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[GH-ISSUE #11972] "Restart to update" doesn't on Mac #33709

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opened 2026-04-22 16:37:50 -05:00 by GiteaMirror · 16 comments
GiteaMirror commented 2026-04-22 16:37:50 -05:00
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Originally created by @obushnell on GitHub (Aug 20, 2025).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/ollama/ollama/issues/11972

Originally assigned to: @jmorganca on GitHub.

What is the issue?

  1. Login with a non-administrator account
  2. See that an update is available
  3. Select "Restart to update" from the Ollama menu
  4. See dialog requesting administrator permission to update Ollama
  5. Enter administrator credentials
  6. Select OK

Expected result:
On success - Ollama should quit and update.
On failure - An error dialog should appear giving some indication as to the problem.

Actual result:
Ollama window opens.

Relevant log output

time=2025-08-19T17:59:20.571-06:00 level=INFO source=updater_darwin.go:98 msg="starting upgrade" app=/Applications/Ollama.app update=/Users/orsonbushnell/Library/Caches/ollama/updates/0x8DDDF4431D5C062/Ollama-darwin.zip pid=22674 log=/Users/orsonbushnell/.ollama/logs/upgrade.log
time=2025-08-19T17:59:20.571-06:00 level=WARN source=updater_darwin.go:130 msg="unable to backup old version due to permission problems, changing ownership" error="rename /Applications/Ollama.app /Users/orsonbushnell/Library/Caches/ollama/backup/Ollama.app: permission denied"
time=2025-08-19T17:59:20.571-06:00 level=INFO source=updater_darwin.go:406 msg="XXX in getAuthorization"
time=2025-08-19T17:59:20.582-06:00 level=INFO source=updater_darwin.go:406 msg="XXX requesting right com.electron.ollama.systemApplication"
time=2025-08-19T17:59:33.192-06:00 level=ERROR source=app_darwin.go:70 msg="upgrade failed" error="unable to perform upgrade - failed to stage old version: rename /Applications/Ollama.app /Users/orsonbushnell/Library/Caches/ollama/backup/Ollama.app: permission denied"

OS

macOS

GPU

Apple

CPU

Apple

Ollama version

0.11.4

Originally created by @obushnell on GitHub (Aug 20, 2025). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/ollama/ollama/issues/11972 Originally assigned to: @jmorganca on GitHub. ### What is the issue? 1. Login with a non-administrator account 2. See that an update is available 3. Select "Restart to update" from the Ollama menu 4. See dialog requesting administrator permission to update Ollama 5. Enter administrator credentials 6. Select OK Expected result: On success - Ollama should quit and update. On failure - An error dialog should appear giving some indication as to the problem. Actual result: Ollama window opens. ### Relevant log output ```shell time=2025-08-19T17:59:20.571-06:00 level=INFO source=updater_darwin.go:98 msg="starting upgrade" app=/Applications/Ollama.app update=/Users/orsonbushnell/Library/Caches/ollama/updates/0x8DDDF4431D5C062/Ollama-darwin.zip pid=22674 log=/Users/orsonbushnell/.ollama/logs/upgrade.log time=2025-08-19T17:59:20.571-06:00 level=WARN source=updater_darwin.go:130 msg="unable to backup old version due to permission problems, changing ownership" error="rename /Applications/Ollama.app /Users/orsonbushnell/Library/Caches/ollama/backup/Ollama.app: permission denied" time=2025-08-19T17:59:20.571-06:00 level=INFO source=updater_darwin.go:406 msg="XXX in getAuthorization" time=2025-08-19T17:59:20.582-06:00 level=INFO source=updater_darwin.go:406 msg="XXX requesting right com.electron.ollama.systemApplication" time=2025-08-19T17:59:33.192-06:00 level=ERROR source=app_darwin.go:70 msg="upgrade failed" error="unable to perform upgrade - failed to stage old version: rename /Applications/Ollama.app /Users/orsonbushnell/Library/Caches/ollama/backup/Ollama.app: permission denied" ``` ### OS macOS ### GPU Apple ### CPU Apple ### Ollama version 0.11.4
GiteaMirror added the appbug labels 2026-04-22 16:37:51 -05:00
GiteaMirror commented 2026-04-22 16:37:52 -05:00
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@obushnell commented on GitHub (Aug 24, 2025):

I encountered the bug again with 0.11.5

<!-- gh-comment-id:3217735366 --> @obushnell commented on GitHub (Aug 24, 2025): I encountered the bug again with 0.11.5
GiteaMirror commented 2026-04-22 16:37:53 -05:00
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@kostasx commented on GitHub (Aug 25, 2025):

0.11.6 seems to be solving this issue. @obushnell can you verify?

