diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 560189d..33b4c8c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ A desktop app for running Large Language Models locally. <!-- markdownlint-disab
 - **Smart process management** - Prevents runaway background processes and system resource waste
 - **Optimized performance** - Automatically unpacks binaries for faster operation and reduced memory usage
 - **Image generation support** - Built-in presets for Flux and Chroma image generation workflows
-- **Adaptive theming** - Light, dark, and system theme modes that automatically follow your OS preferences
+- **SillyTavern integration** - Seamlessly launch SillyTavern for advanced character interactions (requires [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/))
 - **Privacy-focused** - Everything runs locally on your machine, no data sent to external servers
 
 ## Installation
diff --git a/src/components/AppHeader.tsx b/src/components/AppHeader.tsx
index 93ffe1f..0869384 100644
--- a/src/components/AppHeader.tsx
+++ b/src/components/AppHeader.tsx
@@ -10,8 +10,9 @@ import {
   Image,
   Tooltip,
 } from '@mantine/core';
-import { Settings, ArrowLeft } from 'lucide-react';
+import { Settings, ArrowLeft, CircleFadingArrowUp } from 'lucide-react';
 import { soundAssets, playSound, initializeAudio } from '@/utils/sounds';
+import { useAppUpdateChecker } from '@/hooks/useAppUpdateChecker';
 import iconUrl from '/icon.png';
 import { FRONTENDS } from '@/constants';
 import type { InterfaceTab, FrontendPreference, Screen } from '@/types';
@@ -38,6 +39,7 @@ export const AppHeader = ({
   const [logoClickCount, setLogoClickCount] = useState(0);
   const [isElephantMode, setIsElephantMode] = useState(false);
   const [isMouseSqueaking, setIsMouseSqueaking] = useState(false);
+  const { hasUpdate, openReleasePage } = useAppUpdateChecker();
 
   const handleLogoClick = async () => {
     await initializeAudio();
@@ -148,8 +150,25 @@ export const AppHeader = ({
             minWidth: '6.25rem',
             display: 'flex',
             justifyContent: 'flex-end',
+            gap: '0.5rem',
+            alignItems: 'center',
           }}
         >
+          {hasUpdate && (
+            <Tooltip label="New release available" position="bottom">
+              <ActionIcon
+                variant="light"
+                color="orange"
+                size="xl"
+                onClick={openReleasePage}
+                aria-label="New release available"
+              >
+                <CircleFadingArrowUp
+                  style={{ width: rem(20), height: rem(20) }}
+                />
+              </ActionIcon>
+            </Tooltip>
+          )}
           <Tooltip label="Settings" position="bottom">
             <ActionIcon
               variant="subtle"
diff --git a/src/components/screens/Launch/index.tsx b/src/components/screens/Launch/index.tsx
index f9ccffd..090294b 100644
--- a/src/components/screens/Launch/index.tsx
+++ b/src/components/screens/Launch/index.tsx
@@ -163,6 +163,7 @@ export const LaunchScreen = ({
   };
 
   const buildConfigData = () => ({
+    autoGpuLayers: autoGpuLayers,
     gpulayers: gpuLayers,
     contextsize: contextSize,
     model: modelPath,
diff --git a/src/components/settings/VersionsTab.tsx b/src/components/settings/VersionsTab.tsx
index e37c0d9..5e9883b 100644
--- a/src/components/settings/VersionsTab.tsx
+++ b/src/components/settings/VersionsTab.tsx
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ export const VersionsTab = () => {
     downloadProgress,
     loadRemoteVersions,
     handleDownload: sharedHandleDownload,
+    getLatestReleaseWithDownloadStatus,
   } = useKoboldVersions();
 
   const [installedVersions, setInstalledVersions] = useState<
@@ -104,8 +105,7 @@ export const VersionsTab = () => {
 
   const loadLatestRelease = useCallback(async () => {
     try {
-      const release =
-        await window.electronAPI.kobold.getLatestReleaseWithStatus();
+      const release = await getLatestReleaseWithDownloadStatus();
       setLatestRelease(release);
     } catch (error) {
       window.electronAPI.logs.logError(
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ export const VersionsTab = () => {
         error as Error
       );
     }
-  }, []);
+  }, [getLatestReleaseWithDownloadStatus]);
 
