_REPEAT_SECONDS = 0.016
@@ -871,18 +876,16 @@ def _wait_for_previous_instance(log_path: Path, timeout: float = 15.0):
 
 
 def _setup_logging() -> Path:
-    """Redirect stdout/stderr and configure logging to a file in %APPDATA%/mediahive/.
+    """Redirect stdout/stderr and configure logging to a file in the platform log dir.
 
     In a PyInstaller --windowed build there is no console, so any print() or
     unhandled exception traceback would be lost.  This ensures everything ends
     up in a persistent log file the user can send for bug reports.
     Returns the path to the log file.
     """
-    from mediahive.config import config_dir
-
-    log_dir = config_dir()
-    log_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
-    log_path = log_dir / "mediahive.log"
+    log_directory = log_dir()
+    log_directory.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+    log_path = log_directory / "mediahive.log"
 
     try:
         log_file = _rotate_and_open_log(log_path)
@@ -899,7 +902,7 @@ def _setup_logging() -> Path:
             log_file = _wait_for_previous_instance(log_path)
         if log_file is None:
             # Never fail startup over logging: fall back to a per-process file.
-            log_path = log_dir / f"mediahive-{os.getpid()}.log"
+            log_path = log_directory / f"mediahive-{os.getpid()}.log"
             with contextlib.suppress(OSError):
                 fd = os.open(log_path, os.O_WRONLY | os.O_CREAT | os.O_TRUNC)
                 log_file = os.fdopen(fd, "w", encoding="utf-8", buffering=1)
@@ -958,26 +961,53 @@ def _show_fatal_error(exc: BaseException) -> None:
     Frozen --windowed builds otherwise surface crashes only as PyInstaller's
     plain-text error dialog (or nothing at all).
     """
-    try:
-        from tracerite.html import html_traceback
-
-        fragment = str(html_traceback(exc))
-    except Exception:  # noqa: BLE001 - error reporting must never raise
-        return
+    fragment = str(html_traceback(exc))
     page = (
         "<!DOCTYPE html><html><head><meta charset='utf-8'>"
         "<title>MediaHive — Error</title></head>"
         f"<body style='margin:1.5rem'>{fragment}</body></html>"
     )
+    webview.create_window("MediaHive — Error", html=page, width=1100, height=750)
+    webview.start(icon=_icon_path(), **_webview_start_kwargs())
+
+
+def _velopack_startup() -> None:
+    """Handle Velopack install/update/uninstall hooks and pending updates.
+
+    Must be the first thing at startup: when Velopack launches the app with
+    --veloapp-* hook arguments (during install/update/uninstall), run()
+    executes the hook and exits the process, so the GUI never starts.
+    Applies downloaded-but-pending updates. No-op in development and
+    portable-ZIP runs.
+    """
+    velopack.App().run()
+
+
+def _check_for_updates() -> None:
+    """Download available updates in the background.
+
+    Downloaded updates are applied automatically by Velopack on the next app
+    start (via _velopack_startup), so the running session is never
+    interrupted. Not a Velopack install (dev/portable) and network failures
+    are expected and skipped quietly.
+    """
     try:
-        webview.create_window("MediaHive — Error", html=page, width=1100, height=750)
-        webview.start(icon=_icon_path(), **_webview_start_kwargs())
-    except Exception:
-        logger.exception("Could not display the error window")
+        mgr = velopack.UpdateManager(velopack.GiteaSource(VELOPACK_REPO_URL))
+        info = mgr.check_for_updates()
+        if info is None:
+            logger.info("Velopack: no update available")
+            return
+        version = info.TargetFullRelease.Version
+        logger.info("Velopack: downloading update %s", version)
+        mgr.download_updates(info)
+        logger.info("Velopack: update %s staged, applies on next launch", version)
+    except (RuntimeError, OSError) as exc:
+        logger.info("Velopack update check skipped: %s", exc)
 
 
 def gui_main() -> None:
     """Run the GUI, rendering fatal exceptions as a TraceRite HTML window."""
+    _velopack_startup()
     try:
         winmain()
     except Exception as exc:
@@ -1126,8 +1156,26 @@ def _configure_windows_event_loop_policy() -> None:
     asyncio.set_event_loop_policy(policy_cls())
 
