diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index 1ee36b0..d44f0fc 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -38,6 +38,9 @@ func main() {
 	svc = NewApp(app)
 	app.RegisterService(application.NewService(svc))
 
+	// Self-updates: desktop production builds only (no-op elsewhere).
+	maybeEnableUpdater(app)
+
 	app.Window.NewWithOptions(application.WebviewWindowOptions{
 		Title:            appTitle(),
 		Width:            1024,
diff --git a/updater.go b/updater.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c11c11b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/updater.go
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	_ "embed"
+	"log"
+	"os"
+
+	"github.com/wailsapp/wails/v3/pkg/application"
+	"github.com/wailsapp/wails/v3/pkg/updater"
+
+	giteaprovider "AniTrack/updater/gitea"
+)
+
+//go:embed updater.pub
+var updaterPublicKey []byte
+
+// maybeEnableUpdater wires self-updates: desktop production builds only.
+// Mobile stays on Obtainium; dev builds never phone home. The startup check
+// is headless — the builtin window opens only when an update is found, via a
+// second CheckAndInstall (one redundant index round-trip, negligible).
+func maybeEnableUpdater(app *application.App) {
+	if !updaterAutoCheck {
+		return
+	}
+	if !application.System.IsDesktop() {
+		return
+	}
+	gh, err := giteaprovider.New(giteaprovider.Config{
+		BaseURL:   "https://git.linuxhg.com",
+		Owner:     "john-okeefe",
+		Repo:      "Anitrack",
+		AssetName: "AniTrack-linux-amd64",
+		// Beta channel (rc tags) for testing: ANITRACK_UPDATER_CHANNEL=beta.
+		AllowPrerelease: os.Getenv("ANITRACK_UPDATER_CHANNEL") == "beta",
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Printf("updater: %s", err)
+		return
+	}
+	if err := app.Updater.Init(updater.Config{
+		CurrentVersion: appVersion(),
+		Providers:      []updater.Provider{gh},
+		PublicKey:      updaterPublicKey,
+		Window: &updater.BuiltinWindow{
+			CSS: ":root { --accent: #4d9fff; }",
+		},
+	}); err != nil {
+		log.Printf("updater: init: %s", err)
+		return
+	}
+	go func() {
+		rel, err := app.Updater.Check(context.Background())
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Printf("updater: check: %s", err)
+			return
+		}
+		if rel == nil {
+			return
+		}
+		log.Printf("updater: %s available, opening installer", rel.Version)
+		if err := app.Updater.CheckAndInstall(context.Background()); err != nil {
+			log.Printf("updater: install: %s", err)
+		}
+	}()
+}
diff --git a/updater_dev.go b/updater_dev.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..67b192f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/updater_dev.go
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+//go:build !production
+
+package main
+
+// updaterAutoCheck is false outside production builds (dev, vet, plain
+// go build): the updater is compiled in but never runs.
+const updaterAutoCheck = false
diff --git a/updater_flow_test.go b/updater_flow_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..52de866
--- /dev/null
+++ b/updater_flow_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,140 @@
+// End-to-end updater flow test (headless): Gitea fixture provider ->
+// framework Check -> DownloadAndInstall -> REAL signature verification
+// against a test key. Proves our sidecar shape is exactly what the
+// framework verifier accepts. No network, no display, no Run().
+package main
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"crypto"
+	"crypto/ed25519"
+	"crypto/rand"
+	"crypto/sha512"
+	"encoding/base64"
+	"encoding/hex"
+	"fmt"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"os"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/wailsapp/wails/v3/pkg/application"
+	"github.com/wailsapp/wails/v3/pkg/updater"
+
+	giteaprovider "AniTrack/updater/gitea"
+)
+
+const flowAsset = "AniTrack-linux-amd64"
+const flowData = "flow-test-binary-bytes"
+
+// flowServer serves one signed release for version 1.99.0. When *tampered
+// is true the .sig sidecar is corrupted so verification must fail. The flag
+// is read per-request so one server covers both phases (the framework keeps
+// a process-wide app singleton, so only one application.New per test binary).
