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The self-update command

Run dispat self-update to replace your running binary with the latest stable release of dispat. You do not need a config file or a git repository. This command updates the tool itself, regardless of the directory you are in.

dispat downloads the binary for your platform from the GitHub release, verifies the published size and checksum, and runs it once to prove it works. When it replaces an existing binary, it keeps that binary as <name>.backup and removes it during a future run a week later. Because nothing moves until every check passes, a failed update leaves your working binary exactly where it was. If something other than a file, such as a folder, stands at <name>.backup, dispat names it before downloading anything and asks you to move or remove it; --check reports the same obstruction. On a later update, dispat keeps the existing rollback copy until the new binary is installed. If the final swap fails, it restores the working binary and that copy; a restoration failure reports their remaining paths. A cleanup warning after installation means the new binary and its immediate backup are ready, but an older copy needs manual cleanup. If a failed download cannot be removed, the warning names the staged file that remains for manual cleanup. When an update is interrupted before it finishes, the next update or rollback puts the rollback copy it left aside back in place and removes its staged download.

After the new binary is in place, dispat prints the changes and links to the changelog for the installed tag. Run with --check to see this information before you download anything.

$ dispat self-update --check
current   dispat 1.0.0 (darwin_arm64)
available dispat 1.1.0 (services/dispat/v1.1.0)

what changed in 1.1.0

  Features
    - self-update reads out what it installed

full changelog: https://github.com/yohimik/dispat/blob/refs/tags/services/dispat/v1.1.0/services/dispat/CHANGELOG.md

install it with: dispat self-update

Use --check as a script gate, because it changes nothing on disk and exits 1 when an update is available. Pass --prerelease to include release candidates, --release <version> to install a specific version, or --force to install your selection even if it is older. dispat never downgrades on its own, so it reports an older release as "already the latest" unless you provide one of those two flags.

Run with --rollback to restore the backup binary without downloading anything. This command rotates the files instead of overwriting them. The binary you replace becomes the new backup, so a second --rollback returns you to where you started.

dispat refuses to replace a binary installed with go install, because your next go install would undo the update. Instead, --check prints the exact go install command you need. dispat also refuses to update a local dev build for the same reason.

Most other dispat commands check for a newer stable release and report it before exiting, without ever waiting for the network response. The shell helpers if and exec never start the check, because they are glue that may run dozens of times in one script, and neither does a command printing JSON. To disable the check elsewhere, set updateCheck to false in your config file, or set DISPAT_UPDATE_CHECK=0 in your environment. Read the full guide at Updating dispat.

Flags​

These flags apply alongside the global flags:

--check​

compute and self-update: report only, change nothing, and exit 1 when there is something to do. For self-update, this means a release is available to install.

--force​

self-update only: install the selected release even if it is not newer. This repairs a damaged binary and leaves a prerelease line.

--prerelease​

self-update only: consider prereleases too. Standard ordering still decides, so a released 1.2.0 wins over 1.2.0-rc.1.

--release​

self-update only: install exactly this version, including downgrades. A leading v is fine.

--rollback​

self-update only: restore the binary the last update replaced, without downloading anything. This refuses to run alongside release selection flags, but it combines with --check.

--owner, --repo, --api-url, --token-env​

The default comes from config. self-update: point dispat at another repository or a GitHub Enterprise endpoint instead of its own releases. A private one works too: the token authenticates the releases listing and the download of the binary alike, so a fork released only inside a company updates itself the same way. --token-env names the variable the token is read from, and GITHUB_TOKEN is the default.