 
+def _strip_mark_of_the_web() -> None:
+    """Remove Zone.Identifier streams from bundled DLLs (frozen Windows only).
+
+    Files extracted from a downloaded ZIP carry the Mark-of-the-Web, and the
+    .NET Framework CLR refuses to load such assemblies — pythonnet then fails
+    with "Failed to resolve Python.Runtime.Loader.Initialize from
+    .../Python.Runtime.dll". Strip the mark from the bundled DLLs before
+    pywebview loads the CLR.
+    """
+    if not getattr(sys, "frozen", False) or sys.platform != "win32":
+        return
+    meipass = Path(sys._MEIPASS)  # type: ignore[attr-defined]
+    for dll in meipass.rglob("*.dll"):
+        with contextlib.suppress(OSError):
+            Path(f"{dll}:Zone.Identifier").unlink()
+
+
 def winmain() -> None:
     _configure_windows_event_loop_policy()
+    _strip_mark_of_the_web()
 
     parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="MediaHive")
     parser.add_argument(
@@ -1180,8 +1228,6 @@ def winmain() -> None:
 
     # Startup banner, same as fastapi-vue's server.run() prints in CLI mode.
     # Goes to stderr, which frozen builds redirect to the log file.
-    from fastapi_vue.startupbox import print_box
-
     try:
         version = importlib.metadata.version("mediahive")
     except importlib.metadata.PackageNotFoundError:
@@ -1192,8 +1238,6 @@ def winmain() -> None:
     # log config wires up its access-log middleware, emoji level prefixes and
     # tracerite tracebacks (colors are auto-disabled when stderr is not a tty,
     # e.g. redirected to the log file in frozen builds).
-    from fastapi_vue.logging import patch_log_config
-
     config = uvicorn.Config(
         "mediahive.server:app",
         host=BACKEND_HOST,
@@ -1228,6 +1272,10 @@ def winmain() -> None:
         server.should_exit = True
         raise RuntimeError(f"Backend did not become ready within {HEALTH_TIMEOUT}s")
 
+    threading.Thread(
+        target=_check_for_updates, daemon=True, name="mediahive-update-check"
+    ).start()
+
     api = JsApi()
     logger.info("Configured pywebview backend: %s", _selected_webview_backend())
     window = webview.create_window(

pyproject.toml

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ dependencies = [
     "httpx[http2]>=0.28.1",
     "msgspec>=0.19",
     "parse-torrent-title>=2.8.1",
+    "platformdirs>=4.0",
     "tomli-w>=1.2.0",
     "uvicorn[standard]>=0.40.0",
 ]
@@ -52,8 +53,11 @@ parse-torrent-title = { git = "https://github.com/platelminto/parse-torrent-titl
 gui = [
     "pywebview[qt]>=6.2.1; platform_system != 'Windows'",
     "pywebview>=6.2.1; platform_system == 'Windows'",
+    "velopack>=1.2",
     "qtpy>=2.4.1; platform_system == 'Darwin'",
     "PyQt5>=5.15.11; platform_system == 'Darwin'",
+    # pywebview[qt] no longer pulls this in; the macOS Qt backend needs it
+    "PyQtWebEngine>=5.15.7; platform_system == 'Darwin'",
     "pythonnet>=3.1.0rc0; platform_system == 'Windows' and python_version >= '3.14'",
     "pyinstaller>=6.0",
 ]

scripts/MediaHive.spec

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 #     pyinstaller --noconfirm --clean scripts/MediaHive.spec
 #
 # Or use the build script (recommended—handles versioning and packaging):
-#   uv run scripts/winbuild.py
+#   uv run scripts/guibuild.py
 
 import sys
 import mediahive.winmain
@@ -20,7 +20,15 @@ _frontend_build = _pkg / "frontend-build"
 _logo_webp = _pkg / "assets" / "mediahive.webp"
 _icon_win = _pkg / "assets" / "mediahive.ico"
 _icon_mac = _pkg / "assets" / "mediahive.icns"
-_tools_dir = Path(SPECPATH).parent / "build" / "ffmpeg"
+# ffmpeg staging lives in the persistent build cache (same logic as
+# scripts/guibuild.py); fall back to the legacy build/ffmpeg location.
+from platformdirs import user_cache_path
+
+_tools_dir = (
+    user_cache_path("mediahive-build", appauthor=False, opinion=False) / "ffmpeg"
+)
+if not _tools_dir.exists():
+    _tools_dir = Path(SPECPATH).parent / "build" / "ffmpeg"
 _tool_names = ["ffmpeg.exe"] if sys.platform == "win32" else ["ffmpeg"]
 
 _binaries = []
@@ -123,6 +131,11 @@ exe = EXE(
     windowed=True,
 )
 
+# UPX breaks .NET assemblies: packing Python.Runtime.dll strips/corrupts its
+# CLR metadata and pythonnet then fails with "Failed to resolve
+# Python.Runtime.Loader.Initialize from .../Python.Runtime.dll".
+_upx_exclude = ["Python.Runtime.dll"] if sys.platform == "win32" else []
+
 coll = COLLECT(
     exe,
     a.binaries,
@@ -130,7 +143,7 @@ coll = COLLECT(
     a.datas,
     strip=False,
     upx=True,
-    upx_exclude=[],
+    upx_exclude=_upx_exclude,
     name="MediaHive",
 )
 

scripts/guibuild.py

@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env -S uv run
-"""Build the desktop GUI application and package it as a version-numbered ZIP.
+"""Build the desktop GUI application and package it with Velopack.
 
