Helium Browser Auto-Updater

A PowerShell-based auto-updater for Helium browser on Windows, since Helium doesn't have built-in auto-update functionality.

Features

• ✅ Checks for updates from GitHub releases automatically
• ✅ Installs Helium browser automatically if not already installed
• ✅ Runs on Windows login and daily at noon
• ✅ Shows a message box when an update is available
• ✅ Downloads and installs updates silently (after user approval)
• ✅ Auto-detects CPU architecture (x64 or ARM64)
• ✅ Verifies installer checksum (SHA256) before installation
• ✅ Cleans up installer files after installation
• ✅ Logs activity for troubleshooting

Installation

1. Open PowerShell
2. Navigate to this directory:

   cd path\to\helium-windows-updater

3. Run the installer:

   .\Install-HeliumUpdater.ps1

The installer will:

• Copy the update script to %LOCALAPPDATA%\HeliumUpdater
• Create two scheduled tasks:
  • HeliumUpdater-Login: Runs when you log in to Windows
  • HeliumUpdater-Daily: Runs daily at 12:00 PM
• Offer to install Helium (if not installed) or check for updates

Usage

After installation, the updater runs automatically. You can also manually check for updates:

& "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\HeliumUpdater\Update-Helium.ps1"

When an Update is Available

1. You'll see a message box asking if you want to install the update
2. Click "Yes" to download and install the update
3. Click "No" to be reminded on the next scheduled run

Note: If Helium is running when you try to install, you'll be prompted to close it first.

Uninstallation

To remove the updater (this does NOT remove Helium browser):

cd path\to\helium-windows-updater
.\Uninstall-HeliumUpdater.ps1

Or manually:

1. Open Task Scheduler and delete tasks named HeliumUpdater-Login and HeliumUpdater-Daily
2. Delete the folder %LOCALAPPDATA%\HeliumUpdater

Files

File	Description
Update-Helium.ps1	Main update check script
Install-HeliumUpdater.ps1	One-time setup script
Uninstall-HeliumUpdater.ps1	Removal script
build.ps1	Build script — runs lint and tests

After installation, files are located at:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\HeliumUpdater\
├── Update-Helium.ps1      # The update script
├── config.json            # Tracks installed version
└── helium-updater.log     # Debug log

Configuration

The config.json file tracks:

• installedHeliumVersion: Your current Helium version (e.g., "0.7.10.1")
• lastChecked: When updates were last checked

You can manually edit this file if needed.

Troubleshooting

Check the log file:

Get-Content "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\HeliumUpdater\helium-updater.log" -Tail 50

Verify scheduled tasks are registered:

Get-ScheduledTask -TaskName "HeliumUpdater*"

Run the updater manually with verbose output:

& "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\HeliumUpdater\Update-Helium.ps1" -Verbose

Alternative: winget

If you use winget, you can install Helium with winget install ImputNet.Helium and schedule winget upgrade --id ImputNet.Helium --silent via Task Scheduler. This project exists for users who want more control (user prompts, logging, checksum verification) or don't have winget.

Requirements

• Windows 10/11
• PowerShell 5.1 or later (included with Windows)
• Internet connection (to check GitHub releases)

Development

Run the full build (lint + tests):

.\build.ps1

Run specific tasks:

.\build.ps1 -Task Lint         # PSScriptAnalyzer only
.\build.ps1 -Task Unit         # Unit tests only
.\build.ps1 -Task Integration  # Integration tests only
.\build.ps1 -Task Test         # All tests (no lint)

Dependencies (Pester v5, PSScriptAnalyzer) are installed automatically on first run.

Releasing

Releases are automated via GitHub Actions. To publish a new release:

git tag v1.0.0
git push origin v1.0.0

This creates a GitHub Release with a zip of all scripts and a SHA256 checksum file. Release notes are auto-generated from commits since the last tag.

License

MIT License - feel free to modify and distribute.