AppMan 10.4.1 resolves a critical data-loss regression introduced in the 10.4 release, where the reinstall command failed to preserve .home and .config directories for portable AppImages. The fix extends the backup-and-restore logic from the relocate option to reinstall, copying portable data to a temporary location before wiping the app directory to ensure a safety net for users. Alongside the hotfix, the update adds three new packages contributed by the community: PanConvert for document conversion, boris for behavioral observation, and t3-code for AI-assisted coding. 

AM 10.4.1 patches silent data loss in AppImage reinstall

AppMan 10.4.1 hit the GitHub releases page today, and it fixes a pretty nasty regression introduced just two days prior. If you've been running am reinstall on your portable AppImages, you likely lost your configuration files without ever being told.

AM is the command-line package manager for AppImages and portable Linux applications. Think of it as APT for AppImages. It maintains a massive database of install scripts, currently tracking 3,388 apps. The previous release, 10.4, added a relocate option to move apps between directories while preserving .home and .config folders. The sibling reinstall option, used when an app's script updates in the database, didn't get the same treatment. It just wiped the slate clean.

Users running am reinstall --all with custom home or config flags would watch their settings, caches, and profiles vanish.

The backup-and-restore logic

PR #2601 extends the backup mechanism from relocate to reinstall. Before wiping the app directory, AM now copies .home, .config, and related sharun-based directories to a temporary location. After the installation completes, it copies them back.

The script copies the data rather than moving it. You end up with a duplicate copy sitting on disk. It's a bit wasteful on storage, though when your data is on the line, redundancy wins. The maintainer, ivan-hc, clearly prioritized data integrity over cleverness here.

Keep in mind that the fix also handles .cache and .share directories for sharun-based AppImages, addressing a gap noted in the original issue comments. The two-day turnaround from issue to merged PR is impressive, especially given the maintainer's reduced availability.

Two community pull requests shipped alongside the hotfix. PanConvert, a GUI wrapper for Pandoc, joins the database via PR #2597. boris, an open-source tool for coding behavioral observations, and t3-code, a minimal GUI for AI coding agents, land via PR #2599.

ivan-hc announced in the 10.4 notes that a new job would limit his involvement. The community has responded with a surge of contributions, keeping the project alive. AM's design allows database URLs to be configured via environment variables, ensuring the project survives even if the primary maintainer disappears. That's a solid safety net for a project this size.

Head here to grab the update from the GitHub releases page