 Usage:
-    uv run scripts/winbuild.py
+    uv run scripts/guibuild.py
 
 This runs in the project environment where dependencies
 are available via pyproject.toml.
@@ -10,14 +10,18 @@ are available via pyproject.toml.
 This script:
     1. Reads the version from pyproject.toml
     2. Runs `uv build` to produce the wheel/sdist
-    3. On Windows, downloads the latest ffmpeg.exe for bundling
-    4. On macOS arm64, downloads a prebuilt ffmpeg binary for bundling
+    3. On Windows/macOS, downloads the ffmpeg binary for bundling
     4. Builds MediaHive using PyInstaller
-    5. Creates a ZIP file with the version number
+    5. Packages with Velopack: Setup.exe (Windows), .pkg (macOS),
+       .AppImage (Linux), plus the update feed in build/velopack/
+       that release.py uploads for in-app auto-updates
+    6. On Windows, also creates a portable ZIP (no auto-updates)
 """
 
 import io
+import os
 import platform
+import re
 import shutil
 import stat
 import subprocess
@@ -25,8 +29,10 @@ import sys
 import urllib.request
 import zipfile
 from pathlib import Path
+from typing import NamedTuple
 
 import setuptools_scm
+from platformdirs import user_cache_path
 
 # BtbN automated builds always publish a 'latest' tag with this asset.
 _FFMPEG_URL = (
@@ -36,29 +42,59 @@ _FFMPEG_URL = (
 _MACOS_ARM64_TOOL_URLS = {
     "ffmpeg": "https://www.osxexperts.net/ffmpeg81arm.zip",
 }
-_FFMPEG_STAGING = Path(__file__).parent.parent / "build" / "ffmpeg"
 _REPO_ROOT = Path(__file__).parent.parent
 _ASSETS_DIR = _REPO_ROOT / "mediahive" / "assets"
 
 
-def _platform_zip_suffix() -> str:
-    machine = platform.machine().lower()
-    arch = {
-        "x86_64": "x64",
-        "amd64": "x64",
-        "arm64": "arm64",
-        "aarch64": "arm64",
-    }.get(machine, machine or "unknown")
+def _build_cache_dir() -> Path:
+    """Return the persistent cross-build cache dir for downloaded tools (CI wipes build/)."""
+    return user_cache_path("mediahive-build", appauthor=False, opinion=False)
 
+
+_FFMPEG_STAGING = _build_cache_dir() / "ffmpeg"
+
+# Velopack CLI (dotnet tool package). Runs on the machine's .NET runtime; the
+# produced Setup.exe/Update.exe are native and need no runtime on end-user
+# machines. Pin a version whose tools target an installed .NET major.
+_VPK_VERSION = "1.2.158"
+_VPK_URL = (
+    f"https://api.nuget.org/v3-flatcontainer/vpk/{_VPK_VERSION}"
+    f"/vpk.{_VPK_VERSION}.nupkg"
+)
+_VPK_STAGING = _build_cache_dir() / f"vpk-{_VPK_VERSION}"
+
+
+class _Platform(NamedTuple):
+    """Per-platform naming/packaging constants.
+
+    tag is the release artifact suffix. Only Windows keeps an arch marker
+    (win64); macOS builds are arm64-only and we ship one Linux flavor.
+    """
+
+    tag: str  # win64 / macos / linux
+    channel: str  # Velopack update channel: win / osx / linux
+    rid: str  # Velopack runtime id
+    dist_dir: str  # PyInstaller output dir under build/
+    icon: str  # file in mediahive/assets
+    main_exe: str
+    setup_ext: str
+
+
+def _platform() -> _Platform:
     if sys.platform == "win32":
-        return "win64"
+        return _Platform("win64", "win", "win-x64", "MediaHive", "mediahive.ico", "MediaHive.exe", ".exe")
     if sys.platform == "darwin":
-        return f"macos-{arch}"
-    return f"linux-{arch}"
+        return _Platform("macos", "osx", "osx-arm64", "MediaHive.app", "mediahive.icns", "MediaHive", ".pkg")
+    return _Platform("linux", "linux", "linux-x64", "MediaHive", "mediahive.png", "MediaHive", ".AppImage")
+
+
+def setup_artifact_name(version: str) -> str:
+    p = _platform()
+    return f"MediaHive-{version}-{p.tag}-setup{p.setup_ext}"
 
