Should WandEnhancer tell you when a new version is out?

[k1tbyte]

WandEnhancer makes no network requests today. 2.0.0.0 is a major release, so if we
ever change that, this is the right moment to do it.

Since 2.0.0.0 the patcher launches Wand itself, so it's now a natural place to show
"a new version is out" - without you having to check the repo.

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What it would do: one request (or a couple) to the public GitHub releases API every time you
launch Wand, and a line in the log if a newer version exists.

What it would NOT do: no download, no auto-update, no telemetry, nothing about you
or your Wand install. You'd still build the executable yourself from Actions.

What GitHub would see: your IP and a User-Agent - the same as opening the repo page
in a browser. Nothing else is sent

This changes a documented privacy property of the tool, so I'd rather ask than decide.

[amymor]

This makes it harder for users to spot malicious “Wand Enhancer” downloads. If it's kept fully offline and the user is aware of that, a firewall warning becomes a clear signal that the installer is fake. While there are many ways to bypass the Windows firewall, this trick is less effective against other popular firewalls such as SimpleWall. Therefore, rather than implementing in‑app update notifications, it’s better to rely on GitHub releases to inform users about new versions.
https://botmonster.com/coding/wand-enhancer-download-fork-build-youtube-malware/

[k1tbyte]

This makes it harder for users to spot malicious “Wand Enhancer” downloads. If it's kept fully offline and the user is aware of that, a firewall warning becomes a clear signal that the installer is fake. While there are many ways to bypass the Windows firewall, this trick is less effective against other popular firewalls such as SimpleWall. Therefore, rather than implementing in‑app update notifications, it’s better to rely on GitHub releases to inform users about new versions. https://botmonster.com/coding/wand-enhancer-download-fork-build-youtube-malware/

That's a valid point. I'm thinking of making update checks a compile-time opt-in via GitHub Actions.

By default, all networking code will be completely stripped out (#if ENABLE_UPDATE_NOTIFICATIONS), keeping the binary 100% offline so any firewall trigger remains an immediate red flag. Users building in their own forks can simply check a box in the workflow UI if they explicitly want version checks compiled in.

Thoughts?

[xDuffy97]

Would be ideal, afaik the current version 1.0.9.4 doesn't work as of 29/8/26 latest wand version but an updater would be great to save building each time although its not that much work to do.

[xDuffy97]

but as amymor also said this can be open to more malicious intent from hackers etc. Idk if having a discord or something that can notify you when an update is pushed is any better. open to anything really