   useEffect(() => {
     loadInstalledVersions();
diff --git a/src/hooks/useAppUpdateChecker.ts b/src/hooks/useAppUpdateChecker.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0b81760
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/hooks/useAppUpdateChecker.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+import { useState, useCallback, useEffect } from 'react';
+import { compareVersions } from '@/utils/downloadUtils';
+import { GITHUB_API } from '@/constants';
+
+interface AppUpdateInfo {
+  currentVersion: string;
+  latestVersion: string;
+  releaseUrl: string;
+  hasUpdate: boolean;
+}
+
+export const useAppUpdateChecker = () => {
+  const [updateInfo, setUpdateInfo] = useState<AppUpdateInfo | null>(null);
+  const [isChecking, setIsChecking] = useState(false);
+  const [lastChecked, setLastChecked] = useState<Date | null>(null);
+
+  const checkForAppUpdates = useCallback(async () => {
+    setIsChecking(true);
+
+    try {
+      const currentVersion = await window.electronAPI.app.getVersion();
+
+      const response = await fetch(
+        `${GITHUB_API.BASE_URL}/repos/${GITHUB_API.FRIENDLY_KOBOLD_REPO}/releases/latest`
+      );
+
+      if (!response.ok) {
+        throw new Error('Failed to fetch latest release');
+      }
+
+      const release = await response.json();
+      const latestVersion = release.tag_name?.replace(/^v/, '') || '';
+
+      if (!latestVersion) {
+        throw new Error('Invalid release data');
+      }
+
+      const hasUpdate = compareVersions(latestVersion, currentVersion) > 0;
+
+      const updateInfo: AppUpdateInfo = {
+        currentVersion,
+        latestVersion,
+        releaseUrl: release.html_url,
+        hasUpdate,
+      };
+
+      setUpdateInfo(updateInfo);
+      setLastChecked(new Date());
+
+      return updateInfo;
+    } catch (error) {
+      window.electronAPI.logs.logError(
+        'Failed to check for app updates:',
+        error as Error
+      );
+      return null;
+    } finally {
+      setIsChecking(false);
+    }
+  }, []);
+
+  const openReleasePage = useCallback(() => {
+    if (updateInfo?.releaseUrl) {
+      window.electronAPI.app.openExternal(updateInfo.releaseUrl);
+    }
+  }, [updateInfo]);
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    checkForAppUpdates();
+  }, [checkForAppUpdates]);
+
+  return {
+    updateInfo,
+    isChecking,
+    lastChecked,
+    checkForAppUpdates,
+    openReleasePage,
+    hasUpdate: updateInfo?.hasUpdate || false,
+  };
+};
diff --git a/src/hooks/useKoboldVersions.ts b/src/hooks/useKoboldVersions.ts
index 8a29f71..05b62aa 100644
--- a/src/hooks/useKoboldVersions.ts
+++ b/src/hooks/useKoboldVersions.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,13 @@
 import { useState, useEffect, useCallback } from 'react';
-import type { DownloadItem } from '@/types/electron';
+import { GITHUB_API, ROCM } from '@/constants';
+import { filterAssetsByPlatform } from '@/utils/platform';
+import type {
+  DownloadItem,
+  GitHubRelease,
+  ReleaseWithStatus,
+  GitHubAsset,
+  InstalledVersion,
+} from '@/types/electron';
 
 interface PlatformInfo {
   platform: string;
@@ -7,6 +15,164 @@ interface PlatformInfo {
   hasROCm: boolean;
 }
 
