eleven / messenger Public

web+server: nuanced app-list-changed messages (#1034)

apps_changed now carries a kind ("created"/"updated"/"removed") so the
sidebar's reload prompt can say what actually happened instead of
always claiming "New app available" — including for deletions and
member-app edits, which aren't new apps at all.

Fixes #406

Co-authored-by: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>

James Adam 3 months ago 44c1c868564dced21bfe8961d5a680ae126663dd parent f5365cb

6 files changed, +51 −11

changelog/2026-07-15-nuanced-app-change-messages.md +4 −0
customapps.go +15 −4
memberapps.go +6 −2
test/ui.test.mjs +8 −0
web/static/shell.js +8 −5
web/static/ui.js +10 −0

diff --git a/changelog/2026-07-15-nuanced-app-change-messages.md b/changelog/2026-07-15-nuanced-app-change-messages.md

new file mode 100644

index 0000000..a49d5a9

--- /dev/null

+++ b/changelog/2026-07-15-nuanced-app-change-messages.md

@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@

+🤖 The sidebar's app-update prompt is more specific: "A new app is available"

+when one's actually new, "App updated" when an existing app changed, and

+"Apps changed" for everything else (like an app being removed) — instead of

+always saying "New app available" no matter what happened.

diff --git a/customapps.go b/customapps.go

index 649de71..e217107 100644

--- a/customapps.go

+++ b/customapps.go

@@ -123,8 +123,10 @@ func (s *Server) serveCustomApp(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {

// broadcastAppsChanged tells every connected client the installed app set

// changed (members:nil → everyone). Modules are dynamic-imported once at boot,

// so clients respond by reloading — see the apps_changed handler in shell.js.

-func (s *Server) broadcastAppsChanged() {

- out, _ := json.Marshal(map[string]any{"type": "apps_changed"})

+// kind is "created" / "updated" / "removed", letting the client pick a more

+// specific reload prompt than a blanket "New app available".

+func (s *Server) broadcastAppsChanged(kind string) {

+ out, _ := json.Marshal(map[string]any{"type": "apps_changed", "kind": kind})

s.hub.broadcast <- outbound{data: out}

}

@@ -192,11 +194,20 @@ func (s *Server) putCustomAppHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {

httpError(w, http.StatusBadRequest, "missing source")

return

}

+ _, existed, err := s.db.getCustomApp(name)

+ if err != nil {

+ httpError(w, http.StatusInternalServerError, "db error")

+ return

+ }

if err := s.db.putCustomApp(name, body.Source); err != nil {

httpError(w, http.StatusInternalServerError, "db error")

return

}

- s.broadcastAppsChanged()

+ kind := "created"

+ if existed {

+ kind = "updated"

+ }

+ s.broadcastAppsChanged(kind)

writeJSON(w, http.StatusOK, map[string]any{"ok": true, "url": "/static/apps-custom/" + name + ".js"})

}

@@ -215,6 +226,6 @@ func (s *Server) deleteCustomAppHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request)

httpError(w, http.StatusNotFound, "no such app")

return

}

- s.broadcastAppsChanged()

+ s.broadcastAppsChanged("removed")

writeJSON(w, http.StatusOK, map[string]any{"ok": true})

}

diff --git a/memberapps.go b/memberapps.go

index 7381d9f..cfd37f5 100644

--- a/memberapps.go

+++ b/memberapps.go

@@ -154,7 +154,11 @@ func (s *Server) putMemberAppHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {

}

// Same signal the admin console's installs use: connected clients reload

// and re-fetch both app tiers.

