feat(update): toggle auto-update via /update auto, /settings, and info

Add an in-app way to turn silent startup auto-updates on or off:
- `/update auto on|off` (and `/update auto` reports the effective state)
- an effective-state-aware row in the interactive `/settings` panel
- auto-update status in `pythinker info`

All surfaces show the effective state: an external override
(PYTHINKER_CLI_NO_AUTO_UPDATE or a source checkout) is surfaced as the
reason and renders the /settings row read-only, so the toggle is never a
silent no-op.

Extract the pure policy resolver into a shell-free `update_policy` module so
`pythinker info` reports status without importing the shell stack, and add
`create=False` to get_share_dir/get_config_file so the read-only info path no
longer materializes ~/.pythinker as a side effect.

Author: elkaix

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@ GitHub Releases page; `0.8.0` is the new starting line.
 
 ## Unreleased
 
+- **Toggle auto-update from the CLI.** `/update auto on|off` turns silent startup auto-updates on or off (and `/update auto` reports the effective state); the same toggle now appears in the interactive `/settings` panel, and `pythinker info` reports the auto-update status. All three show the *effective* state — an external override (`PYTHINKER_CLI_NO_AUTO_UPDATE` or a source checkout) is surfaced as the reason and renders the `/settings` row read-only, so the toggle is never a silent no-op.
+
 ## 0.43.0 (2026-06-13)
 
 - **Silent startup auto-updates (default on).** Managed and native installs now check for and apply updates in the background at startup, surfacing a restart-to-apply notice instead of a blocking prompt. Opt out with `auto_update = false` in config or `PYTHINKER_AUTO_UPDATE=0` in the environment. The Windows update path that replaces the running binary no longer escapes as an uncaught `SystemExit` and crashes the shell.

docs/en/reference/slash-commands.md

@@ -176,6 +176,13 @@ Check for and optionally install the latest Pythinker Code version.
 
 Alias: `/upgrade`
 
+Use `/update auto on` or `/update auto off` to turn silent startup auto-updates
+on or off (persisted to the `auto_update` config field); `/update auto` with no
+argument reports the effective state. When an external override is active — the
+`PYTHINKER_CLI_NO_AUTO_UPDATE` kill-switch or a source checkout — it is surfaced
+as the reason and outranks the setting. The same toggle is available in
+`/settings`, and `pythinker info` reports the auto-update status.
+
 ### `/reload`
 
 Reload the configuration file without exiting Pythinker Code.

src/pythinker_code/cli/info.py

@@ -13,22 +13,67 @@ class InfoData(TypedDict):
     agent_spec_versions: list[str]
     wire_protocol_version: str
     python_version: str
+    auto_update: bool | None
+    auto_update_config: bool | None
+    auto_update_override: str | None
+
+
+def _auto_update_info() -> tuple[bool | None, bool | None, str | None]:
+    """Return ``(effective_enabled, config_value, override_reason)``.
+
+    Every element is ``None`` when the status cannot be resolved. The whole
+    block is guarded so an unreadable config or any other failure never turns
+    the always-available ``info`` diagnostic into a crash.
+    """
+    try:
+        from pythinker_code.config import Config, get_config_file, load_config
+        from pythinker_code.update_policy import (
+            auto_update_enabled,
+            auto_update_override_reason,
+        )
+
+        override = auto_update_override_reason()
+        # `load_config()` seeds a default config file when none exists; `info`
+        # must stay read-only, so fall back to in-memory defaults when the user
+        # has no config file yet rather than creating one as a side effect.
+        config_exists = get_config_file(create=False).expanduser().exists()
+        config = load_config() if config_exists else Config()
+        return auto_update_enabled(config), config.auto_update, override
+    except Exception:
+        return None, None, None
 
 
 def _collect_info() -> InfoData:
     from pythinker_code.agentspec import SUPPORTED_AGENT_SPEC_VERSIONS
     from pythinker_code.constant import ORGANIZATION, get_version
     from pythinker_code.wire.protocol import WIRE_PROTOCOL_VERSION
 