 
 def fetch_ffmpeg() -> Path:
-    """Download latest ffmpeg.exe from BtbN builds into build/ffmpeg/."""
+    """Download latest ffmpeg.exe from BtbN builds into the persistent build cache."""
     dest = _FFMPEG_STAGING / "ffmpeg.exe"
     if dest.exists():
         print(f"ffmpeg already staged at {dest}, skipping download.")
@@ -83,7 +119,7 @@ def fetch_ffmpeg() -> Path:
 
 
 def fetch_macos_arm64_binaries() -> dict[str, Path]:
-    """Download prebuilt macOS arm64 ffmpeg binary into build/ffmpeg/."""
+    """Download prebuilt macOS arm64 ffmpeg binary into the persistent build cache."""
     if sys.platform != "darwin" or platform.machine().lower() not in {
         "arm64",
         "aarch64",
@@ -180,6 +216,244 @@ def ensure_macos_icon() -> Path:
     return icon_icns
 
 
+_VPK_TFM = "net10.0"
+_VPK_REQUIRED_DOTNET_MAJOR = int(re.fullmatch(r"net(\d+)\.0", _VPK_TFM).group(1))
+
+
+def fetch_vpk() -> Path:
+    """Download the Velopack CLI package into the persistent build cache.
+
+    Returns the path to vpk.dll, runnable with `dotnet vpk.dll ...`.
+    """
+    vpk_dll = _VPK_STAGING / "tools" / _VPK_TFM / "any" / "vpk.dll"
+    if vpk_dll.exists():
+        print(f"vpk already staged at {_VPK_STAGING}, skipping download.")
+        return vpk_dll
+
+    _VPK_STAGING.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+    print(f"Downloading vpk from {_VPK_URL} ...")
+    with urllib.request.urlopen(_VPK_URL) as resp:
+        data = resp.read()
+
+    with zipfile.ZipFile(io.BytesIO(data)) as zf:
+        zf.extractall(_VPK_STAGING)
+
+    if not vpk_dll.exists():
+        raise RuntimeError(f"vpk.dll not found in package at {vpk_dll}")
+    print(f"vpk staged at {_VPK_STAGING}")
+    return vpk_dll
+
+
+def _dotnet_runtime_major(exe: Path) -> int | None:
+    """Return the highest installed Microsoft.NETCore.App major version, or None."""
+    try:
+        result = subprocess.run(
+            [str(exe), "--list-runtimes"], capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=30
+        )
+    except (OSError, subprocess.TimeoutExpired):
+        return None
+    if result.returncode != 0:
+        return None
+    majors = []
+    for line in result.stdout.splitlines():
+        parts = line.split()
+        if len(parts) >= 2 and parts[0] == "Microsoft.NETCore.App":
+            try:
+                majors.append(int(parts[1].split(".")[0]))
+            except ValueError:
+                continue
+    return max(majors, default=None)
+
+
+def fetch_dotnet() -> str:
+    """Resolve a system dotnet host able to run vpk (needs .NET >= 10).
+
+    The .NET SDK is a build prerequisite installed on the build machine —
+    downloading a runtime per build is slow and flaky. Several dotnet
+    installations may coexist (PATH may resolve to a runtime-only .NET 8
+    while scoop holds the SDK 10), so probe known locations and pick the
+    newest runtime rather than the first that runs.
+    """
+    exe_name = "dotnet.exe" if sys.platform == "win32" else "dotnet"
+    candidates: list[Path] = []
+    root = os.environ.get("DOTNET_ROOT")
+    if root:
+        candidates.append(Path(root) / exe_name)
+    which = shutil.which("dotnet")
+    if which:
+        candidates.append(Path(which))
+    if sys.platform == "win32":
+        candidates += [
+            Path(r"C:\ProgramData\scoop\apps\dotnet-sdk\current") / exe_name,
+            Path(r"C:\Program Files\dotnet") / exe_name,
+        ]
+    elif sys.platform == "darwin":
+        candidates += [
+            Path("/opt/homebrew/bin") / exe_name,
+            Path("/usr/local/share/dotnet") / exe_name,
+        ]
+    else:
+        candidates += [
+            Path("/usr/share/dotnet") / exe_name,
+            Path("/usr/lib/dotnet") / exe_name,
+            Path.home() / ".dotnet" / exe_name,
+        ]
+
+    best: tuple[int, Path] | None = None
+    for exe in candidates:
+        if not exe.exists():
+            continue
+        major = _dotnet_runtime_major(exe)
+        if major is not None and (best is None or major > best[0]):
+            best = (major, exe)
+
+    if best is not None and best[0] >= _VPK_REQUIRED_DOTNET_MAJOR:
+        print(f"Using dotnet at {best[1]} (.NET {best[0]})")
+        return str(best[1])
+
+    found = f"newest found is .NET {best[0]} at {best[1]}" if best else "none found"
+    raise RuntimeError(
+        f"vpk requires Microsoft.NETCore.App >= {_VPK_REQUIRED_DOTNET_MAJOR} ({found}). "
+        "Install the current .NET SDK on this build machine "
+        "(Windows: `scoop install dotnet-sdk`; macOS: `brew install dotnet-sdk`; "
+        "Linux: distro `dotnet-sdk` package or the dotnet-install script)."
+    )
+
+
+def build_velopack(version: str) -> Path:
+    """Build the Velopack installer/bundle for this platform.
+
+    Windows: per-user Setup.exe. macOS: .pkg installer. Linux: .AppImage.
+    Also produces the update feed (releases.<channel>.json, *.nupkg) in
+    build/velopack/ for release.py to upload — in-app auto-updates read it
+    from the Gitea release. Velopack installs carry no Mark-of-the-Web, so
+    the .NET CLR loads pythonnet/pywebview assemblies that it refuses from
+    a downloaded ZIP.
+    """
+    plat = _platform()
