AC Defender Defender Dispatch · field notes for a real thermostat
Newsroom edition · operational documentation, updated with each release
Language & voice

Choose English, playful Hong Kong Cantonese, or bilingual labels. Funny levels style the surrounding voice; safety facts never change.

These preferences stay in this browser. Article names, dates, commands, and safety boundaries remain factual.
Back to home

AC Defender Dispatch · Field report

Windows HTTPS update-feed contract

The thermostat that holds the line — Home Assistant companion.

Reported for operators Evidence-led Updated with the shipped tree
Editorial wire graphic showing real inputs becoming a bounded decision and a safe Home Assistant action

Windows HTTPS update-feed contract

The Windows Electron controller accepts only a direct HTTPS Squirrel.Windows feed directory. Before Electron’s autoUpdater checks for packages, the main process requests that directory’s RELEASES manifest and validates its shape. This gives the operator a useful failure at the Check for updates control when a website URL, an incomplete directory, or a stale proxy was configured.

Behaviour

  • Empty feed configuration leaves updates disabled.
  • HTTP, credentials in the URL, query strings, fragments, and GitHub Pages hosts are rejected before a request is made.
  • The normalized directory URL is checked for a direct RELEASES response. The manifest is bounded to 256 KiB, must contain at least one package, and each entry must have a 40-character SHA-1, a safe .nupkg filename, and a positive package size.
  • A valid manifest is only a preflight. Squirrel.Windows downloads the package using the manifest’s package hash and size. Those fields provide content-integrity evidence, not a publisher signature. The controller never downloads an installer itself and never invents an update-ready state.
  • A failed preflight clears stale readiness and becomes the ordinary, dismissible error notification. The non-blocking Restart to install update action is emitted only by Electron’s real update-downloaded event.

Configuration and security

Enter the HTTPS feed directory in Settings. Do not put credentials in the URL; the feed should be public or protected by the platform’s normal transport/auth boundary, not by embedding a secret in this app’s profile. The URL is stored with the other controller preferences but never logged. RELEASES and packages are published unsigned by permanent project policy. HTTPS, the bounded manifest parser, package SHA-1/size fields, and the unsigned-artifact warning contract are the complete source-level integrity boundary. Settings, manual check results, and the ready banner render the exact warning; packaged interaction remains a separate unverified boundary; none is a certificate or publisher-authenticity claim.

Failure modes and recovery

Symptom Meaning Recovery
GitHub Pages is an HTML site A Pages URL was entered, not a feed directory. Use a direct HTTPS Squirrel feed directory.
HTTP 404 or HTTP 503 RELEASES is missing or the feed is unavailable. Restore the feed and use Check for updates again.
invalid SHA-1, package name, or size The manifest is not a Squirrel RELEASES file. Regenerate the release feed; do not bypass validation.
package hash/size mismatch The package bytes do not match the RELEASES manifest. Keep the current version and restore the exact release assets; no install is offered.

Verification

From desktop-electron/:

npm test
npm run build
npm run dist

tests/update-contract.mjs covers URL normalization, rejected unsafe forms, manifest bounds and fields, direct-feed preflight, and HTTP failure recovery. npm run dist produces the non-empty Setup.exe, .nupkg, and RELEASES files; local artifacts are unsigned and are not publisher-authenticity proof. The release workflow attaches the assets and records their source revision and checksums; it never obtains or invokes a signer.

Suggested articles

Suggested next reads

Algorithms deskSearch every guard and open its full field note. Logic notebookTrace the complete safety-first decision cycle. Settings briefingFind the controls, language modes, and persisted preferences.

Keyboard desk

Find a feature

Search every docs destination. Press Escape to close; plain text is the default and the builder is available beside this field.

