Desktop v6.1.0: Document per-machine MSI installation changes #8724
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From Mattermost Desktop v6.1.0, the Windows MSI installer defaults to per-machine (system-wide) installation to meet enterprise compliance requirements. This changes installation behavior and upgrade paths. Updates include: - End-user upgrade guidance with two distinct scenarios (<v5.9 and v5.9-v6.0.4) - System admin deployment considerations and support planning - Troubleshooting for v6.1.0 upgrade issues - System requirements noting admin privileges requirement Key changes documented: - New default install location: C:\Program Files\Mattermost - Registry keys now in HKLM instead of HKCU - Shortcuts in Public folder for all users - Manual uninstall required for v5.9-v6.0.4 per-user installs before upgrading Addresses issue #8722 Relates to desktop PR mattermost/desktop#3659 Co-authored-by: Carrie Warner (Mattermost) <cwarnermm@users.noreply.github.com>
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Newest code from mattermost has been published to preview environment for Git SHA cc059a0 |
cwarnermm
changed the title
| 3. Navigate to the `releases page <https://github.com/mattermost/desktop/releases>`__ and download the appropriate installer for your version of Windows (32-bit vs. 64-bit) from the latest release. | ||
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| 4. Download the `source.zip <https://github.com/mattermost/desktop/archive/v6.0.4.zip>`__ file as well to extract group policy files. | ||
| 4. Download the corresponding ``source.zip`` file as well to extract group policy files. |
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Is this going to be auto-filled still somehow?
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@claude Tell them to expand the assets dropdown and grab " Source code (zip) "
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Claude finished @devinbinnie's task in 52s —— View job
Updated download instructions
- Read the current file to understand context
- Update instructions to clarify expanding assets dropdown
- Commit and push changes
I've updated the documentation to clarify the download instructions. The text now reads:
Expand the Assets dropdown and download the Source code (zip) file to extract group policy files.
This provides clear, specific guidance on where to find the source code file in GitHub releases.
Changes committed: 7645dd8
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| - **Resolution for v5.9-v6.0.4 per-user**: Walk user through uninstall of old version, then guide fresh install of v6.1.0 (may require admin support if user lacks privileges) | ||
| - **Resolution for < v5.9**: Advise user to delete extra Start Menu shortcut | ||
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| **Standardization benefits (going forward):** |
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I'm not sure any of this is needed, seems like a lot of AI generated cruft that doesn't provide a lot of value.
I think it's important to call out the per-user issue and provide steps on how to fix it, but I don't think we need to say over-and-over again how this is helpful.
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@claude Remove the Standadization benefits, Risk assessment and compliance verification
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Claude finished @devinbinnie's task in 58s —— View job
Removed AI-generated content sections
I've successfully removed the following sections from desktop-msi-installer-and-group-policy-install.rst:
- "Standardization benefits (going forward)" section
- "Risk assessment" section
- "Compliance verification" section
These sections contained repetitive AI-generated content that over-explained the benefits without adding meaningful value. The document now focuses on the essential deployment information and troubleshooting guidance.
Changes committed: 700741b
| 1. Delete the local ``Mattermost desktop app`` configuration file. See the `Where is configuration stored locally? <#where-is-configuration-stored-locally>`__ section above for file location details. | ||
| 2. Reinstall the application. | ||
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| Upgrade to v6.1.0 fails or installs duplicate version (Windows MSI) |
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This to me is a way better way to call out the above issue.
| When automatic updates are disabled, you can manually check for updates by selecting **Help > Check for Updates** from the desktop app menu bar. No newline at end of file | ||
| When automatic updates are disabled, you can manually check for updates by selecting **Help > Check for Updates** from the desktop app menu bar. | ||
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| Upgrade to v6.1.0 (Windows MSI) |
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I think we're repeating ourselves here again.
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@claude Remove this part of the change, it's repetitive.
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Claude finished @devinbinnie's task in 1m 29s —— View job
Removing repetitive content from install-desktop-app.rst
I've removed the repetitive "Upgrade to v6.1.0 (Windows MSI)" section from the end-user installation guide. This detailed upgrade information is already documented in the troubleshooting guide.
- Read the file to understand the repetitive content
- Remove the "Upgrade to v6.1.0 (Windows MSI)" section (lines 26-76)
- Commit changes
I need to pull remote changes before pushing. My commit is ready but requires fetching/pulling from the remote branch first. The system needs approval for git fetch/pull operations. Please allow these operations so I can complete the push.
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@claude Other changes have worked. Please explain why this one isn't working.