<!-- gh-comment-id:3219824398 --> @kostasx commented on GitHub (Aug 25, 2025): 0.11.6 seems to be solving this issue. @obushnell can you verify?
GiteaMirror commented 2026-04-22 16:37:54 -05:00
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@obushnell commented on GitHub (Aug 26, 2025):

I manually installed 0.11.6 2 days ago when 0.11.5 failed to upgrade. I just tried again and it still doesn't upgrade.

<!-- gh-comment-id:3224401409 --> @obushnell commented on GitHub (Aug 26, 2025): I manually installed 0.11.6 2 days ago when 0.11.5 failed to upgrade. I just tried again and it still doesn't upgrade.
GiteaMirror commented 2026-04-22 16:37:55 -05:00
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@terry-schoof-bah commented on GitHub (Sep 5, 2025):

same here on 0.11.8

<!-- gh-comment-id:3257067886 --> @terry-schoof-bah commented on GitHub (Sep 5, 2025): same here on 0.11.8
GiteaMirror commented 2026-04-22 16:37:56 -05:00
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@duatom commented on GitHub (Sep 24, 2025):

Any updates @jmorganca? This issue is still there and really annoying :(

<!-- gh-comment-id:3326988087 --> @duatom commented on GitHub (Sep 24, 2025): Any updates @jmorganca? This issue is still there and really annoying :(
GiteaMirror commented 2026-04-22 16:37:57 -05:00
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@obushnell commented on GitHub (Oct 5, 2025):

Happened again with 0.12.2 updating to 0.12.3

<!-- gh-comment-id:3368698150 --> @obushnell commented on GitHub (Oct 5, 2025): Happened again with 0.12.2 updating to 0.12.3
GiteaMirror commented 2026-04-22 16:37:58 -05:00
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@obushnell commented on GitHub (Nov 22, 2025):

I just manually installed 0.13.0. Am I still going to have this problem?

<!-- gh-comment-id:3566787359 --> @obushnell commented on GitHub (Nov 22, 2025): I just manually installed 0.13.0. Am I still going to have this problem?
GiteaMirror commented 2026-04-22 16:37:59 -05:00
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@copyrighthero commented on GitHub (Dec 3, 2025):

I have the encountered the same issue multiple times and just switched to use the CLI version instead.

<!-- gh-comment-id:3608433289 --> @copyrighthero commented on GitHub (Dec 3, 2025): I have the encountered the same issue multiple times and just switched to use the CLI version instead.
GiteaMirror commented 2026-04-22 16:37:59 -05:00
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@AceVentura0 commented on GitHub (Dec 14, 2025):

Same here. Running on v. 0.13.1.

<!-- gh-comment-id:3651124375 --> @AceVentura0 commented on GitHub (Dec 14, 2025): Same here. Running on v. 0.13.1.
GiteaMirror commented 2026-04-22 16:38:01 -05:00
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@notthetup commented on GitHub (Dec 24, 2025):

Still an issue at "Version 0.13.3 (0.13.3)"

<!-- gh-comment-id:3689240475 --> @notthetup commented on GitHub (Dec 24, 2025): Still an issue at "Version 0.13.3 (0.13.3)"
GiteaMirror commented 2026-04-22 16:38:03 -05:00
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@obushnell commented on GitHub (Jan 24, 2026):

Still happening with 0.14.3.

<!-- gh-comment-id:3794950010 --> @obushnell commented on GitHub (Jan 24, 2026): Still happening with 0.14.3.
GiteaMirror commented 2026-04-22 16:38:05 -05:00
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@punkyard commented on GitHub (Feb 19, 2026):

In my situation: restart to update button gets stuck on macOS Sequoia 15.7.4 (24G517) – update never applies unless Ollama is manually stopped or re‑installed with Homebrew (uninstall/install --cask)

The menubar shows the arrow “Restart to update” after an automatic download. Clicking the menu item (with admin pass) does not restart the app; it does nothing and the arrow remains. The problem occurred after last Sequoia update.

Steps to Reproduce

1 Install Ollama via Homebrew (cask) on a machine running macOS 15.2 (Sequoia).
brew install --cask ollama-app
2 Run the app (Ollama > Preferences > Check for updates or wait for the automatic background download).
3 When the update finishes the menubar shows the arrow “Restart to update”.
4 Click the arrow.
5 Observe that the app does not quit/restart; the arrow stays visible.

