CCAI : Cloudron Custom App Installer

[girish]

@timconsidine I left a note at https://forum.cloudron.io/topic/14976/what-s-coming-in-9.1/11 about how we plan to implement this. I don't have a timeline for 9.1 but given the build up all your apps, we are trying to get this out asap!

[timconsidine]

@girish thank you - very helpful - still digesting it.

Hoping to get my final "end of life" changes done today, which can allow CCAI-P to limp on until Cloudron in-platform functionality is tested, then turn the CCAI and CAG websites into digital tombstones.

No need for any rush - always happy for you to take your time to do a proper job (unlike my hashed together PoC).

[LoudLemur]

@timconsidine The gui on your new customappgateway.appx.uk is gorgeous!

[humpty]

deleted my old ccai app and used the new bash thing. I logged in via SSH and typed the command there. It's been going for... 20 mins now? How long is it supposed to take?

Restarted the server and tried the Windows installer instead. It worked perfectly without the https:// part for the cloudron domain link.

@timconsidine new ccai-p is installed now but it won't sync the new library. I entered the token + link in the config and restarted the app. I re-logged in ccai-p as well. No dice.

here's the error log when trying to install an app. hth.

[9:18:21 AM] Repository URL provided: https://git.cloudron.io/timconsidine/cloudron-excalidraw
[9:18:21 AM] Server will auto-detect default branch and construct manifest URL
[9:18:21 AM] Starting installation process...
[9:18:21 AM] Installation started. Streaming logs...
[9:18:21 AM] [2026-02-05 15:11:37] Verifying Cloudron credentials...
[9:18:21 AM] [2026-02-05 15:11:37] Credentials verified successfully
[9:18:21 AM] [2026-02-05 15:18:21] Cleaning up any existing installer directory...
[9:18:21 AM] [2026-02-05 15:18:21] Creating temporary directory for installation files...
[9:18:21 AM] [2026-02-05 15:18:21] Repository URL provided: https://git.cloudron.io/timconsidine/cloudron-excalidraw
[9:18:21 AM] [2026-02-05 15:18:21] Server will auto-detect default branch and construct manifest URL
[9:18:21 AM] [2026-02-05 15:18:21] Trying https://git.cloudron.io/timconsidine/cloudron-excalidraw/-/raw/main/CloudronManifest.json
[9:18:23 AM] [2026-02-05 15:18:21] CloudronManifest.json downloaded successfully
[9:18:23 AM] [2026-02-05 15:18:21] Fetching asset logo.png from https://git.cloudron.io/timconsidine/cloudron-excalidraw/-/raw/main/logo.png
[9:18:23 AM] [2026-02-05 15:18:22] Fetching postInstallMessage file POSTINSTALL.md from https://git.cloudron.io/timconsidine/cloudron-excalidraw/-/raw/main/POSTINSTALL.md
[9:18:23 AM] [2026-02-05 15:18:22] postInstallMessage download failed for POSTINSTALL.md: HTTP 404
[9:18:23 AM] ERROR: Installation failed. Check the logs for details.

[timconsidine]

@humptydumpty sorry about your experience - heavy updates and and changed locations - mid-process of going live - almost done now - you might be running into the ecosystem update process.

I will update you when finished. Hopefully not long now

[timconsidine]

Attempting to be concise, I have completed changes to the CCAI environment.

CCAI

1. original "hosted-as-a-service" ccai.appx.uk is now disabled and now a placeholder to avoid broken forum links
2. new "entry point" is customappgateway.appx.uk

CustomAppGateway

1. previously just an installer for CCAI-P, via browser or binary
2. deliberate web UI change to create distance from old system/concept

3. no more browser-based installations involving submission of creds in a browser
4. only supported deploy route is an installer script using a binary (Mac, Linux, Windows as needed), which cleans up by removing the binary on completion
5. now can install not just CCAI-P but other custom apps
6. custom apps master catalogue now lives in customappgateway
7. recommended to install CCAI-P and then install apps from there to enable updates
8. but there is also an option to install a single custom app from customappgateway, for those who don't want CCAI-P and don't care about updates
9. I re-factored the installer binary to be available for use by others - driven by run-time arguments, no custom app meta-data baked into the installer : see customappgateway.appx.uk Advanced section

CCAI-P

1. CCAI-P now supports updates to installed custom apps ... providing they were installed using the new CCAI-P version (uses local 'installed.json' to know what to check)
2. Master App Catalogue now maintained (only) by me - I will attempt to keep populated & updated, but let me know if something needs adding or changing - happy to do so
3. CCAI-P now supports a Local Catalogue, maintainable by you ! Independence, privacy, experimentation - whatever !

4. CCAI-P app update checking and processing is not fully checked (I haven't got any apps to update and I haven't invested time in faking a test). Let me know if any issues. Will try to do some real or fake testing.

Given Cloudron 9.1 upcoming support for custom apps, I am not planning any further major changes, just fixing any reported issues.

[timconsidine]

@humptydumpty I finished the upgrade !
Apologies again that you got caught up in the middle of it

[humpty]

@timconsidine I can't help with code, but more than happy to help with testing!