+    dist_folder = _REPO_ROOT / "build" / plat.dist_dir
+    if not dist_folder.exists():
+        raise FileNotFoundError(f"Distribution folder not found: {dist_folder}")
+
+    vpk_dll = fetch_vpk()
+    releases_dir = _REPO_ROOT / "build" / "velopack"
+
+    cmd = [
+        fetch_dotnet(),
+        str(vpk_dll),
+        "pack",
+        "--packId",
+        "MediaHive",
+        "--packVersion",
+        version,
+        "--packDir",
+        str(dist_folder),
+        "--mainExe",
+        plat.main_exe,
+        "--packAuthors",
+        "MediaHive",
+        "--packTitle",
+        "MediaHive",
+        "--icon",
+        str(_ASSETS_DIR / plat.icon),
+        "--runtime",
+        plat.rid,
+        "--outputDir",
+        str(releases_dir),
+    ]
+    if sys.platform == "darwin":
+        cmd += ["--instWelcome", str(_ASSETS_DIR / "macos-installer-welcome.txt")]
+    print(f"Running: {' '.join(cmd)}")
+    try:
+        result = subprocess.run(cmd, cwd=_REPO_ROOT, capture_output=True, text=True)
+    except OSError as exc:
+        raise RuntimeError(f"vpk failed to start: {exc}") from exc
+    if result.returncode != 0:
+        raise RuntimeError(
+            f"vpk pack failed with exit code {result.returncode}\n"
+            f"stdout:\n{result.stdout}\nstderr:\n{result.stderr}"
+        )
+
+    setup = next(iter(sorted(releases_dir.glob(f"*Setup*{plat.setup_ext}"))), None)
+    if setup is None:
+        setup = next(iter(sorted(releases_dir.glob(f"*{plat.setup_ext}"))), None)
+    if setup is None:
+        raise RuntimeError(f"vpk produced no *{plat.setup_ext} in {releases_dir}")
+    if sys.platform == "darwin":
+        force_macos_user_install(setup)
+    artifact = _REPO_ROOT / "build" / setup_artifact_name(version)
+    artifact.unlink(missing_ok=True)
+    setup.rename(artifact)
+    rename_feed_package(releases_dir, version, plat.channel)
+    return artifact
+
+
+def rename_feed_package(releases_dir: Path, version: str, channel: str) -> None:
+    """Rename this platform's update-feed nupkg in place.
+
+    vpk hardcodes MediaHive-{ver}[-{channel}]-full.nupkg (Windows, the legacy
+    default channel, gets no marker). Rename all to the uniform
+    mediahive-{ver}-{channel}-full.nupkg: lowercase groups them with the
+    wheel/sdist below the capitalized user downloads on the release page,
+    and every platform carries its channel. releases.<channel>.json
+    references the filename, so patch it too.
+    """
+    old_name = f"MediaHive-{version}-full.nupkg"
+    if not (releases_dir / old_name).exists():
+        old_name = f"MediaHive-{version}-{channel}-full.nupkg"
+    nupkg = releases_dir / old_name
+    if not nupkg.exists():
+        raise RuntimeError(f"vpk produced no {old_name} in {releases_dir}")
+
+    new_name = f"mediahive-{version}-{channel}-full.nupkg"
+    manifest = releases_dir / f"releases.{channel}.json"
+    text = manifest.read_text()
+    if old_name not in text:
+        raise RuntimeError(f"{manifest.name} does not reference {old_name}")
+    manifest.write_text(text.replace(old_name, new_name))
+    nupkg.rename(nupkg.with_name(new_name))
+
+
+def force_macos_user_install(pkg: Path) -> None:
+    """Restrict the Velopack-generated pkg to per-user installs (~/Applications).
+
+    Velopack hardcodes two install domains (currentUserHome + localSystem) in
+    the distribution XML. System installs land in /Applications, which the
+    user may not own — Velopack's UpdateMac then cannot replace the .app on
+    auto-update. With a single domain, macOS Installer skips the Destination
+    Select page and installs to ~/Applications without admin rights.
+
+    Also drops the `sudo -u "$USER"` prefix from Velopack's postinstall
+    script: under a per-user install the script already runs as the
+    installing user, and sudo would fail for lack of a tty.
+    """
+    expanded = pkg.with_name(pkg.stem + "-expanded")
+    shutil.rmtree(expanded, ignore_errors=True)
+    # --expand-full also expands the component pkg, exposing its Scripts dir
+    subprocess.run(["pkgutil", "--expand-full", str(pkg), str(expanded)], check=True)
+
+    dist_xml = expanded / "Distribution"
+    xml = dist_xml.read_text()
+    new_xml, count = re.subn(
+        r"<domains [^>]*/>",
+        '<domains enable_anywhere="false" enable_currentUserHome="true" enable_localSystem="false" />',
+        xml,
+    )
+    if count != 1:
+        raise RuntimeError("Unexpected distribution.xml: <domains> not found")
+    dist_xml.write_text(new_xml)
+
+    postinstalls = list(expanded.glob("*.pkg/Scripts/postinstall"))
+    if len(postinstalls) != 1:
+        raise RuntimeError(f"Unexpected pkg layout: postinstalls={postinstalls}")
+    postinstall = postinstalls[0]
+    script = postinstall.read_text()
+    postinstall.write_text(script.replace('sudo -u "$USER" ', ""))
+
+    subprocess.run(["pkgutil", "--flatten", str(expanded), str(pkg)], check=True)
+    shutil.rmtree(expanded)
+
+
 def read_version() -> str:
     """Read version via setuptools_scm (same logic as hatch-vcs)."""
     return setuptools_scm.get_version(root=str(_REPO_ROOT))
@@ -217,18 +491,18 @@ def build_executable() -> None:
         raise RuntimeError(f"PyInstaller failed with exit code {result.returncode}")
 
