Updating, rolling back and locking

Checking for updates

On the main screen, an Updates card appears whenever a mod has a newer version. From there you can:

  • click Update all to take every update, or
  • tick just the mods you want and update those.

Each mod in the library also gets an Update button when it has one waiting. Check for updates in the library toolbar asks the mod sites again right away.

In the terminal:

lmm update
lmm update <mod-id>

lmm update on its own lists the mods that have updates. Give it a mod’s id to update that mod. lmm list shows each mod’s id.

Updating lmm itself

Once a day, lmm asks GitHub whether a newer version of lmm is out. The first time it does, it tells you so in the terminal: after the command you ran, or in the window running lmm serve. When there is one:

  • the browser shows a notice across the top of the page with a link to the release notes. Close it with its ✕ button: that hides the notice for that version only, and it comes back when an even newer version appears.
  • the terminal prints a one-line notice after a command, with the command that upgrades lmm when your package manager installed it.

To check yourself, and see how lmm was installed:

lmm version
lmm version --check

--check asks GitHub right now instead of using the answer from earlier today. To turn the daily check off, add this line to ~/.config/lmm/config.yaml:

update_check: false

lmm version --check still works when the daily check is off.

Let lmm update itself

If you installed lmm from the .tar.gz download, or built it yourself, lmm can install the new version for you:

lmm self-update

It tells you which version it found and asks before it changes anything. Add --yes to skip the question, or use --check to only see whether there’s a new version. Before it installs anything, lmm checks that the download really is an lmm release: it must carry the lmm release signature, and the file must match its published checksum. If either check fails, lmm stops and leaves your copy alone.

If the background web interface is running (see Run the web UI in the background), lmm restarts it so it uses the new version straight away. If you started lmm serve yourself in a terminal, it keeps running the old version, and the browser shows a notice asking you to restart it: stop it with Ctrl+C and run lmm serve again.

Only one update runs at a time. If you start lmm self-update while another is already running (the automatic one, for example), it says so and stops; run it again once the first has finished.

lmm self-update doesn’t work in these cases, and tells you what to do instead:

  • Your package manager installed lmm (a .deb, .rpm or .apk package, or the AUR). Update it the way you update other programs; lmm prints the command.
  • lmm is in a folder you can’t write to, such as /usr/local/bin. lmm never asks for your password or uses sudo. Move lmm into a folder of your own, such as ~/.local/bin, and run lmm self-update from there.
  • lmm can’t tell whether your package manager installed it. This happens when the package manager is busy, for example while another update is running. lmm leaves your copy alone; try again in a minute.

Update lmm automatically

lmm can also install new versions on its own, once a day. This is off unless you turn it on, in two steps. First, set up the daily timer (this also sets up the background web interface):

lmm service install --auto-update

Then add this line to ~/.config/lmm/config.yaml:

auto_update: true

The timer runs once a day at a random time in the first hour after midnight, or the next time you log in if your computer was off. To stop automatic updates, change that line to auto_update: false or remove it; the timer keeps running but does nothing. If an automatic update fails, for example because your network isn’t up yet, it tries again five minutes later, up to three more times. lmm service uninstall removes the timer along with the background web interface.

Going back to an older version

If an update breaks something, roll it back. In the browser, open the mod (click More info → in its side panel) and use the Versions table to install any earlier version. In the terminal:

lmm update rollback <mod-id>

Choosing how each mod updates

Each mod has an update setting:

Setting What it means
Notify (normal) lmm tells you about updates, and you decide
Auto lmm installs updates for this mod when it checks
Pinned lmm stops checking this mod for updates at all

Change it in the mod’s side panel, or in the terminal:

lmm mod set-update <mod-id> --auto
lmm mod set-update <mod-id> --notify
lmm mod set-update <mod-id> --pin

Skipping one update

Not ready for a particular update? Skip it. lmm stops mentioning that version and tells you again when a newer one comes out.

lmm mod skip-update <mod-id>
lmm mod unskip-update <mod-id>

Locking a mod to one version

Pinned only stops lmm asking about updates. A lock goes further: it says “this profile uses exactly this version”. lmm then refuses to update the mod, and returns it to that version whenever the profile is deployed or applied, until you unlock it.

Lock a mod when a newer version would break your setup, or when you share a profile and everyone needs the same version.

In the browser, use the lock in the mod’s side panel, or Lock in the mod’s ⋯ menu. In the terminal:

lmm mod lock <mod-id>
lmm mod lock <mod-id> 1.2.3
lmm mod unlock <mod-id>

With no version, the lock holds the version you have now. Locking to a different version changes the record straight away; the game folder catches up the next time you deploy or apply the profile.

A lock needs a mod site that can find old versions of a mod: NexusMods, CurseForge, Thunderstore and similar. For a mod lmm can’t look up, such as one you added from your own download, use Pinned instead.