+interface CachedReleaseData {
+  releases: DownloadItem[];
+  timestamp: number;
+}
+
+const CACHE_KEY = 'kobold-releases-cache';
+const CACHE_DURATION = 60000;
+
+const loadFromCache = (): CachedReleaseData | null => {
+  try {
+    const cached = localStorage.getItem(CACHE_KEY);
+    if (!cached) return null;
+
+    const data: CachedReleaseData = JSON.parse(cached);
+    const isExpired = Date.now() - data.timestamp > CACHE_DURATION;
+
+    return isExpired ? null : data;
+  } catch {
+    return null;
+  }
+};
+
+const saveToCache = (releases: DownloadItem[]) => {
+  try {
+    const data: CachedReleaseData = {
+      releases,
+      timestamp: Date.now(),
+    };
+    localStorage.setItem(CACHE_KEY, JSON.stringify(data));
+  } catch (error) {
+    window.electronAPI.logs.logError(
+      'Failed to save releases to cache',
+      error as Error
+    );
+  }
+};
+
+const transformReleaseToDownloadItems = (
+  release: GitHubRelease,
+  platform: string
+): DownloadItem[] => {
+  const version = release.tag_name?.replace(/^v/, '') || 'unknown';
+  const platformAssets = filterAssetsByPlatform(release.assets, platform);
+
+  return platformAssets.map((asset) => ({
+    name: asset.name,
+    url: asset.browser_download_url,
+    size: asset.size,
+    version,
+    type: 'asset' as const,
+  }));
+};
+
+const fetchLatestReleaseFromAPI = async (
+  platform: string
+): Promise<DownloadItem[]> => {
+  const response = await fetch(GITHUB_API.LATEST_RELEASE_URL);
+
+  if (!response.ok) {
+    if (response.status === 403) {
+      throw new Error('GitHub API rate limit reached');
+    }
+    throw new Error(`HTTP error! status: ${response.status}`);
+  }
+
+  const release: GitHubRelease = await response.json();
+  return transformReleaseToDownloadItems(release, platform);
+};
+
+const getROCmDownload = async (
+  platform: string
+): Promise<DownloadItem | null> => {
+  if (platform !== 'linux') {
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  try {
+    const response = await fetch(GITHUB_API.LATEST_RELEASE_URL);
+    if (!response.ok) {
+      throw new Error(`HTTP error! status: ${response.status}`);
+    }
+
+    const latestRelease = await response.json();
+    const version = latestRelease?.tag_name?.replace(/^v/, '') || 'unknown';
+
+    return {
+      name: ROCM.BINARY_NAME,
+      url: ROCM.DOWNLOAD_URL,
+      size: ROCM.SIZE_BYTES_APPROX,
+      version,
+      type: 'rocm',
+    };
+  } catch (error) {
+    window.electronAPI.logs.logError(
+      'Failed to fetch ROCm version info:',
+      error as Error
+    );
+    return {
+      name: ROCM.BINARY_NAME,
+      url: ROCM.DOWNLOAD_URL,
+      size: ROCM.SIZE_BYTES_APPROX,
+      version: 'unknown',
+      type: 'rocm',
+    };
+  }
+};
+
+const getLatestReleaseWithDownloadStatus =
+  async (): Promise<ReleaseWithStatus | null> => {
+    try {
+      const response = await fetch(GITHUB_API.LATEST_RELEASE_URL);
+      if (!response.ok) return null;
+
+      const latestRelease = await response.json();
+      if (!latestRelease) return null;
+
+      const installedVersions =
+        await window.electronAPI.kobold.getInstalledVersions();
+
+      const availableAssets = latestRelease.assets.map((asset: GitHubAsset) => {
+        const installedVersion = installedVersions.find(
+          (v: InstalledVersion) => {
+            const pathParts = v.path.split(/[/\\]/);
+            const launcherIndex = pathParts.findIndex(
+              (part) =>
+                part === 'koboldcpp-launcher' ||
+                part === 'koboldcpp-launcher.exe'
+            );
+
+            if (launcherIndex > 0) {
+              const directoryName = pathParts[launcherIndex - 1];
+              return directoryName === asset.name;
+            }
+
+            return false;
+          }
+        );
+
+        return {
+          asset,
+          isDownloaded: !!installedVersion,
+          installedVersion: installedVersion?.version,
+        };
+      });
+
+      return {
+        release: latestRelease,
+        availableAssets,
+      };
+    } catch (error) {
+      window.electronAPI.logs.logError(
+        'Failed to fetch latest release with status:',
+        error as Error
+      );
+      return null;
+    }
+  };
+
 interface UseKoboldVersionsReturn {
   platformInfo: PlatformInfo;
   availableDownloads: DownloadItem[];
@@ -15,6 +181,7 @@ interface UseKoboldVersionsReturn {
   downloading: string | null;
   downloadProgress: Record<string, number>;
   loadRemoteVersions: () => Promise<void>;
+  refresh: () => Promise<void>;
   handleDownload: (
     type: 'asset' | 'rocm',
     item?: DownloadItem,
@@ -27,6 +194,8 @@ interface UseKoboldVersionsReturn {
       | Record<string, number>
       | ((prev: Record<string, number>) => Record<string, number>)
   ) => void;
+  getROCmDownload: (platform?: string) => Promise<DownloadItem | null>;
+  getLatestReleaseWithDownloadStatus: () => Promise<ReleaseWithStatus | null>;
 }
 
