Update Hint

Non-blocking notice that a newer PraisonAI is available, refreshed in a detached background process

The update hint prints a one-line “a newer version is available” notice at start-up, refreshing its cache in a fully detached background process so it never blocks or slows the CLI.

Quick Start

1. See the hint

   Run any command. If a newer release is cached, PraisonAI prints this to stderr:

   A newer PraisonAI is available: 4.6.145 -> 4.6.146. Run: praisonai upgrade
   
2. Opt out

   export PRAISONAI_NO_UPDATE_CHECK=1
   

   Suppresses both the hint and the background refresh.

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How It Works

Every text-mode, non-quiet start reads a cached version file, prints a hint if a newer release is known, then warms the cache for the next start in a detached child.

Aspect	Behaviour
Cache location	<user_config_dir>/state/update_check.json
Cache TTL	24 hours
Where it prints	stderr, text mode only
Parent-process network I/O	Never — the parent only reads the cache
Refresh process	Fully detached child (start_new_session=True on POSIX; `CREATE_NO_WINDOW	DETACHED_PROCESS` on Windows)

The hint never blocks start-up, never performs network I/O in the parent process, and never raises. A missing, stale, or unwritable cache simply yields no hint.

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Options

Control the hint with one environment variable.

Variable	Values	Description
PRAISONAI_NO_UPDATE_CHECK	1, true, yes, on (case-insensitive)	Suppress both the hint and the background cache refresh.

The hint is also suppressed automatically in --output json mode — only text mode emits it.

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Common Patterns

Disable the hint for a single command.

PRAISONAI_NO_UPDATE_CHECK=1 praisonai run "2+2"

Disable it permanently in CI by exporting the variable in your environment.

export PRAISONAI_NO_UPDATE_CHECK=1

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Best Practices

Leave it on for interactive use

The hint costs nothing at start-up (cache-only read) and reminds you when a fix or feature ships. Keep it enabled on developer machines.

Opt out in CI and headless jobs

Set PRAISONAI_NO_UPDATE_CHECK=1 in pipelines to avoid stderr noise and the background refresh spawn.

Warm the cache with --check

praisonai upgrade --check refreshes the same cache, so a one-off check makes the next start’s hint accurate without waiting for the 24h TTL.

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Related

praisonai upgrade

Update the CLI in place

praisonai uninstall

Cleanly remove the managed install