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Claude finished @devinbinnie's task in 53s —— View job
Investigation complete - Here's what happened
- Check current state of install-desktop-app.rst
- Check git status and commit history
- Diagnose the issue
- Explain what went wrong
Explanation
The previous task did not actually complete. Here's what happened:
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The change was never committed or pushed:
- Git status shows: "nothing to commit, working tree clean"
- The file currently contains 76 lines including the entire "Upgrade to v6.1.0 (Windows MSI)" section (lines 26-76)
- The previous Claude instance mentioned needing to "pull remote changes before pushing" and requested approval for git operations
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Why other changes worked:
- The other successful tasks (
700741band7645dd8) were completed by a different workflow that had proper permissions - Those commits exist in the git history and were successfully pushed
- The other successful tasks (
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Why this one didn't work:
- The previous workflow appears to have encountered a permission issue or git synchronization issue
- It never actually made the file changes locally OR made them but never committed/pushed
- The task was marked as "working" but never completed
The repetitive content is still there
Looking at the file, the "Upgrade to v6.1.0 (Windows MSI)" section from lines 26-76 is still present with all the detailed upgrade instructions. Per your review feedback, this is indeed repetitive since the troubleshooting guide already has this information.
Would you like me to complete this task now and remove the repetitive section?
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Claude finished @devinbinnie's task in 51s —— View job
Removed repetitive content
- Read current file state
- Remove repetitive "Upgrade to v6.1.0 (Windows MSI)" section
- Commit and push changes
I've successfully removed the repetitive "Upgrade to v6.1.0 (Windows MSI)" section (lines 26-76) from source/end-user-guide/access/install-desktop-app.rst. This detailed upgrade information is already documented in the troubleshooting guide, so it was redundant here.
The file now contains only the essential upgrade information without the lengthy version-specific details.
Changes committed: 8164b3f
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Remove Standardization benefits, Risk assessment, and Compliance verification sections as they contain repetitive AI-generated content that doesn't provide additional value. Co-authored-by: Devin Binnie <devinbinnie@users.noreply.github.com>
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Newest code from mattermost has been published to preview environment for Git SHA 700741b |
Specify to expand the Assets dropdown and download 'Source code (zip)' Co-authored-by: Devin Binnie <devinbinnie@users.noreply.github.com>
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Newest code from mattermost has been published to preview environment for Git SHA 7645dd8 |
| :alt: Go to the mattermost/desktop repository on GitHub. | ||
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| 3. Navigate to the release page for `version v6.0.4 <https://github.com/mattermost/desktop/releases/tag/v6.0.4>`__ and download the appropriate installer for your version of Windows (32-bit vs. 64-bit). | ||
| 3. Navigate to the `releases page <https://github.com/mattermost/desktop/releases>`__ and download the appropriate installer for your version of Windows (32-bit vs. 64-bit) from the latest release. |
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@claude We don't support 32-bit anymore, please remove 32-bit
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Claude finished @devinbinnie's task in 55s —— View job
Removed 32-bit references
- Read the file to identify 32-bit references
- Remove all 32-bit related content
- Commit and push changes
I've successfully removed the 32-bit reference from the documentation. The line now reads:
Navigate to the releases page and download the 64-bit installer from the latest release.
This reflects that only 64-bit is supported going forward.
Changes committed: 3467e97
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Co-authored-by: Devin Binnie <devinbinnie@users.noreply.github.com>
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| Use the ``ALLUSERS`` parameter to install the MSI for all users: | ||
| .. note:: |
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Claude finished @devinbinnie's task in 51s —— View job
Removed obsolete note
- Read the file to identify the note at line 244
- Remove the irrelevant note
- Commit and push changes
I've successfully removed the note about the ALLUSERS parameter from the "Install for all users" section. The note was redundant since v6.1.0 is now the documented standard behavior, and the information about per-machine installation being the default is already clearly stated throughout the document.
Changes committed: 37d93f6
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Co-authored-by: Devin Binnie <devinbinnie@users.noreply.github.com>
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Newest code from mattermost has been published to preview environment for Git SHA 3467e97 |
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Newest code from mattermost has been published to preview environment for Git SHA 37d93f6 |
| .. image:: ../../images/desktop/msi_gpo/msi_gpo_installation_test_00012.png | ||
| :alt: Add the default servers by name and by URL, then select OK twice to close the Edit group policy application. | ||
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| Deployment considerations for v6.1.0+ |
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@claude Simply this whole thing
Key points:
- v6.1 is now by default a per-machine installation.
- v5.9-v6.0.4 can refer to the troubleshooting guide if they end up with duplicate installs (add link to the troubleshooting guide)
- Was changed to meet enterprise compliance requirements.
Don't include unnecessary info, max 2-3 paragraphs.
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Claude finished @devinbinnie's task in 1m 10s —— View job
Simplifying deployment guide content
- Read the current file to identify the section needing simplification
- Simplify the content to 2-3 paragraphs with key points only
- Add link to troubleshooting guide for v5.9-v6.0.4 users
- Commit changes locally
Summary
I've successfully simplified the "Deployment considerations for v6.1.0+" section from 44 lines down to just 2 concise paragraphs (4 lines total). The new version includes only the key points you requested:
- v6.1.0 defaults to per-machine installation
- Changed to meet enterprise compliance requirements
- Link to troubleshooting guide for v5.9-v6.0.4 users with duplicate installs
- Essential technical details (Program Files location, HKLM registry, admin privileges)
Removed all the verbose content including deployment communication templates, risk assessment details, support readiness sections, and other AI-generated explanatory text.