- s.broadcastAppsChanged()

+ kind := "created"

+ if exists {

+ kind = "updated"

+ }

+ s.broadcastAppsChanged(kind)

writeJSON(w, http.StatusOK, map[string]any{"ok": true, "id": id})

}

@@ -183,7 +187,7 @@ func (s *Server) deleteMemberAppHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request)

httpError(w, http.StatusInternalServerError, "db error")

return

}

- s.broadcastAppsChanged()

+ s.broadcastAppsChanged("removed")

writeJSON(w, http.StatusOK, map[string]any{"ok": true})

}

diff --git a/test/ui.test.mjs b/test/ui.test.mjs

index 7517106..adfd3af 100644

--- a/test/ui.test.mjs

+++ b/test/ui.test.mjs

@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ import {

normalizeTextSize,

TEXT_SIZES,

DEFAULT_TEXT_SIZE,

+ appReloadMessage,

} from "../web/static/ui.js";

let failures = 0;

@@ -428,5 +429,12 @@ await test("capAllows: a connection's cap is the grant ceiling", () => {

assert.equal(capAllows(null, "write"), true);

});

+await test("appReloadMessage names what actually changed, not a blanket 'new app'", () => {

+ assert.equal(appReloadMessage("created"), "A new app is available.");

+ assert.equal(appReloadMessage("updated"), "App updated.");

+ assert.equal(appReloadMessage("removed"), "Apps changed.");

+ assert.equal(appReloadMessage(undefined), "Apps changed."); // older server, no kind sent

+});

console.log(failures === 0 ? "\nALL PASSED" : `\n${failures} FAILED`);

process.exit(failures === 0 ? 0 : 1);

diff --git a/web/static/shell.js b/web/static/shell.js

index 07eaeeb..2c8b05c 100644

--- a/web/static/shell.js

+++ b/web/static/shell.js

@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ import {

renameNotice,

translateMentions,

capAllows,

+ appReloadMessage,

} from "/static/ui.js";

import { richTokens, blockTokens, firstLink, replySnippet, formatBytes, autoGroupTitle, nameList, membershipLine, emojiOnlyCount, youtubeId, relTime } from "/static/format.js";

import { emojify, emojiMatches } from "/static/emoji.js";

@@ -3417,19 +3418,21 @@ function toast(msg) {

toastTimer = setTimeout(() => t.classList.remove("show"), 1600);

}

-// A NEW/updated app is available (a bot build, App Studio, or a custom-app

-// install). Rather than reload the page out from under someone, surface a

+// The app set changed (a bot build, App Studio, a custom-app install/update/

+// removal). Rather than reload the page out from under someone, surface a

// subtle, dismissible offer in the sidebar — inline, never a floating toast.

// "Later" hides it; the next apps_changed re-offers. Reloading is the reliable

// pickup for every tier (member apps also register live, so they already work).

-function offerAppReload() {

+// `kind` ("created" / "updated" / "removed") picks more specific copy than a

+// blanket "New app available" (#406).

+function offerAppReload(kind) {

const b = document.getElementById("app-update-banner");

if (!b) return;

b.textContent = "";

b.classList.remove("hidden");

const msg = document.createElement("div");

msg.className = "update-banner-msg";

- msg.textContent = "A new app is available.";

+ msg.textContent = appReloadMessage(kind);

const row = document.createElement("div");

row.className = "update-banner-row";

const reload = document.createElement("button");

@@ -6476,7 +6479,7 @@ function connectWS() {

// under someone — SUBTLY offer a reload for anything that needs a fresh

// module load (custom apps, or a code update to an app already loaded).

loadMemberAppsNow().then(() => activeId && renderActiveSurfaces());

- if (!hasUnsentDraft()) offerAppReload();

+ if (!hasUnsentDraft()) offerAppReload(msg.kind);

return;

}

if (msg.type === "edit") {

diff --git a/web/static/ui.js b/web/static/ui.js

index f647ac9..29938ff 100644

--- a/web/static/ui.js

+++ b/web/static/ui.js

@@ -131,6 +131,16 @@ export function memberCountLabel(people, bots, agents = 0) {

return parts.join(", ");

}

+// appReloadMessage picks the reload-banner copy for an apps_changed frame's

+// `kind` ("created" / "updated" / "removed", or missing on an older server).

+// A blanket "New app available" was confusing for every other kind of change

+// (a deletion, a member-app tweak) — this names what actually happened.

+export function appReloadMessage(kind) {

+ if (kind === "created") return "A new app is available.";

+ if (kind === "updated") return "App updated.";

+ return "Apps changed.";

// ---- presence --------------------------------------------------------------

// Which chats the filter menu's "Show online only" keeps. `others` is roster

// info for every member except the viewer: [{ agent, presence }]. People