 
-def create_zip(version: str) -> Path:
-    """Create a version-numbered ZIP file of the build/MediaHive folder."""
-    repo_root = _REPO_ROOT
-    dist_folder = repo_root / "build" / "MediaHive"
+def create_portable_zip(version: str) -> Path:
+    """Create the Windows portable ZIP of the build/MediaHive folder.
 
+    Velopack-less plain-folder distribution for users who cannot or do not
+    want to run Setup.exe. No auto-updates; the app strips Mark-of-the-Web
+    from bundled DLLs at first run instead.
+    """
+    dist_folder = _REPO_ROOT / "build" / "MediaHive"
     if not dist_folder.exists():
         raise FileNotFoundError(f"Distribution folder not found: {dist_folder}")
 
-    zip_name = f"MediaHive-{version}-{_platform_zip_suffix()}.zip"
-    zip_path = repo_root / "build" / zip_name
-    zip_path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
-
+    zip_path = _REPO_ROOT / "build" / f"MediaHive-{version}-win64-portable.zip"
     print(f"Creating {zip_path}...")
     shutil.make_archive(
         str(zip_path.with_suffix("")),  # removes .zip so make_archive can add it
@@ -258,10 +532,14 @@ def main() -> None:
             )
         build_wheel()
         build_executable()
-        zip_path = create_zip(version)
 
-        print(f"✓ Built successfully: {zip_path}")
-        print(f"  Size: {zip_path.stat().st_size / (1024 * 1024):.1f} MB")
+        artifacts = [build_velopack(version)]
+        if sys.platform == "win32":
+            artifacts.append(create_portable_zip(version))
+
+        for artifact_path in artifacts:
+            print(f"✓ Built successfully: {artifact_path}")
+            print(f"  Size: {artifact_path.stat().st_size / (1024 * 1024):.1f} MB")
     except (FileNotFoundError, OSError, RuntimeError, ValueError) as e:
         print(f"✗ Build failed: {e}", file=sys.stderr)
         sys.exit(1)

scripts/release.py

@@ -9,10 +9,14 @@ Reads from [project.urls] Repository in pyproject.toml.
 Token: GITEA_TOKEN environment variable
 
