feat(version): warn when the server was updated but not restarted (#898)

When the package is updated on disk but the long-lived server process is
not restarted, the new frontend bundle (served from disk) talks to the
old running backend. New DB-backed features then fail silently — e.g.
deleting/archiving a session appears to do nothing — because the new
schema/routes only take effect on restart.

Nothing currently detects this skew: useVersionCheck only compares the
frontend's build-time version against the latest GitHub release.

This exposes the running server's version (captured once at startup) via
/health, compares it to the frontend's build-time version in
useVersionCheck, and shows a "restart required" banner in the sidebar
(and a small indicator in the collapsed sidebar) when they differ.

- server: add `version` (RUNNING_VERSION, read once at startup) to /health
- useVersionCheck: return `restartRequired` / `runningVersion`
- SidebarFooter / SidebarCollapsed: surface a restart-required banner
- i18n: add `version.restartRequired` to all 10 sidebar locales

Verified with `tsc --noEmit` (client + server) and eslint.

Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Co-authored-by: Simos Mikelatos <simosmik@gmail.com>

server/index.js

@@ -76,6 +76,19 @@ const __dirname = getModuleDir(import.meta.url);
 // Resolving the app root once keeps every repo-level lookup below aligned across both layouts.
 const APP_ROOT = findAppRoot(__dirname);
 const installMode = fs.existsSync(path.join(APP_ROOT, '.git')) ? 'git' : 'npm';
+// Version of the code that is actually running, captured once at process
+// startup. This intentionally does NOT re-read package.json per request: after
+// an update replaces the files on disk, package.json reflects the NEW version
+// while this long-lived process still runs the OLD code. The frontend bundle is
+// rebuilt on update, so a mismatch between this value and the frontend's
+// build-time version means the server was updated but not restarted.
+const RUNNING_VERSION = (() => {
+    try {
+        return JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(APP_ROOT, 'package.json'), 'utf8')).version || null;
+    } catch {
+        return null;
+    }
+})();
 const MAX_FILE_UPLOAD_SIZE_MB = 200;
 const MAX_FILE_UPLOAD_SIZE_BYTES = MAX_FILE_UPLOAD_SIZE_MB * 1024 * 1024;
 const MAX_FILE_UPLOAD_COUNT = 20;
@@ -156,7 +169,8 @@ app.get('/health', (req, res) => {
     res.json({
         status: 'ok',
         timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
-        installMode
+        installMode,
+        version: RUNNING_VERSION
     });
 });
 

src/components/sidebar/view/Sidebar.tsx

@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ function Sidebar({
 }: SidebarProps) {
   const { t } = useTranslation(['sidebar', 'common']);
   const { isPWA } = useDeviceSettings({ trackMobile: false });
-  const { updateAvailable, latestVersion, currentVersion, releaseInfo, installMode } = useVersionCheck(
+  const { updateAvailable, restartRequired, latestVersion, currentVersion, releaseInfo, installMode } = useVersionCheck(
     'siteboon',
     'claudecodeui',
   );
@@ -224,6 +224,7 @@ function Sidebar({
           onExpand={handleExpandSidebar}
           onShowSettings={onShowSettings}
           updateAvailable={updateAvailable}
+          restartRequired={restartRequired}
           onShowVersionModal={() => setShowVersionModal(true)}
           t={t}
         />
@@ -296,6 +297,7 @@ function Sidebar({
             onCreateProject={() => setShowNewProject(true)}
             onCollapseSidebar={handleCollapseSidebar}
             updateAvailable={updateAvailable}
+            restartRequired={restartRequired}
             releaseInfo={releaseInfo}
             latestVersion={latestVersion}
             currentVersion={currentVersion}

src/components/sidebar/view/subcomponents/SidebarCollapsed.tsx

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { Settings, Sparkles, PanelLeftOpen, Bug } from 'lucide-react';
+import { Settings, Sparkles, PanelLeftOpen, Bug, AlertTriangle } from 'lucide-react';
 import type { TFunction } from 'i18next';
 
 const DISCORD_INVITE_URL = 'https://discord.gg/buxwujPNRE';
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ type SidebarCollapsedProps = {
   onExpand: () => void;
   onShowSettings: () => void;
   updateAvailable: boolean;
+  restartRequired: boolean;
   onShowVersionModal: () => void;
   t: TFunction;
 };
@@ -24,6 +25,7 @@ export default function SidebarCollapsed({
   onExpand,
   onShowSettings,
   updateAvailable,
+  restartRequired,
   onShowVersionModal,
   t,
 }: SidebarCollapsedProps) {
@@ -75,6 +77,18 @@ export default function SidebarCollapsed({
         <DiscordIcon className="h-4 w-4 text-muted-foreground transition-colors group-hover:text-foreground" />
       </a>
 