• I reinstalled CCAI-P via the Windows.exe installer and that went smoothly.
• I reinstalled Zoneminder via the new CCAI-P and that also went smoothly.
• Attempted to install Excalidraw but that didn't work (I logged out in CCAI, restarted app, and clicked on start-over). Here's the log from the CCAI page.

[12:51:13 PM] Repository URL provided: https://git.cloudron.io/timconsidine/cloudron-excalidraw
[12:51:13 PM] Server will auto-detect default branch and construct manifest URL
[12:51:13 PM] Starting installation process...
[12:51:13 PM] Installation started. Streaming logs...
[12:51:13 PM] [2026-02-05 18:51:14] Cleaning up any existing installer directory...
[12:51:13 PM] [2026-02-05 18:51:14] Creating temporary directory for installation files...
[12:51:13 PM] [2026-02-05 18:51:14] Repository URL provided: https://git.cloudron.io/timconsidine/cloudron-excalidraw
[12:51:13 PM] [2026-02-05 18:51:14] Server will auto-detect default branch and construct manifest URL
[12:51:13 PM] [2026-02-05 18:51:14] Trying https://git.cloudron.io/timconsidine/cloudron-excalidraw/-/raw/main/CloudronManifest.json (Attempt 1/3)
[12:51:13 PM] [2026-02-05 18:51:14] DEBUG: Starting download for https://git.cloudron.io/timconsidine/cloudron-excalidraw/-/raw/main/CloudronManifest.json
[12:51:16 PM] [2026-02-05 18:51:14] CloudronManifest.json downloaded successfully
[12:51:16 PM] [2026-02-05 18:51:14] Fetching asset logo.png from https://git.cloudron.io/timconsidine/cloudron-excalidraw/-/raw/main/logo.png
[12:51:16 PM] [2026-02-05 18:51:14] DEBUG: Starting download for https://git.cloudron.io/timconsidine/cloudron-excalidraw/-/raw/main/logo.png
[12:51:16 PM] [2026-02-05 18:51:14] Fetching postInstallMessage file POSTINSTALL.md from https://git.cloudron.io/timconsidine/cloudron-excalidraw/-/raw/main/POSTINSTALL.md
[12:51:16 PM] [2026-02-05 18:51:14] DEBUG: Starting download for https://git.cloudron.io/timconsidine/cloudron-excalidraw/-/raw/main/POSTINSTALL.md
[12:51:16 PM] [2026-02-05 18:51:14] postInstallMessage download failed for POSTINSTALL.md: HTTP 404
[12:51:16 PM] ERROR: Installation failed: Unknown error

[timconsidine]

@humptydumpty let me try it here ....

[timconsidine]

Fixed the issues reported by @humptydumpty

Going to test installation of every app in catalogue, which will take a little time, feel free to report any issues you find.

[timconsidine]

Pushed couple more fixes, continuing to test installation of every app

[humpty]

I can confirm all reported bugs are fixed! Thanks Tim!

[timconsidine]

Public service announcement to minimise chance of pulling the rug from under @humptydumpty or others again

Testing of all custom apps in catalogue reveal some stubborn issues on a couple of apps. So ...

Breaking changes to refactor CCAI-P and CustomAppGateway - they are going to go down for a short while

Will post here when back up.

[timconsidine]

CustomAppGateway and CCAI-P back in service.

As part of testing installation of all apps in the catalogue, I discovered gremlins (such as what happens if a source repo becomes unavailable or project abandoned, as well some "bound-to-fail-eventually" parsing and other "cleverness").

So I refactored both projects to be simpler and more robust, which needed them to go down.

I probably should do another round of testing all listed apps install correctly. That's on the ToDo list. I think it is all working (ha ha ha, famous last words).

if you already installed CCAI-P, I strongly recommend you reinstall it from customappgateway.appx.uk

Custom apps already installed should not need re-installation.
It's just the installers which have changed.

[DualOSWinWiz]

@timconsidine i would like to thank you for your efforts and contributions. Please try to do windmill https://github.com/windmill-labs/windmill
And Dify

https://github.com/AshleyDelph84/dify-self-host

I spend 2 weekends and still not successful

[timconsidine]

@DualOSWinWiz said in CCAI : Cloudron Custom App Installer:

I spend 2 weekends and still not successful

Well, don't assume I will do better !

Have to finish my VAT return but will look at them afterwards

[crazybrad]

@timconsidine Personally want to thank you for pushing CCAI and moving the development to the point where the Cloudron Team is taking this the next part of journey. In my mind, this makes Cloudron THE platform for hosting custom apps.

[timconsidine]

@crazybrad thank you.
Almost always I am scratching my own itches, but glad to be able to help others in process.

I'm excited to see how Cloudron delivers the functionality, I'm sure it will be more slick than mine.

And I don't think they have ever been 'opposed' to it (it's been in cloudron CLI for yonks), it's just there's always been something more important / higher up on the list. A familiar dilemma.

Even though my project's lifetime will turn out to have short-lived usefulness, it's been a fun project.

[robi]

@timconsidine not sure why it needs to be retired so soon. It can still work as is for many moons.

Perhaps monitoring access would be a better metric for when it becomes obsolete and unused.

[timconsidine]

@robi you're right, and I am not rushing to remove it. Hopefully it is robust enough for a while.

I didn't put any metrics in it, so will have to guess, but maybe I will add some basic traffic analysis on CustomAppGateway .