 Steps:
-    1. Find clean-versioned ZIPs in build/ and matching dist/ wheels/sdists
-    2. Abort if any dist files are missing for a found ZIP version
-    3. Create a Gitea release for each version and upload all assets
+    1. Find clean-versioned platform artifacts in build/ and matching dist/ wheels/sdists
+    2. Abort if any dist files are missing for a found artifact version
+    3. Create a Gitea release for each version (or reuse the existing one
+       for the tag, skipping already-uploaded assets) and upload all assets
     4. Remind the user to run: uv publish
+
+Parallel CI platform builds converge on one release per tag; pass --no-dist
+on all but one platform so only it uploads the wheel/sdist.
 """
 
 import argparse
@@ -63,17 +67,20 @@ def load_token() -> str:
 # ZIP + dist helpers
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-# Matches MediaHive-1.2.3-win64.zip, MediaHive-1.2.3-macos-arm64.zip, etc.
-# Rejects dev/dirty versions like MediaHive-1.2.3.dev0+gabcd-win64.zip
-_CLEAN_ZIP_RE = re.compile(r"^MediaHive-(\d+(?:\.\d+)*)-([A-Za-z0-9._-]+)\.zip$")
+# Matches MediaHive-1.2.3-win64-portable.zip, MediaHive-1.2.3-win64-setup.exe,
+# MediaHive-1.2.3-macos-setup.pkg, MediaHive-1.2.3-linux-setup.AppImage, etc.
+# Rejects dev/dirty versions like MediaHive-1.2.3.dev0+gabcd-win64-portable.zip
+_CLEAN_ARTIFACT_RE = re.compile(
+    r"^MediaHive-(\d+(?:\.\d+)*)-([A-Za-z0-9._-]+)\.(?:zip|dmg|exe|pkg|AppImage)$"
+)
 
 
-def find_releasable_zips() -> list[tuple[Path, str, str]]:
-    """Return (path, version, platform_tag) for clean-versioned ZIPs in build/."""
+def find_releasable_artifacts() -> list[tuple[Path, str, str]]:
+    """Return (path, version, platform_tag) for clean-versioned artifacts in build/."""
     build_dir = REPO_ROOT / "build"
     results = []
-    for p in sorted(build_dir.glob("MediaHive-*.zip")):
-        m = _CLEAN_ZIP_RE.match(p.name)
+    for p in sorted(build_dir.glob("MediaHive-*")):
+        m = _CLEAN_ARTIFACT_RE.match(p.name)
         if m:
             results.append((p, m.group(1), m.group(2)))
     return results
@@ -108,6 +115,23 @@ def find_dist_files(version: str) -> list[Path]:
     return [wheel, sdist]
 
 
+def find_velopack_feed_files() -> list[Path]:
+    """Velopack update feed files produced by vpk pack in build/velopack/.
+
+    Only what the in-app updater (GiteaSource) reads from the latest
+    release: this channel's releases.<channel>.json index and the nupkg
+    payload it points to. The legacy RELEASES and assets.*.json manifests
+    (Squirrel compat / setup bootstrap) are not uploaded.
+    """
+    releases_dir = REPO_ROOT / "build" / "velopack"
+    if not releases_dir.exists():
+        return []
+    files: list[Path] = []
+    for pattern in ("releases.*.json", "*.nupkg"):
+        files.extend(sorted(releases_dir.glob(pattern)))
+    return files
+
+
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Gitea API helpers
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -117,6 +141,18 @@ def gitea_headers(token: str) -> dict:
     return {"Authorization": f"token {token}", "Accept": "application/json"}
 
 
+def get_release_by_tag(
+    client: httpx.Client, base_url: str, repo: str, tag: str
+) -> dict | None:
+    """Return the existing release for a tag, or None."""
+    url = f"{base_url}/api/v1/repos/{repo}/releases/tags/{tag}"
+    resp = client.get(url)
+    if resp.status_code == 404:
+        return None
+    resp.raise_for_status()
+    return resp.json()
+
+
 def create_release(
     client: httpx.Client,
     base_url: str,
@@ -125,8 +161,12 @@ def create_release(
     version: str,
     notes: str,
     draft: bool,
-) -> int:
-    """Create a Gitea release and return its id."""
+) -> tuple[int, set[str]]:
+    """Create a Gitea release, or reuse the existing one for the tag.
+
+    Returns (release_id, names of assets already attached), so parallel
+    platform builds can converge on one release without conflicts.
+    """
     url = f"{base_url}/api/v1/repos/{repo}/releases"
     payload = {
         "tag_name": tag,
@@ -137,11 +177,17 @@ def create_release(
     }
     resp = client.post(url, json=payload)
     if resp.status_code == 409:
-        raise RuntimeError(f"A release for tag '{tag}' already exists on Gitea.")
+        existing = get_release_by_tag(client, base_url, repo, tag)
+        if existing is None:
+            raise RuntimeError(f"Release for tag '{tag}' conflicts but cannot be read.")
+        release_id = existing["id"]
+        assets = {a["name"] for a in existing.get("assets", [])}
+        print(f"Release for tag '{tag}' already exists (id={release_id}), reusing it.")
+        return release_id, assets
     resp.raise_for_status()
     release_id = resp.json()["id"]
     print(f"Created release id={release_id} (draft={draft})")
-    return release_id
+    return release_id, set()
 