+      {/* Restart-required indicator */}
+      {restartRequired && (
+        <div
+          className="relative flex h-8 w-8 items-center justify-center rounded-lg"
+          aria-label={t('version.restartRequired')}
+          title={t('version.restartRequired')}
+        >
+          <AlertTriangle className="h-4 w-4 text-amber-500" />
+          <span className="absolute right-1.5 top-1.5 h-1.5 w-1.5 animate-pulse rounded-full bg-amber-500" />
+        </div>
+      )}
+
       {/* Update indicator */}
       {updateAvailable && (
         <button

src/components/sidebar/view/subcomponents/SidebarContent.tsx

@@ -141,6 +141,7 @@ type SidebarContentProps = {
   onCreateProject: () => void;
   onCollapseSidebar: () => void;
   updateAvailable: boolean;
+  restartRequired: boolean;
   releaseInfo: ReleaseInfo | null;
   latestVersion: string | null;
   currentVersion: string;
@@ -178,6 +179,7 @@ export default function SidebarContent({
   onCreateProject,
   onCollapseSidebar,
   updateAvailable,
+  restartRequired,
   releaseInfo,
   latestVersion,
   currentVersion,
@@ -553,6 +555,7 @@ export default function SidebarContent({
 
       <SidebarFooter
         updateAvailable={updateAvailable}
+        restartRequired={restartRequired}
         releaseInfo={releaseInfo}
         latestVersion={latestVersion}
         currentVersion={currentVersion}

src/components/sidebar/view/subcomponents/SidebarFooter.tsx

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { Settings, ArrowUpCircle, Bug } from 'lucide-react';
+import { Settings, ArrowUpCircle, Bug, AlertTriangle } from 'lucide-react';
 import type { TFunction } from 'i18next';
 import { IS_PLATFORM } from '../../../../constants/config';
 import type { ReleaseInfo } from '../../../../types/sharedTypes';
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ function DiscordIcon({ className }: { className?: string }) {
 
 type SidebarFooterProps = {
   updateAvailable: boolean;
+  restartRequired: boolean;
   releaseInfo: ReleaseInfo | null;
   latestVersion: string | null;
   currentVersion: string;
@@ -28,6 +29,7 @@ type SidebarFooterProps = {
 
 export default function SidebarFooter({
   updateAvailable,
+  restartRequired,
   releaseInfo,
   latestVersion,
   currentVersion,
@@ -37,6 +39,22 @@ export default function SidebarFooter({
 }: SidebarFooterProps) {
   return (
     <div className="flex-shrink-0" style={{ paddingBottom: 'env(safe-area-inset-bottom, 0)' }}>
+      {/* Restart-required banner: the running server version differs from the
+          installed/frontend version (updated but not restarted). */}
+      {restartRequired && (
+        <>
+          <div className="nav-divider" />
+          <div className="px-2 py-1.5 md:px-2 md:py-1.5">
+            <div className="flex items-center gap-2.5 rounded-lg border border-amber-300/60 bg-amber-50/80 px-2.5 py-2 dark:border-amber-700/40 dark:bg-amber-900/15">
+              <AlertTriangle className="h-4 w-4 flex-shrink-0 text-amber-500 dark:text-amber-400" />
+              <span className="min-w-0 flex-1 text-xs font-medium text-amber-700 dark:text-amber-300">
+                {t('version.restartRequired')}
+              </span>
+            </div>
+          </div>
+        </>
+      )}
+
       {/* Update banner */}
       {updateAvailable && (
         <>

src/hooks/useVersionCheck.ts

@@ -28,20 +28,31 @@ export const useVersionCheck = (owner: string, repo: string) => {
   const [latestVersion, setLatestVersion] = useState<string | null>(null);
   const [releaseInfo, setReleaseInfo] = useState<ReleaseInfo | null>(null);
   const [installMode, setInstallMode] = useState<InstallMode>('git');
+  const [runningVersion, setRunningVersion] = useState<string | null>(null);
+  const [restartRequired, setRestartRequired] = useState(false);
 
   useEffect(() => {
-    const fetchInstallMode = async () => {
+    const fetchHealth = async () => {
       try {
         const response = await fetch('/health');
         const data = await response.json();
         if (data.installMode === 'npm' || data.installMode === 'git') {
           setInstallMode(data.installMode);
         }
+        // `data.version` is the version the server process is actually running.
+        // This module's `version` is baked into the frontend bundle at build
+        // time, so it reflects the installed (on-disk) package. If they differ,
+        // the package was updated but the server process was not restarted, and
+        // DB-backed actions may silently fail until it is.
+        if (typeof data.version === 'string' && data.version.length > 0) {
+          setRunningVersion(data.version);
+          setRestartRequired(data.version !== version);
+        }
       } catch {
-        // Default to git on error
+        // Default to git / no restart hint on error
       }
     };
-    fetchInstallMode();
+    fetchHealth();
   }, []);
 
   useEffect(() => {
@@ -84,5 +95,5 @@ export const useVersionCheck = (owner: string, repo: string) => {
     return () => clearInterval(interval);
   }, [owner, repo]);
 