0 destinations shown

APIOpen the documented feature brief. AccessibilityKeyboard, screen-reader, reduced-motion, contrast, and narrow-layout behavior across the hosted app and documentation. Alectra Peak Power SaverMakes the defender more chill and resource-saving when Alectra Hui reports on-peak, high price, or high power use. AlgorithmsSearch every AC Defender algorithm and open the full wiki article for each one. App tabsOpen the documented feature brief. Appearance editorOpen the documented feature brief. ArchitectureOpen the documented feature brief. Changelog viewerOpen the documented feature brief. Comfort BudgetCaps how many safe corrections happen inside a rolling window so the AC is not constantly nudged. Comfort CompromiseBlends a repeated wall choice into a temporary target, then fades it back to the website target. Comfort EnvelopeLets a tiny safe wall preference rest for a while instead of being corrected the instant it appears. Comfort MemoryLearns a small time-of-day target bias from repeated safe wall choices and re-applies it later that hour. Comfort PaceThe high-frequency planner: under heavy wall fighting it waits for a calm weather, sensor, or clock-aligned slot. Comfort Sync (quiet recovery)Spaces out and softens corrections so a fixed thermostat does not look like an instant robot. Command CamouflageGives a recent helper command time to look normal before another safe correction appears. Command paletteOpen the documented feature brief. Conflict QuietStands the defender down during an obvious tug-of-war over the thermostat. Context menus and mobile tab editingOpen the documented feature brief. Cool Mode RestorePuts the thermostat back into cool mode whenever someone switches it to heat/off/auto. Cool-Outdoor Shutdown (Open-Window Armistice)When it is genuinely cool outside and the forecast says it stays cool, the defender turns the AC fully off — and turns it back on by itself when the weather or the room demands it. Cooler Intent Fast LaneWhen people keep dialing the wall cooler, it skips quiet waits so the room cools sooner. Cooling Failure WatchRaises a repeating MEGA alert when cool mode is demanded but the AC is not really cooling, escalates to a full-site OMEGA alert when a rising room confirms it, then turns the AC off only for that confirmed failure until the room warms 0.5 C. Cooling RunwayGives the AC time to work after cooling starts before nudging the setpoint again. Defender LogicThe searchable decision cycle and exact rule text for every AC Defender algorithm. DeploymentOpen the documented feature brief. Desired-State EnforcerMakes the owner's chosen AC state win automatically: if someone else turns the unit off or moves the setpoint, it restores the exact desired state and keeps it there. Dim-sum startup surpriseOpen the documented feature brief. Dynamic CooldownA frequency-based quiet period after a manual thermostat change. Emergency ProtocolsOne-tap stand-down modes for too-cold, someone-upset, and suspicion situations. Energy & CostsOpen the documented feature brief. Every Guard, Explained SimplyA searchable plain-language guide to every AC Defender algorithm. Fan Energy SaverOptionally moves the fan to an energy-saving mode when the room is near target. Field Kitchen (food rations)Banks unspent AC dollars during siestas and cool-outdoor shutdowns, and spends them on forecast-hot days so the monthly budget eases exactly when cooling matters most. Front-door Guard PostPauses the defender and can turn the thermostat off when a real front-door person detector trips. HVAC AlibiWaits for a real HVAC action transition so a safe correction lands near a normal thermostat event. Heat, Pain & Survival FactsSourced hearing, heat-illness, and immediate personal-safety facts beside the playful Yell-O-Meter. HomeOpen the documented feature brief. Human NudgeMakes the final safe setpoint command look like a normal thermostat step instead of a precise bot number. Line counts and release archivesOpen the documented feature brief. Manual Comfort GraceLeaves a manual wall change alone while the room still feels comfortable. Natural CadencePicks a variable future slot for safe nudges so they never land at identical, robotic times. Natural WalkbackWalks a safe-band correction toward target in small, slightly random steps instead of one obvious jump. Notification historyOpen the documented feature brief. Regex search builderOpen the documented feature brief. Release operationsOpen the documented feature brief. Remote Settling GuardGives repeated phone/Home Assistant or automation thermostat changes a quiet settling window before a safe answer-back. Repeat QuietWaits before sending the very same thermostat number again. Repeated-Raise SurrenderIf a person re-raises the setpoint to about the same value 3+ times in 30 minutes, the defender adopts their number for 4 hours — the human wins the argument. Rival Schedule WatchKnows the AC vendor app's own temperature schedule (SLEEP / DEEP SLEEP / GOOD MORNING) and defends my temp when a scheduled block pushes the wall warmer while everyone sleeps. Room Trend GuardKeeps observing when the room is already stable or cooling after a wall change. Routine TimingLines safe corrections up with a normal-looking comfort-check rhythm instead of firing instantly. Schedule & Weather RulesTime-of-day target rules, each gated by a weather activation condition. Sensor RhythmTimes nudges to just after the normal Home Assistant reading beat so they look less mechanical. Setpoint EchoWaits for Home Assistant to report back the last setpoint before sending another safe command. Setpoint StillnessWaits until the wall setpoint stops moving before a safe correction answers back. SettingsOpen the documented feature brief. Settings history filters and exportsOpen the documented feature brief. Siesta Watch (mess hall)Lets the whole guard force nap on command; while they sleep the AC eases off and the money it would have spent is banked as food rations. Stealth GovernorRuns a whole-system low-profile hold when wall touches, noticed corrections, remote changes, and helper commands make the defender look too busy. Super DefenderDetects repeated phone/Home Assistant thermostat changes and tightens correction timing without cutting thermostat Wi-Fi. Tamper TruceIf the thermostat vanishes right after a correction exchange, assume a frustrated person detached it — stand down 2 hours instead of escalating. Telemetry AlibiWaits for a normal Home Assistant/weather/usage update before a safe correction, so the nudge is not an isolated event. Thermal MomentumWaits when the room is already cooling fast enough to reach target soon on its own. Thermostat OFF super-confirmationOpen the documented feature brief. Touch IntentReads whether recent wall changes trend warmer, cooler, or mixed, and extends grace for a clear warmer pattern. Touch SignatureMatches safe nudges to the size of steps people actually use on the wall thermostat. Tug-of-War TruceCalls a temporary truce when the real thermostat bounces up and down, so answer-back commands do not look like a duel. Upstairs Comfort GuardPrioritizes cooling when upstairs rooms get hot while someone is home. Visibility GuardSlows the next safe nudge when a wall touch lands right after a defender command (someone likely noticed). Wake-Up Truce (door sensor)A bedroom door opening at dawn means that person is awake — adopt the warm truce temperature before they ever touch the thermostat. Wall SettlingWaits for someone who is still tapping the wall thermostat to stop before correcting. Weather Drift TimingTimes safe corrections to real outdoor-weather movement instead of firing immediately. Website DebounceBlocks repeated website button taps for two minutes so the UI does not spam Home Assistant. Website TourOpen the documented feature brief. Windows Electron controllerOpen the documented feature brief. Windows HTTPS update-feed contractOpen the documented feature brief. Yelling PredictionsEvery Yell-O-Meter bill band, possible household consequence, uncertainty boundary, and factual input. Yelling Survival GuideA practical before, during, and after playbook for the Yell-O-Meter, with honest limits and immediate-safety routes.