+func flowServer(t *testing.T, pub ed25519.PublicKey, priv ed25519.PrivateKey, tampered *bool) *httptest.Server {
+	t.Helper()
+	data := []byte(flowData)
+	sum := sha512.Sum512(data)
+	sigBytes, err := priv.Sign(rand.Reader, sum[:], &ed25519.Options{Hash: crypto.SHA512})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	sha := hex.EncodeToString(sum[:]) + "  " + flowAsset + "\n"
+	mkSig := func() string {
+		s := sigBytes
+		if *tampered {
+			s = append([]byte(nil), sigBytes...)
+			s[0] ^= 0xff
+		}
+		return base64.StdEncoding.EncodeToString(s) + "\n"
+	}
+	var srv *httptest.Server
+	srv = httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		switch {
+		case strings.HasSuffix(r.URL.Path, "/releases"):
+			fmt.Fprintf(w, `[{"tag_name":"1.99.0","name":"1.99.0","body":"n","draft":false,"prerelease":false,"published_at":"2026-09-16T00:00:00Z","assets":[{"name":%q,"size":%d,"browser_download_url":%q}]}]`,
+				flowAsset, len(data), srv.URL+"/dl/"+flowAsset)
+		case r.URL.Path == "/dl/"+flowAsset+".sha512":
+			fmt.Fprint(w, sha)
+		case r.URL.Path == "/dl/"+flowAsset+".sig":
+			fmt.Fprint(w, mkSig())
+		case r.URL.Path == "/dl/"+flowAsset:
+			w.Write(data)
+		default:
+			http.NotFound(w, r)
+		}
+	}))
+	_ = pub
+	return srv
+}
+
+func TestUpdaterFlowDownloadsAndVerifies(t *testing.T) {
+	pub, priv, err := ed25519.GenerateKey(rand.Reader)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	_ = priv
+	tampered := false
+	srv := flowServer(t, pub, priv, &tampered)
+	defer srv.Close()
+
+	gh, err := giteaprovider.New(giteaprovider.Config{
+		BaseURL:   srv.URL,
+		Owner:     "o",
+		Repo:      "r",
+		AssetName: flowAsset,
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	app := application.New(application.Options{Name: "AniTrackFlowTest"})
+	if err := app.Updater.Init(updater.Config{
+		CurrentVersion: "1.6.8",
+		Providers:      []updater.Provider{gh},
+		PublicKey:      []byte(pub),
+		Window:         updater.WindowNone,
+	}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 60*time.Second)
+	defer cancel()
+
+	// Phase 1: good signature -> staged bytes match the fixture.
+	rel, err := app.Updater.Check(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if rel == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected an update from 1.6.8 to 1.99.0")
+	}
+	if err := app.Updater.DownloadAndInstall(ctx); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("DownloadAndInstall (incl. real signature verify): %s", err)
+	}
+	staged := app.Updater.DownloadedPath()
+	if staged == "" {
+		t.Fatal("no staged path after install")
+	}
+	got, err := os.ReadFile(staged)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if string(got) != flowData {
+		t.Errorf("staged bytes = %q, want fixture", got)
+	}
+	os.Remove(staged)
+
+	// Phase 2: tampered signature -> install must fail closed.
+	tampered = true
+	if _, err := app.Updater.Check(ctx); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := app.Updater.DownloadAndInstall(ctx); err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected verification failure for tampered signature, got nil")
+	} else {
+		t.Logf("rejected as expected: %s", err)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/updater_prod.go b/updater_prod.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c4bea1e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/updater_prod.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:build production
+
+package main
+
+// updaterAutoCheck gates the startup update check to production builds:
+// `wails3 build` sets -tags production, `wails3 dev` does not, so dev
+// binaries in build/bin never phone home.
+const updaterAutoCheck = true