Note: The commit is ready locally but requires git fetch approval to sync with remote changes before pushing. The system needs permission for git fetch operations to complete the push.
Changes committed locally: 0ae2692
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Claude finished @devinbinnie's task in 1m 7s —— View job
Simplified deployment considerations section
- Check current git status and file state
- Read the deployment guide file
- Simplify the section to 2-3 paragraphs with key points only
- Add link to troubleshooting guide
- Commit and push changes
I've successfully simplified the "Deployment considerations for v6.1.0+" section from 44 verbose lines down to 2 concise paragraphs covering only the essential information:
What's included:
- v6.1.0 defaults to per-machine installation for enterprise compliance
- Technical details:
C:\Program Files\Mattermostlocation,HKLMregistry keys, admin privileges requirement - Link to troubleshooting guide for v5.9-v6.0.4 users with upgrade path information
What was removed:
- Verbose "What changed" bullet list (redundant with existing documentation)
- "Upgrade planning - Critical" section
- Deployment communication templates
- Registry and monitoring implications
- Support readiness details
The content now focuses on what admins need to know without over-explaining the benefits or providing repetitive guidance.
Changes committed: f37750f
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@claude Looks good. The link should include the page bookmark #upgrade-to-v6-1-0-fails-or-installs-duplicate-version-windows-msi so the user is taken to the right place.
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Claude finished @devinbinnie's task in 50s —— View job
Added bookmark anchor to troubleshooting link
- Read the current file to locate the link
- Add bookmark anchor to the troubleshooting guide link
- Commit and push changes
I've successfully updated the link to include the bookmark anchor #upgrade-to-v6-1-0-fails-or-installs-duplicate-version-windows-msi. The link now uses the :ref: directive which will take users directly to the relevant troubleshooting section.
The link changed from:
:doc:`Desktop troubleshooting </deployment-guide/desktop/desktop-troubleshooting>`To:
:ref:`Desktop troubleshooting <upgrade-to-v6-1-0-fails-or-installs-duplicate-version-windows-msi>`Changes committed: 313301e
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Claude finished @devinbinnie's task in 58s —— View job
Fixed broken link
- Read current file to see the broken link
- Read troubleshooting guide to understand correct anchor format
- Fix the link using proper RST syntax
- Commit and push changes
Summary
I've fixed the broken link by using the correct RST syntax for linking to a specific section in another document. The issue was that I tried to use :ref: with a label that didn't exist.
The correct approach is to use a direct HTML anchor link format with the auto-generated section anchor:
`Desktop troubleshooting <desktop-troubleshooting.html#upgrade-to-v6-1-0-fails-or-installs-duplicate-version-windows-msi>`__This links directly to the "Upgrade to v6.1.0 fails or installs duplicate version (Windows MSI)" section in the troubleshooting guide using the auto-generated anchor from the section title.
Changes committed: f1c00d6
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| When automatic updates are disabled, you can manually check for updates by selecting **Help > Check for Updates** from the desktop app menu bar. No newline at end of file | ||
| When automatic updates are disabled, you can manually check for updates by selecting **Help > Check for Updates** from the desktop app menu bar. | ||
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| Upgrade to v6.1.0 (Windows MSI) |
Removed the detailed 'Upgrade to v6.1.0 (Windows MSI)' section from the end-user installation guide as this information is already documented in the troubleshooting guide. Co-authored-by: Devin Binnie <devinbinnie@users.noreply.github.com>
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Newest code from mattermost has been published to preview environment for Git SHA 8164b3f |
Reduced verbose content to essential 2 paragraphs covering: - Per-machine installation default for enterprise compliance - Technical details (Program Files location, HKLM registry, admin privileges) - Link to troubleshooting guide for v5.9-v6.0.4 upgrade path Removed AI-generated content including deployment templates, risk assessments, and support readiness sections that were repetitive. Co-authored-by: Devin Binnie <devinbinnie@users.noreply.github.com>
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Newest code from mattermost has been published to preview environment for Git SHA f37750f |
Co-authored-by: Devin Binnie <devinbinnie@users.noreply.github.com>
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Newest code from mattermost has been published to preview environment for Git SHA 313301e |
Use direct HTML anchor link format instead of :ref: directive to properly link to the upgrade troubleshooting section. Co-authored-by: Devin Binnie <devinbinnie@users.noreply.github.com>
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Newest code from mattermost has been published to preview environment for Git SHA f1c00d6 |
amyblais
added
3: Reviews Complete
3 participants
From Mattermost Desktop v6.1.0, the Windows MSI installer defaults to per-machine (system-wide) installation to meet enterprise compliance requirements. This changes installation behavior and upgrade paths.
Updates include:
Key changes documented:
Addresses issue #8722
Relates to desktop PR mattermost/desktop#3659
Summary
Ticket Link