Expected behavior

The app should quit, replace the bundle in /Applications/Ollama.app with the newly‑downloaded version, and then start automatically – the arrow disappears.

Running processes after the arrow appears

$ pgrep -fl Ollama
580 /Applications/Ollama.app/Contents/MacOS/Ollama hidden
620 /Applications/Ollama.app/Contents/Resources/ollama serve
After manually killing the processes

$ pgrep -fl Ollama || echo "No Ollama processes left"
No Ollama processes left
$ /Applications/Ollama.app/Contents/MacOS/Ollama --version
Why the restart fails
The updater tries to rename /Applications/Ollama.app to a backup folder, but the background ollama serve process holds the bundle open. On Sequoia the filesystem lock prevents the rename, so the updater aborts and the “update‑ready” flag (cached zip in ~/Library/Caches/ollama/updates/…) stays set, leaving the arrow on screen.

Environment

macOS 15.2 (Sequoia)
CPU Apple M4
Installation method Homebrew cask (brew install --cask ollama-app)
Ownership of /Applications/Ollama.app myuser:admin (user‑writable)

Possible solution

Detect a running ollama serve process before attempting the bundle replacement. If it is present, first send a graceful shutdown request (e.g. osascript -e 'quit app "Ollama"' or signal the serve process) and wait until the process exits.
Clear the stale update cache (~/Library/Caches/ollama/updates) only after the bundle has been successfully replaced.
Adjust the updater logic (currently in updater_darwin.go) to handle the “bundle locked by running process” error, fall back to stopping the background service automatically, then retry the rename.
A minimal workaround for users (as documented in the README) could be:

osascript -e 'quit app "Ollama"' 2>/dev/null || true
pkill -f "ollama serve" || true
rm -rf "${HOME}/Library/Caches/ollama/updates"
open -a Ollama

Additional notes

This issue only appears on macOS 15.7 (for me).
The stricter filesystem locking introduced with the new System Integrity Protection prevents the rename while any part of the app binary is in use.
The same problem does not affect the Homebrew reinstall path because Homebrew runs the install using a privileged helper that temporarily releases the lock.

Log excerpts that show the problem

1. Runner process that locks the bundle (server.log)

time=2026-02-19T11:36:51.246+01:00 level=INFO source=server.go:431 msg="starting runner" cmd="/Applications/Ollama.app/Contents/Resources/ollama runner --ollama-engine --port 49709"

2. Process list while the arrow is visible (output of pgrep -fl Ollama)

580 /Applications/Ollama.app/Contents/MacOS/Ollama hidden 620 /Applications/Ollama.app/Contents/Resources/ollama serve ← runner that keeps the bundle open

3. Upgrade log (missing in the current dump) – the file ~/.ollama/logs/upgrade.log contains:

time=2026‑02‑19T11:42:07.128‑06:00 level=ERROR source=app_darwin.go:70 msg="upgrade failed" error="unable to perform upgrade - failed to stage old version: rename /Applications/Ollama.app /Users//Library/Caches/ollama/backup/Ollama.app: permission denied"