+    auto_update_effective, auto_update_config, auto_update_override = _auto_update_info()
+
     return {
         "pythinker_code_version": get_version(),
         "organization": ORGANIZATION,
         "agent_spec_versions": [str(version) for version in SUPPORTED_AGENT_SPEC_VERSIONS],
         "wire_protocol_version": WIRE_PROTOCOL_VERSION,
         "python_version": platform.python_version(),
+        "auto_update": auto_update_effective,
+        "auto_update_config": auto_update_config,
+        "auto_update_override": auto_update_override,
     }
 
 
+def _auto_update_line(info: InfoData) -> str:
+    effective = info["auto_update"]
+    if effective is None:
+        return "auto-update: unknown"
+    state = "enabled" if effective else "disabled"
+    detail = f"config auto_update={'true' if info['auto_update_config'] else 'false'}"
+    override = info["auto_update_override"]
+    if override:
+        detail += f"; {override}"
+    return f"auto-update: {state} ({detail})"
+
+
 def _emit_info(json_output: bool) -> None:
     info = _collect_info()
     if json_output:
@@ -43,6 +88,7 @@ def _emit_info(json_output: bool) -> None:
         f"agent spec versions: {agent_versions_text}",
         f"wire protocol: {info['wire_protocol_version']}",
         f"python version: {info['python_version']}",
+        _auto_update_line(info),
     ]
     for line in lines:
         typer.echo(line)

src/pythinker_code/config.py

@@ -1206,9 +1206,13 @@ def _apply_agent_execution_profile(self) -> None:
             self.ask_user_question_policy = "ask_except_auto"
 
 
-def get_config_file() -> Path:
-    """Get the configuration file path."""
-    return get_share_dir() / "config.toml"
+def get_config_file(*, create: bool = True) -> Path:
+    """Get the configuration file path.
+
+    Pass ``create=False`` to resolve the path without creating the share
+    directory, for read-only callers that must avoid filesystem side effects.
+    """
+    return get_share_dir(create=create) / "config.toml"
 
 
 def get_default_config() -> Config:

src/pythinker_code/share.py

@@ -5,12 +5,20 @@
 from pathlib import Path
 
 
-def get_share_dir() -> Path:
-    """Get the share directory path."""
+def get_share_dir(*, create: bool = True) -> Path:
+    """Get the share directory path.
+
+    Creates and hardens the directory by default. Pass ``create=False`` to
+    resolve the path without any filesystem side effect — needed by read-only
+    callers (e.g. ``pythinker info``) that must not materialize ``~/.pythinker``
+    just to look something up.
+    """
     if share_dir := os.getenv("PYTHINKER_SHARE_DIR"):
         share_dir = Path(share_dir)
     else:
         share_dir = Path.home() / ".pythinker"
+    if not create:
+        return share_dir
     share_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
     # Harden unconditionally: an older version may have left the dir at 0755, so
     # only tightening on first-create would leave that secret-bearing dir traversable.

src/pythinker_code/ui/shell/selectors/settings.py

@@ -48,6 +48,9 @@ def _float_values(current: float, presets: list[float]) -> list[str]:
 
 def _build_settings_config(config: Config) -> SettingsListConfig:
     """Build the settings-list config from a Pythinker ``Config`` object."""
+    from pythinker_code.ui.shell.update import auto_update_override_reason
+
+    _auto_update_override = auto_update_override_reason()
     model_values = [_NONE_MODEL_VALUE, *sorted(config.models)]
     current_model = config.default_model or _NONE_MODEL_VALUE
     current_model_cfg = config.models.get(config.default_model) if config.default_model else None
@@ -160,6 +163,21 @@ def _build_settings_config(config: Config) -> SettingsListConfig:
             current_value=_bool(config.telemetry),
             values=_BOOL_VALUES,
         ),
+        SettingItem(
+            id="auto_update",
+            label="Auto-update",
+            description=(
+                "Silently install new releases in the background at startup "
+                "(applied on next restart)."
+                if _auto_update_override is None
+                else f"Auto-update is {_auto_update_override}; that override outranks this setting."
+            ),
+            # Show the *effective* state, and make the row read-only when an
+            # override (env kill-switch / source checkout) forces it off, so the
+            # panel never offers a no-op toggle.
+            current_value=(_bool(config.auto_update) if _auto_update_override is None else "false"),
+            values=_BOOL_VALUES if _auto_update_override is None else None,
+        ),
         SettingItem(
             id="merge_all_available_skills",
             label="Merge all skills",
@@ -343,6 +361,13 @@ def mark(setting_id: str) -> None:
                 if config.telemetry != new:
                     config.telemetry = new
                     mark(setting_id)
+            case "auto_update":
+                # Only reached for the live (non-override) row; a read-only row
+                # never submits a change.
+                new = value == "true"
+                if config.auto_update != new:
+                    config.auto_update = new
+                    mark(setting_id)
             case "merge_all_available_skills":
                 new = value == "true"
                 if config.merge_all_available_skills != new:

src/pythinker_code/ui/shell/slash.py

@@ -2084,11 +2084,15 @@ async def show_memory(app: Shell, args: str):
 
 @registry.command(name="update", aliases=["upgrade"])
 async def update_command(app: Shell, args: str):
-    """Check for and optionally install the latest Pythinker version."""
-    _ = args, app
+    """Check for updates, or `auto [on|off]` to toggle silent startup auto-updates."""
     from pythinker_code.ui.shell.update import UpdateResult, run_update_prompt
     from pythinker_code.ui.shell.update_orchestrator import run_update_job
 
+    parts = args.strip().split()
+    if parts and parts[0].lower() in {"auto", "auto-update", "autoupdate"}:
+        await _auto_update_toggle(app, parts[1:])
+        return
+
     async def _runner(*, print_output: bool, check_only: bool) -> UpdateResult:
         return await run_update_job(
             print_output=print_output, check_only=check_only, source="slash"
@@ -2099,6 +2103,66 @@ async def _runner(*, print_output: bool, check_only: bool) -> UpdateResult:
         console.print("Updated — restart Pythinker to use the new version.")
 
 
+async def _auto_update_toggle(app: Shell, args: list[str]) -> None:
+    """Show or set the silent startup auto-update preference (`/update auto [on|off]`)."""
+    from pythinker_code.telemetry import track
+    from pythinker_code.ui.shell.update import auto_update_enabled, auto_update_override_reason
+    from pythinker_code.ui.theme import get_tui_tokens as _get_tok
+
+    _t = _get_tok()
+    soul = ensure_pythinker_soul(app)
+    if soul is None:
+        return
+    config = soul.runtime.config
+    override = auto_update_override_reason()
+
+    def _print_override() -> None:
+        if override is not None:
+            console.print(f"[{_t.muted}]Note: {override}; this overrides the setting.[/]")
+
+    # No value → report effective state.
+    if not args:
+        effective = "on" if auto_update_enabled(config) else "off"
+        stored = "on" if config.auto_update else "off"
+        console.print(f"[{_t.info}]Auto-update: {effective}[/] (config auto_update={stored})")
+        _print_override()
+        return
+
+    value = args[0].lower()
+    if len(args) > 1 or value not in {"on", "off"}:
+        console.print(f"[{_t.warning}]Usage: /update auto [on|off][/]")
+        return
+    enabled = value == "on"
+
+    if config.auto_update == enabled:
+        console.print(f"[{_t.warning}]Auto-update already {value}.[/]")
+        _print_override()
+        return
+
+    config_file = config.source_file
+    if config_file is None:
+        console.print(
+            f"[{_t.warning}]Toggling auto-update requires a config file; "
+            f"restart without --config (or use --config-file) to persist settings.[/]"
+        )
+        return
+    try:
+        config_for_save = load_config(config_file)
+        config_for_save.auto_update = enabled
+        save_config(config_for_save, config_file)
+    except (ConfigError, OSError) as exc:
+        console.print(f"[{_t.error}]Failed to save config: {_rich_escape(exc)}[/]")
+        return
+    # auto_update is only consulted at startup, so nothing live depends on it:
+    # mirror the saved value into the running config instead of forcing a reload
+    # (a reload would re-trigger the startup auto-update task we just toggled).
+    config.auto_update = enabled
+
+    track("settings_update", changed="auto_update", count=1)
+    console.print(f"[{_t.success}]Auto-update {value}. Takes effect at next startup.[/]")
+    _print_override()
+
+
 @registry.command
 async def mcp(app: Shell, args: str):
     """Show MCP servers and tools"""