 
 def upload_asset(
@@ -154,7 +200,10 @@ def upload_asset(
     """Upload a file to the release and return the download URL."""
     url = f"{base_url}/api/v1/repos/{repo}/releases/{release_id}/assets"
     size_mb = path.stat().st_size / (1024 * 1024)
-    mime = "application/zip" if path.suffix == ".zip" else "application/octet-stream"
+    mime = {
+        ".zip": "application/zip",
+        ".dmg": "application/x-apple-diskimage",
+    }.get(path.suffix, "application/octet-stream")
     print(f"Uploading {path.name} ({size_mb:.1f} MB) ...")
     with Path(path).open("rb") as fh:
         resp = client.post(
@@ -174,6 +223,10 @@ def upload_asset(
 
 
 def main() -> None:
+    # Windows consoles default to cp1252, which can't encode ✓/✗
+    sys.stdout.reconfigure(errors="replace")
+    sys.stderr.reconfigure(errors="replace")
+
     parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Publish a MediaHive release to Gitea")
     parser.add_argument(
         "--draft", action="store_true", help="Create as a draft release"
@@ -181,16 +234,21 @@ def main() -> None:
     parser.add_argument(
         "--notes", default="", metavar="TEXT", help="Release notes body"
     )
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "--no-dist",
+        action="store_true",
+        help="Skip wheel/sdist upload (for parallel platform builds; one job uploads them)",
+    )
     args = parser.parse_args()
 
     try:
         cfg = load_gitea_config()
         token = load_token()
 
-        zips = find_releasable_zips()
-        if not zips:
+        artifacts = find_releasable_artifacts()
+        if not artifacts:
             print(
-                "No clean-versioned ZIPs found in build/.\n"
+                "No clean-versioned platform artifacts found in build/.\n"
                 "Run scripts/guibuild.py first.",
                 file=sys.stderr,
             )
@@ -198,28 +256,42 @@ def main() -> None:
 
         # Validate all dist files exist before touching Gitea
         dist_files: dict[str, list[Path]] = {}
-        for _, version, _platform_tag in zips:
-            dist_files[version] = find_dist_files(version)
+        if not args.no_dist:
+            for _, version, _platform_tag in artifacts:
+                dist_files[version] = find_dist_files(version)
 
         base_url = cfg["url"].rstrip("/")
         repo = cfg["repo"]
 
         with httpx.Client(headers=gitea_headers(token)) as client:
-            release_ids_by_version: dict[str, int] = {}
-            for zip_path, version, platform_tag in zips:
+            releases: dict[str, tuple[int, set[str]]] = {}
+            for artifact_path, version, platform_tag in artifacts:
                 print(f"\nReleasing {version} ...")
                 tag = f"v{version}"
-                release_id = release_ids_by_version.get(version)
-                if release_id is None:
-                    release_id = create_release(
+                if version not in releases:
+                    releases[version] = create_release(
                         client, base_url, repo, tag, version, args.notes, args.draft
                     )
-                    release_ids_by_version[version] = release_id
-                    for path in dist_files[version]:
+                    release_id, uploaded = releases[version]
+                    for path in dist_files.get(version, []):
+                        if path.name in uploaded:
+                            print(f"Skipping {path.name}, already on the release.")
+                            continue
                         upload_asset(client, base_url, repo, release_id, path)
 
+                release_id, uploaded = releases[version]
+                if artifact_path.name in uploaded:
+                    print(f"Skipping {artifact_path.name}, already on the release.")
+                    continue
                 print(f"Uploading platform artifact: {platform_tag}")
-                upload_asset(client, base_url, repo, release_id, zip_path)
+                upload_asset(client, base_url, repo, release_id, artifact_path)
+                uploaded.add(artifact_path.name)
+                for feed_file in find_velopack_feed_files():
+                    if feed_file.name in uploaded:
+                        print(f"Skipping {feed_file.name}, already on the release.")
+                        continue
+                    upload_asset(client, base_url, repo, release_id, feed_file)
+                    uploaded.add(feed_file.name)
                 print(f"  ✓ {tag} published")
 
         print("\nDone. To publish to PyPI, run:")