<!-- gh-comment-id:3926471828 --> @punkyard commented on GitHub (Feb 19, 2026): In my situation: restart to update button gets stuck on macOS Sequoia 15.7.4 (24G517) – update never applies unless Ollama is manually stopped or re‑installed with Homebrew (uninstall/install --cask) The menubar shows the arrow “Restart to update” after an automatic download. Clicking the menu item (with admin pass) does not restart the app; it does nothing and the arrow remains. The problem occurred after last Sequoia update. **Steps to Reproduce** 1 Install Ollama via Homebrew (cask) on a machine running macOS 15.2 (Sequoia). brew install --cask ollama-app 2 Run the app (Ollama > Preferences > Check for updates or wait for the automatic background download). 3 When the update finishes the menubar shows the arrow “Restart to update”. 4 Click the arrow. 5 Observe that the app does not quit/restart; the arrow stays visible. **Expected behavior** The app should quit, replace the bundle in /Applications/Ollama.app with the newly‑downloaded version, and then start automatically – the arrow disappears. **Running processes after the arrow appears** $ pgrep -fl Ollama 580 /Applications/Ollama.app/Contents/MacOS/Ollama hidden 620 /Applications/Ollama.app/Contents/Resources/ollama serve After manually killing the processes $ pgrep -fl Ollama || echo "No Ollama processes left" No Ollama processes left $ /Applications/Ollama.app/Contents/MacOS/Ollama --version Why the restart fails The updater tries to rename /Applications/Ollama.app to a backup folder, but the background ollama serve process holds the bundle open. On Sequoia the filesystem lock prevents the rename, so the updater aborts and the “update‑ready” flag (cached zip in ~/Library/Caches/ollama/updates/…) stays set, leaving the arrow on screen. **Environment** macOS 15.2 (Sequoia) CPU Apple M4 Installation method Homebrew cask (brew install --cask ollama-app) Ownership of /Applications/Ollama.app myuser:admin (user‑writable) **Possible solution** Detect a running ollama serve process before attempting the bundle replacement. If it is present, first send a graceful shutdown request (e.g. osascript -e 'quit app "Ollama"' or signal the serve process) and wait until the process exits. Clear the stale update cache (~/Library/Caches/ollama/updates) only after the bundle has been successfully replaced. Adjust the updater logic (currently in updater_darwin.go) to handle the “bundle locked by running process” error, fall back to stopping the background service automatically, then retry the rename. A minimal workaround for users (as documented in the README) could be: osascript -e 'quit app "Ollama"' 2>/dev/null || true pkill -f "ollama serve" || true rm -rf "${HOME}/Library/Caches/ollama/updates" open -a Ollama **Additional notes** This issue only appears on macOS 15.7 (for me). The stricter filesystem locking introduced with the new System Integrity Protection prevents the rename while any part of the app binary is in use. The same problem does not affect the Homebrew reinstall path because Homebrew runs the install using a privileged helper that temporarily releases the lock. ## Log excerpts that show the problem **1. Runner process that locks the bundle** (server.log) time=2026-02-19T11:36:51.246+01:00 level=INFO source=server.go:431 msg="starting runner" cmd="/Applications/Ollama.app/Contents/Resources/ollama runner --ollama-engine --port 49709" **2. Process list while the arrow is visible** (output of `pgrep -fl Ollama`) 580 /Applications/Ollama.app/Contents/MacOS/Ollama hidden 620 /Applications/Ollama.app/Contents/Resources/ollama serve ← runner that keeps the bundle open **3. Upgrade log (missing in the current dump)** – the file `~/.ollama/logs/upgrade.log` contains: time=2026‑02‑19T11:42:07.128‑06:00 level=ERROR source=app_darwin.go:70 msg="upgrade failed" error="unable to perform upgrade - failed to stage old version: rename /Applications/Ollama.app /Users//Library/Caches/ollama/backup/Ollama.app: permission denied"
GiteaMirror commented 2026-04-22 16:38:05 -05:00
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@duatom commented on GitHub (Mar 2, 2026):

Hey @jmorganca. This issue is unresolved for a half a year already. I am aware that it is probably not a top priority for the Project :) However, maybe some other contributor will have time to look into that?

Thx for Your work!

<!-- gh-comment-id:3983866632 --> @duatom commented on GitHub (Mar 2, 2026): Hey @jmorganca. This issue is unresolved for a half a year already. I am aware that it is probably not a top priority for the Project :) However, maybe some other contributor will have time to look into that? Thx for Your work!
GiteaMirror commented 2026-04-22 16:38:06 -05:00
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@Moreiq commented on GitHub (Mar 12, 2026):

Apart from reported behavior, the app now showing update, when there is no stable update that has been published.

<!-- gh-comment-id:4045952838 --> @Moreiq commented on GitHub (Mar 12, 2026): Apart from reported behavior, the app now showing update, when there is no stable update that has been published.
GiteaMirror commented 2026-04-22 16:38:07 -05:00
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@duatom commented on GitHub (Mar 12, 2026):

@Moreiq Same here

<!-- gh-comment-id:4046044918 --> @duatom commented on GitHub (Mar 12, 2026): @Moreiq Same here
GiteaMirror commented 2026-04-22 16:38:07 -05:00
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@hovanesgasparian commented on GitHub (Mar 23, 2026):

Hmm, when I run ollama -v I get the message that

ollama version is 0.17.7
Warning: client version is 0.18.2

so I'm not sure if that means the app is showing an update, when there is no stable update that has been published, or if this is a different issue entirely.

<!-- gh-comment-id:4114405780 --> @hovanesgasparian commented on GitHub (Mar 23, 2026): Hmm, when I run ollama -v I get the message that ``` ollama version is 0.17.7 Warning: client version is 0.18.2 ``` so I'm not sure if that means the app is showing an update, when there is no stable update that has been published, or if this is a different issue entirely.
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