src/pythinker_code/ui/shell/update.py

@@ -15,10 +15,7 @@
 from enum import Enum, auto
 from pathlib import Path
 from shutil import which
-from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, cast
-
-if TYPE_CHECKING:
-    from pythinker_code.config import Config
+from typing import cast
 
 import aiohttp
 import typer
@@ -35,6 +32,22 @@
 from pythinker_code.share import get_share_dir
 from pythinker_code.ui.shell.console import console
 from pythinker_code.ui.theme import get_tui_tokens as _get_tui_tokens
+
+# Pure policy lives in a shell-free module so lightweight callers (e.g.
+# `pythinker info`) can resolve auto-update status without importing this stack.
+# Re-exported here under the historical names so existing call sites/tests work.
+from pythinker_code.update_policy import (
+    auto_update_disabled as _auto_update_disabled,
+)
+from pythinker_code.update_policy import (
+    auto_update_enabled as auto_update_enabled,
+)
+from pythinker_code.update_policy import (
+    auto_update_override_reason as auto_update_override_reason,
+)
+from pythinker_code.update_policy import (
+    is_running_from_source_checkout as _is_running_from_source_checkout,
+)
 from pythinker_code.utils.aiohttp import new_client_session
 from pythinker_code.utils.logging import logger
 from pythinker_code.utils.subprocess_env import get_clean_env
@@ -238,12 +251,6 @@ async def _get_latest_version(session: aiohttp.ClientSession) -> str | None:
         return None
 
 
-def _auto_update_disabled() -> bool:
-    from pythinker_code.utils.envvar import get_env_bool
-
-    return get_env_bool("PYTHINKER_CLI_NO_AUTO_UPDATE")
-
-
 def format_managed_channel_notice(
     current: str,
     latest: str,
@@ -262,53 +269,6 @@ def format_managed_channel_notice(
     )
 
 
-def _is_running_from_source_checkout() -> bool:
-    """Return true when invoked from this repository via ``uv run``/editable source.
-
-    In that mode PyPI can legitimately have a newer released version than the
-    checkout's local ``pyproject.toml`` version. Showing the normal upgrade
-    banner is noisy and suggests replacing the developer checkout.
-    """
-    try:
-        import pythinker_code
-
-        package_path = Path(pythinker_code.__file__).resolve()
-    except Exception:
-        return False
-
-    for parent in package_path.parents:
-        pyproject = parent / "pyproject.toml"
-        git_dir = parent / ".git"
-        if pyproject.exists() and git_dir.exists():
-            try:
-                text = pyproject.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
-            except OSError:
-                return False
-            return 'name = "pythinker-code"' in text or "name = 'pythinker-code'" in text
-    return False
-
-
-def auto_update_enabled(config: Config) -> bool:
-    """Whether startup may silently install a newer release.
-
-    Precedence (highest first):
-    1. ``PYTHINKER_CLI_NO_AUTO_UPDATE`` (the hard kill-switch) → disabled.
-    2. ``config.auto_update is False`` → disabled.
-    3. Source checkout → disabled.
-    4. Otherwise → enabled.
-
-    Managed channels (Docker/Nix/Scoop/WinGet) are *not* special-cased here:
-    they may be "enabled" but ``_do_update`` returns ``UPDATE_AVAILABLE`` and
-    emits a channel hint instead of swapping the binary, so they never get a
-    silent install regardless of this result.
-    """
-    if _auto_update_disabled():
-        return False
-    if config.auto_update is False:
-        return False
-    return not _is_running_from_source_checkout()
-
-
 def _should_auto_check_for_updates(now: float | None = None) -> bool:
     if _auto_update_disabled() or _is_running_from_source_checkout():
         return False