Let’s talk about something small, but mighty useful — an updatable wrapper script for your AppImage.

If you’ve ever downloaded a new version of an AppImage and then had to change your shortcuts, launchers, or muscle memory because the filename changed (again), this one’s for you. This little script keeps your life tidy, predictable, and just works.

Here’s the idea: you store all your AppImage versions in one directory, and then use a wrapper script that always runs the latest one — no renaming needed.

Here’s the magic:

#!/bin/bash

# Path to your AppImages directory
APPIMAGE_DIR="$HOME/Applications"

# Find the newest matching AppImage (e.g., all VSCode AppImages)
LATEST_APPIMAGE=$(ls -t "$APPIMAGE_DIR"/YourApp*.AppImage | head -1)

# Execute it with all passed arguments
"$LATEST_APPIMAGE" "$@"

This script:

  • Keeps all your AppImage versions in one place
  • Always launches the most recent one (based on the filename’s modified time)
  • Passes through any command-line arguments, just like the real thing

To make it seamless, save the script in somewhere like your $HOME/.local/bin/ directory and give it a name you’ll remember — maybe the name of the app itself:

chmod +x $HOME/.local/bin/your-command-name

I use the location above, so I wouldn't have to use sudo to save it to a location like /usr/local/bin/your-command-name, which would be the norm.

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Now, whenever you download a new version, just drop it into your ~/Applications directory, make sure it’s executable:

chmod +x /path/to/your/AppImage

...and that’s it. No edits to the script, no broken launchers, no extra steps.

Small change. Big convenience.