[release] Write fresh-install breadcrumb from installers

Installers write a .fresh-install breadcrumb on fresh installs only and
delete stale breadcrumbs on upgrade; none of them writes login items or
registry Run keys. Windows NSIS detects upgrades via the uninstall
registry entry or an existing installed executable; the macOS pkg via the
previous pkgutil receipt; Linux deb/rpm via the standard postinstall
arguments. Post-update GUI relaunches (macOS open, Linux
ui-post-install.sh) pass --post-update so the first-run autostart default
cannot fire on updates.

client/ui/build/windows/nsis/project.nsi

@@ -75,6 +75,8 @@ OutFile "..\..\..\bin\${INFO_PROJECTNAME}-${ARCH}-installer.exe" # Name of the i
 InstallDir "$PROGRAMFILES64\${INFO_COMPANYNAME}\${INFO_PRODUCTNAME}" # Default installing folder ($PROGRAMFILES is Program Files folder).
 ShowInstDetails show # This will always show the installation details.
 
+Var FreshInstall
+
 Function .onInit
    !insertmacro wails.checkArchitecture
 FunctionEnd
@@ -84,16 +86,38 @@ Section
 
     !insertmacro wails.webview2runtime
 
+    # Fresh-vs-upgrade detection must run before any file is written. An
+    # existing uninstall registry entry or an already-installed executable
+    # means upgrade; only a true fresh install gets the breadcrumb the GUI
+    # uses to enable launch-on-login by default. The installer itself never
+    # writes login items or Run keys.
+    StrCpy $FreshInstall "1"
+    ReadRegStr $0 HKLM "${UNINST_KEY}" "UninstallString"
+    StrCmp $0 "" +2 0
+        StrCpy $FreshInstall "0"
+    IfFileExists "$INSTDIR\${PRODUCT_EXECUTABLE}" 0 +2
+        StrCpy $FreshInstall "0"
+
     SetOutPath $INSTDIR
-    
+
     !insertmacro wails.files
 
+    # On upgrade, delete any stale breadcrumb (covers a fresh install where
+    # the GUI never launched before the first update).
+    StrCmp $FreshInstall "1" 0 removeBreadcrumb
+        FileOpen $0 "$INSTDIR\.fresh-install" w
+        FileClose $0
+        Goto breadcrumbDone
+    removeBreadcrumb:
+        Delete "$INSTDIR\.fresh-install"
+    breadcrumbDone:
+
     CreateShortcut "$SMPROGRAMS\${INFO_PRODUCTNAME}.lnk" "$INSTDIR\${PRODUCT_EXECUTABLE}"
     CreateShortCut "$DESKTOP\${INFO_PRODUCTNAME}.lnk" "$INSTDIR\${PRODUCT_EXECUTABLE}"
 
     !insertmacro wails.associateFiles
     !insertmacro wails.associateCustomProtocols
-    
+
     !insertmacro wails.writeUninstaller
 SectionEnd
 

release_files/darwin_pkg/postinstall

@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ set -x
 APP=/Applications/NetBird.app
 AGENT=/usr/local/bin/netbird
 LOG_FILE=/var/log/netbird/client_post_install.log
+FRESH_INSTALL_MARKER_DIR="/Library/Application Support/NetBird"
+FRESH_INSTALL_MARKER="$FRESH_INSTALL_MARKER_DIR/.fresh-install"
 
 mkdir -p /var/log/netbird/
 mkdir -p /usr/local/bin/
@@ -12,6 +14,25 @@ mkdir -p /usr/local/bin/
 {
     echo "Installing NetBird..."
 