-  return { updateAvailable, latestVersion, currentVersion: version, releaseInfo, installMode };
+  return { updateAvailable, latestVersion, currentVersion: version, releaseInfo, installMode, runningVersion, restartRequired };
 }; 

src/i18n/locales/de/sidebar.json

@@ -115,7 +115,8 @@
     "restoreSessionError": "Fehler beim Wiederherstellen der Sitzung. Bitte erneut versuchen."
   },
   "version": {
-    "updateAvailable": "Update verfügbar"
+    "updateAvailable": "Update verfügbar",
+    "restartRequired": "Update installiert – zum Anwenden Server neu starten"
   },
   "search": {
     "modeProjects": "Projekte",

src/i18n/locales/en/sidebar.json

@@ -115,7 +115,8 @@
     "restoreSessionError": "Error restoring session. Please try again."
   },
   "version": {
-    "updateAvailable": "Update available"
+    "updateAvailable": "Update available",
+    "restartRequired": "Update installed — restart the server to apply"
   },
   "search": {
     "modeProjects": "Projects",

src/i18n/locales/fr/sidebar.json

@@ -115,7 +115,8 @@
     "restoreSessionError": "Erreur lors de la restauration de la session. Veuillez réessayer."
   },
   "version": {
-    "updateAvailable": "Mise à jour disponible"
+    "updateAvailable": "Mise à jour disponible",
+    "restartRequired": "Mise à jour installée — redémarrez le serveur pour l'appliquer"
   },
   "search": {
     "modeProjects": "Projets",

src/i18n/locales/it/sidebar.json

@@ -115,7 +115,8 @@
     "restoreSessionError": "Errore durante il ripristino della sessione. Riprova."
   },
   "version": {
-    "updateAvailable": "Aggiornamento disponibile"
+    "updateAvailable": "Aggiornamento disponibile",
+    "restartRequired": "Aggiornamento installato — riavvia il server per applicarlo"
   },
   "search": {
     "modeProjects": "Progetti",

src/i18n/locales/ja/sidebar.json

@@ -114,7 +114,8 @@
     "restoreSessionError": "セッションの復元でエラーが発生しました。もう一度お試しください。"
   },
   "version": {
-    "updateAvailable": "アップデートあり"
+    "updateAvailable": "アップデートあり",
+    "restartRequired": "更新が適用されていません。サーバーを再起動してください"
   },
   "deleteConfirmation": {
     "deleteProject": "プロジェクトを除去",

src/i18n/locales/ko/sidebar.json

@@ -114,7 +114,8 @@
     "restoreSessionError": "세션 복원 오류. 다시 시도해주세요."
   },
   "version": {
-    "updateAvailable": "업데이트 가능"
+    "updateAvailable": "업데이트 가능",
+    "restartRequired": "업데이트가 설치됨 — 적용하려면 서버를 재시작하세요"
   },
   "deleteConfirmation": {
     "deleteProject": "프로젝트 제거",

src/i18n/locales/ru/sidebar.json

@@ -115,7 +115,8 @@
     "restoreSessionError": "Ошибка при восстановлении сеанса. Попробуйте снова."
   },
   "version": {
-    "updateAvailable": "Доступно обновление"
+    "updateAvailable": "Доступно обновление",
+    "restartRequired": "Обновление установлено — перезапустите сервер для применения"
   },
   "search": {
     "modeProjects": "Проекты",

src/i18n/locales/tr/sidebar.json

@@ -115,7 +115,8 @@
     "restoreSessionError": "Oturum geri yüklenirken hata oluştu. Lütfen tekrar dene."
   },
   "version": {
-    "updateAvailable": "Güncelleme mevcut"
+    "updateAvailable": "Güncelleme mevcut",
+    "restartRequired": "Güncelleme yüklendi — uygulamak için sunucuyu yeniden başlatın"
   },
   "search": {
     "modeProjects": "Projeler",

src/i18n/locales/zh-CN/sidebar.json

@@ -115,7 +115,8 @@
     "restoreSessionError": "恢复会话时出错，请重试。"
   },
   "version": {
-    "updateAvailable": "有可用更新"
+    "updateAvailable": "有可用更新",
+    "restartRequired": "已安装更新 — 请重启服务器以生效"
   },
   "search": {
     "modeProjects": "项目",

src/i18n/locales/zh-TW/sidebar.json

@@ -114,7 +114,8 @@
     "restoreSessionError": "還原工作階段時出錯，請重試。"
   },
   "version": {
-    "updateAvailable": "有可用更新"
+    "updateAvailable": "有可用更新",
+    "restartRequired": "已安裝更新 — 請重新啟動伺服器以套用"
   },
   "search": {
     "modeProjects": "專案",