Updating (OTA)
Leaf can update itself over the air (OTA): it checks GitHub for new releases, downloads and verifies them, and hands off to the device’s installer, all from inside the launcher. You don’t need to swap SD cards or touch a PC.
Before you start
Section titled “Before you start”- Connect to Wi-Fi. Open Settings → Network and join a network. Updates download over the internet.
- Charge up. Make sure the battery is reasonably charged; the device reboots to install.
Update from the launcher
Section titled “Update from the launcher”- Press the Menu button and choose System Update from the System menu.
- Leaf checks the Leaf releases feed and tells you whether a newer version is available.
- If there is one, choose to download it. Leaf fetches the release over a secure (HTTPS) connection and verifies its SHA-256 checksum before doing anything with it.
- Choose to install. Leaf stages the update and reboots into the device’s installer to apply it, then reboots back into the new version.
- After it comes back up, you can confirm the running version under Menu → About.
No account or credentials are required; updates use the public releases feed.
Manual update (from an SD card)
Section titled “Manual update (from an SD card)”If you would rather not update over Wi-Fi, or you are moving between dev builds, you can update the same way you install:
- Download
leaf-mlp1-sd-<release_id>.zipfrom the latest release. - Extract it to the root of an SD card (not into a subfolder).
- Boot the device with that card inserted. The stock update screen applies it and reboots into the new version.
A manual update is safe to run over an existing install. It refreshes only the
release-managed firmware and never touches your data: your games, saves,
states, and app data live at the card’s root (Roms/, Saves/, States/, and
the .userdata/ and .umrk/ folders) and are left exactly as they were.
How it works (briefly)
Section titled “How it works (briefly)”- Discovery: Leaf reads the public GitHub Releases feed for the Leaf repo and parses the release’s update manifest.
- Verified download: the artifact is downloaded over HTTPS and checked against a published SHA-256 sum. Leaf ships its own trusted-certificate bundle, so secure downloads work even though it’s running on top of stock.
- Install handoff: on the MLP1, Leaf stages the update and reuses the stock installer to apply it on the next boot, the same safe path used for a fresh SD install.
Troubleshooting
Section titled “Troubleshooting”- “Up to date” but you expected a release? Make sure you’re not on a dev/test channel and that the release was actually published.
- Download fails or network error? Re-check Wi-Fi connectivity (Settings → Network) and try again.
- A bad release? You can always reinstall a known-good version from an SD card, or restore stock via Recovery.