Update Scient
Scient keeps the desktop app and the server attached to each environment as separate versioned runtimes. A local desktop environment is bundled with the app, while an SSH or manually managed environment may run its own Scient server.
Update the desktop app
Packaged Scient releases check the selected update channel after startup and periodically while the app is open. Updates are deliberate:
- Select the update control near the bottom of the sidebar, or use Scient → Check for Updates… on macOS.
- When a release is available, choose the control again to download it.
- After the download finishes, review the restart confirmation and install it.
Scient does not install an update silently while work is running. Let active agent turns and terminal commands finish before restarting. Threads, settings, and project files remain in their existing locations.
Settings → General → Desktop updates selects Stable or Nightly. Stable follows full public releases. Nightly is a preview channel and can move more often; switch back to Stable when you no longer want preview builds.
Automatic update checks require an official packaged build and a configured release feed. On Linux they additionally require running the AppImage. If the updater is unavailable, download the current installer from the official Scient download page.
Keep a connected server in sync
If a connected environment uses a different server version, Scient shows the version warning above the composer and in Settings → Connections. Hiding the composer warning does not change either runtime.
The action depends on how that environment started:
| Action | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Update the desktop app | Update Scient on the machine that owns the bundled local server. |
| Update server | Prepare and trial an exact replacement for a supported background service, then reconnect only after it is ready. |
| Copy update command | Copy the exact Scient release-asset command for a manually managed server and run it on that server machine. |
Run the copied update command exactly as Scient provides it. Changing its package, version, or release URL can install a server that does not match the desktop client.
Background-service updates
A supported background service prepares the target version before replacing the active server. It reports one of these outcomes:
- committed: the target version is ready and becomes the normal runtime;
- rolled back: the trial failed before commit and the previous runtime and database snapshot were restored; or
- failed: the launcher could not safely complete the operation.
Keep Scient open while the server restarts. The update is complete only when the replacement server reports ready, not merely when the initial update request is accepted. A failure remains visible for review and retry.
An older service installation may require one local repair or update first. Use the exact command supplied by Scient or the procedure in Run Scient in the background.
Troubleshooting
- Confirm that you are updating the machine named in the warning.
- Let active work finish, then retry the offered action once.
- For a manually managed server, copy the command again instead of reusing an older version or changing its release URL.
- If a desktop update cannot be checked or downloaded, install the same or a newer official release manually; do not remove the existing data directory.