+    # Fresh-vs-upgrade detection: the pkg receipt of a previous install is
+    # still present while this script runs, so a receipt means upgrade. Only
+    # a true fresh install gets the breadcrumb the GUI uses to enable
+    # launch-on-login by default; the installer itself never writes login
+    # items. On upgrade any stale breadcrumb is removed (covers a fresh
+    # install where the GUI never launched before the first update).
+    IS_UPGRADE="false"
+    if [ -n "${INSTALL_PKG_SESSION_ID:-}" ] && pkgutil --pkg-info "${INSTALL_PKG_SESSION_ID}" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+        IS_UPGRADE="true"
+    fi
+    if [ "$IS_UPGRADE" = "true" ]; then
+        echo "Upgrade detected (receipt for ${INSTALL_PKG_SESSION_ID} present), removing stale fresh-install marker."
+        rm -f "$FRESH_INSTALL_MARKER"
+    else
+        echo "Fresh install detected, writing fresh-install marker."
+        mkdir -p "$FRESH_INSTALL_MARKER_DIR"
+        touch "$FRESH_INSTALL_MARKER"
+    fi
+
     if test -d $APP; then
         echo "NetBird app copied successfully."
     else
@@ -30,7 +51,14 @@ mkdir -p /usr/local/bin/
     $AGENT service install || true
     $AGENT service start || true
 
-    open $APP
+    # On upgrade the GUI relaunch carries --post-update so its first-run
+    # autostart default cannot fire (belt-and-suspenders on top of the
+    # absent breadcrumb).
+    if [ "$IS_UPGRADE" = "true" ]; then
+        open $APP --args --post-update
+    else
+        open $APP
+    fi
 
     echo "Finished Netbird installation successfully"
     exit 0 # all good

release_files/ui-post-install.sh

@@ -3,8 +3,40 @@
 set -e
 set -u
 
-# Check if netbird-ui is running
+FRESH_INSTALL_MARKER_DIR="/var/lib/netbird"
-pid="$(pgrep -x -f /usr/bin/netbird-ui || true)"
+FRESH_INSTALL_MARKER="$FRESH_INSTALL_MARKER_DIR/.fresh-install"
+
+# Fresh-vs-upgrade detection. rpm passes $1=1 on install and $1>=2 on
+# upgrade; deb passes $1=configure with $2 empty on install and set to the
+# previous version on upgrade. Anything unrecognized is treated as an
+# upgrade so the breadcrumb is never written spuriously.
+action="upgrade"
+case "${1:-}" in
+  "1")
+    action="install"
+    ;;
+  "configure")
+    if [ -z "${2:-}" ]; then
+      action="install"
+    fi
+    ;;
+esac
+
+# Only a true fresh install gets the breadcrumb the GUI uses to enable
+# launch-on-login by default; the installer itself never writes autostart
+# entries. On upgrade any stale breadcrumb is removed (covers a fresh
+# install where the GUI never launched before the first update).
+if [ "$action" = "install" ]; then
+  mkdir -p "$FRESH_INSTALL_MARKER_DIR"
+  touch "$FRESH_INSTALL_MARKER"
+else
+  rm -f "$FRESH_INSTALL_MARKER"
+fi
+
+# Check if netbird-ui is running. The pattern also matches an instance
+# started with arguments (e.g. a previous --post-update relaunch), which the
+# old exact-match -x pattern would miss.
+pid="$(pgrep -f '^/usr/bin/netbird-ui( |$)' | head -n 1 || true)"
 if [ -n "${pid}" ]
 then
   uid="$(cat /proc/"${pid}"/loginuid)"
@@ -13,7 +45,8 @@ then
     uid="$(stat -c '%u' /proc/"${pid}")"
   fi
   username="$(id -nu "${uid}")"
-  # Only re-run if it was already running
+  # Only re-run if it was already running. The relaunch carries
-  pkill -x -f /usr/bin/netbird-ui >/dev/null 2>&1
+  # --post-update so the GUI's first-run autostart default cannot fire.
-  su - "${username}" -c 'nohup /usr/bin/netbird-ui > /dev/null 2>&1 &'
+  pkill -f '^/usr/bin/netbird-ui( |$)' >/dev/null 2>&1 || true
+  su - "${username}" -c 'nohup /usr/bin/netbird-ui --post-update > /dev/null 2>&1 &'
 fi