menu: use Tails desktop interfaces by BenWestgate · Pull Request #260 · BenWestgate/Bails

BenWestgate · 2026-09-27T16:17:41Z

Requested by Ben · project thread

Rebase note: Rebased onto master on 2026-10-07. It conflicted with #294 (merged), which runs both updates in GNOME Console. I kept master's Console update actions and dropped this PR's direct-update helper. That settles the visible and cancellable update question in the Status section below, so that section is out of date. The commit message is updated to match.

Status

Waiting for human direction after two code rounds. Do not merge as-is. The desktop-application coupling is removed, but the direct Bitcoin Core update action can disappear into install-core's unbounded network retry loop with no visible/cancellable UI when Tor/network is unavailable.

What

use xdg-open for Help/Report-a-Bug/Donate URLs instead of direct browser commands
run update scripts without depending on gnome-terminal
return to the menu after Help/Settings actions
keep the requested Donate action and project/contribution wording
remove the stale unmonitored Slack support link

Why

The #230 Tails 7.13 review found menu actions coupled to desktop applications that are no longer present. The remaining review finding shows the updater still needs a supported visible/cancellable boundary rather than an invisible direct call.

Closes #252
Refs #249, #269

Human decision needed

Choose the smallest upstream-compatible way to keep Bitcoin Core updates visible and cancellable during network failure without hard-coding kgx, gnome-terminal, or another incidental terminal application. The preferred boundary is for install-core itself to surface or bound retry behavior if practical.

No further code round should be started on this PR until that direction is given.

Testing already completed

bash -n bails/.local/bin/bails-menu
changed menu script contains no gnome-terminal or direct tor-browser launch
earlier review feedback about checkout lifetime, About/help text, Donate, and stale support links is addressed

If the PR proceeds, supported-Tails runtime validation should exercise Update Bitcoin Core with working Tor and with Tor/network unavailable, plus Update CipherStick, Donate, Online Help, Report a Bug, About, and menu return behavior.

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BenWestgate · 2026-09-27T18:00:20Z

don't remove the empty Donate URI

lets fill it in correctly with a donation address. There are 3+ places in the software that have addresses.

BenWestgate

lets put our real donation address in the project finally and remove the dead link

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BenWestgate · 2026-09-28T02:35:33Z

Tails 7.13 runtime check at 8e77ada: the main, Settings, and Help dialogs now render wide/compact with the 520px width hint; the earlier tall/narrow layout no longer reproduces.

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chatgpt-codex-connector · 2026-09-29T01:40:46Z

+    "About") zenity --info --icon=bails128 --title="About CipherStick" \
+        --text="$($XDG_DATA_HOME/bails/b --version)\n\nCopyright © 2023–2026 Ben Westgate\n\nPlease contribute if you find CipherStick useful. Visit <a href='https://github.com/BenWestgate/Bails'>https://github.com/BenWestgate/Bails</a> for further information about the software.\nThe source code is included with CipherStick.\n\nThis is experimental software.\nDistributed under the MIT software license, see the accompanying file COPYING or <a href='https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT'>https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT</a>"; exec "$0" ;;
+    "Online Help") open_url 'https://t.me/Bails_support'; exec "$0" ;;
+    "Update Bitcoin Core") install-core; exec "$0" ;;


Keep the core updater cancellable during network failures

When Tor or the network is unavailable, this direct call runs from the Terminal=false desktop launcher with no visible progress or cancellation UI, while install-core's retry_on_fail loop (lines 96–101, first used at line 116) retries indefinitely and reports only to terminal output. The menu therefore disappears and cannot return until connectivity recovers or the user externally kills the process; replace the removed terminal with a cancellable progress dialog or bound the retries and surface an error.

Useful? React with 👍 / 👎.

Valid blocker. #260 has already used its two code rounds (22becc4, ac43ede), so I am leaving this unresolved for human direction. The next fix should preserve a visible/cancellable update boundary without reintroducing a hard-coded terminal application—either make install-core surface/bound network retry itself or wrap it in a supported cancellable desktop interface.

Stop Bitcoin Core installation immediately when extraction or a required persistent/configuration write fails. Show the failing boundary, avoid global set -e semantics, and do not create the installed marker after a failed write. Closes #269 Refs #260, #252, #249

BenWestgate

AI-generated review, posted at the maintainer's request.

ACK bbb2b4d code. Keeping the successful update checkout in amnesic /tmp fixes the asynchronous-copy race; supported-Tails menu validation remains the merge gate.

Stop when verified Core extraction or required persistence/config/link writes fail, propagate link-dotfiles failures, and avoid marking an incomplete installation successful. Closes #269 Refs #260, #252, #249

BenWestgate · 2026-10-04T18:51:48Z

AI-assisted response: the Donate feedback is still unresolved at 91c4121: the action remains the empty bitcoin: URI, not a donation address. The PR also still documents the uncancellable Core-update retry path as an unresolved blocker, so I’m not issuing a clean current-head review yet.

BenWestgate

Current-head AI re-review: NACK 91c4121 on the existing updater P2. Update Bitcoin Core still calls install-core from the non-terminal menu path while its network retry loop is unbounded and terminal-only, so a Tor/network failure remains invisible and not cancellable. Per CONTRIBUTING, fixing that shared install-core boundary is preferable to hard-coding another terminal app. No additional finding.

BenWestgate

Codex current-head review at 91c4121: one existing P2 remains. Update Bitcoin Core still calls install-core directly from the non-terminal launcher while its network retry loop is unbounded and terminal-only, so an outage leaves no visible/cancellable update boundary.

Stop when verified Core extraction or required persistence/config/link writes fail, propagate link-dotfiles failures, and avoid marking an incomplete installation successful. Closes #269 Refs #260, #252, #249

Open links with xdg-open and show the URL if that fails, return to the menu after Help and Settings actions, use zenity --icon, and drop the stale Slack and Twitter links. Updates keep running in GNOME Console as master does since #294, so a user can watch and cancel them. Closes #252 Refs #249, #269

BenWestgate

AI-assisted current-head review (21c7150): prior hidden-update P2 is addressed by opening a terminal. Remaining P2: kgx hardcodes a desktop terminal, contrary to CONTRIBUTING's dependency policy; use a supported terminal capability adapter and verify update failure/cancellation on Tails. Not ACKing yet.

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UI: fix Bitcoin Core setup dialog sizing and copy #256

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BenWestgate mentioned this pull request Sep 28, 2026

Core updater: fail when installation writes fail #269

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BenWestgate force-pushed the 252-tails-compatible-menu branch from ac43ede to bbb2b4d Compare September 29, 2026 01:38

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Menu: use Tails-compatible launchers and keep Help actions usable #252

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core: fail on installation write errors #284

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Make upstream integrations version-adaptive to stop cross-component regressions #249

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BenWestgate force-pushed the 215-python-codex32-restore branch from 03134e7 to fddc710 Compare September 30, 2026 01:31

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codex32: Add Bitcoin Core restore flow #230

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menu: fix Clone button and launch updates in Console #294

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Base automatically changed from 215-python-codex32-restore to master October 1, 2026 04:47

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BenWestgate force-pushed the 252-tails-compatible-menu branch from 91c4121 to 21c7150 Compare October 7, 2026 08:34

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