 export const useKoboldVersions = (): UseKoboldVersionsReturn => {
@@ -93,11 +262,25 @@ export const useKoboldVersions = (): UseKoboldVersionsReturn => {
     setLoadingRemote(true);
 
     try {
+      const cached = loadFromCache();
+      if (cached) {
+        const rocm = await getROCmDownload(platformInfo.platform);
+        const allDownloads: DownloadItem[] = [...cached.releases];
+        if (rocm) {
+          allDownloads.push(rocm);
+        }
+        setAvailableDownloads(allDownloads);
+        setLoadingRemote(false);
+        return;
+      }
+
       const [releases, rocm] = await Promise.all([
-        window.electronAPI.kobold.getLatestRelease(),
-        window.electronAPI.kobold.getROCmDownload(),
+        fetchLatestReleaseFromAPI(platformInfo.platform),
+        getROCmDownload(platformInfo.platform),
       ]);
 
+      saveToCache(releases);
+
       const allDownloads: DownloadItem[] = [...releases];
       if (rocm) {
         allDownloads.push(rocm);
@@ -109,6 +292,18 @@ export const useKoboldVersions = (): UseKoboldVersionsReturn => {
         'Failed to load remote versions:',
         error as Error
       );
+
+      const cached = loadFromCache();
+      if (cached) {
+        const rocm = await getROCmDownload(platformInfo.platform).catch(
+          () => null
+        );
+        const allDownloads: DownloadItem[] = [...cached.releases];
+        if (rocm) {
+          allDownloads.push(rocm);
+        }
+        setAvailableDownloads(allDownloads);
+      }
     } finally {
       setLoadingRemote(false);
     }
@@ -160,6 +355,11 @@ export const useKoboldVersions = (): UseKoboldVersionsReturn => {
     []
   );
 
+  const refresh = useCallback(async () => {
+    localStorage.removeItem(CACHE_KEY);
+    await loadRemoteVersions();
+  }, [loadRemoteVersions]);
+
   useEffect(() => {
     loadPlatformInfo();
   }, [loadPlatformInfo]);
@@ -195,8 +395,12 @@ export const useKoboldVersions = (): UseKoboldVersionsReturn => {
     downloading,
     downloadProgress,
     loadRemoteVersions,
+    refresh,
     handleDownload,
     setDownloading,
     setDownloadProgress,
+    getROCmDownload: (platform?: string) =>
+      getROCmDownload(platform || platformInfo.platform),
+    getLatestReleaseWithDownloadStatus,
   };
 };
diff --git a/src/hooks/useUpdateChecker.ts b/src/hooks/useUpdateChecker.ts
index 01caf82..bd9617b 100644
--- a/src/hooks/useUpdateChecker.ts
+++ b/src/hooks/useUpdateChecker.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { useState, useCallback, useEffect } from 'react';
 import { getDisplayNameFromPath } from '@/utils/versionUtils';
 import { compareVersions } from '@/utils/downloadUtils';
+import { useKoboldVersions } from '@/hooks/useKoboldVersions';
 import type { InstalledVersion, DownloadItem } from '@/types/electron';
 
 interface UpdateInfo {
@@ -17,6 +18,8 @@ export const useUpdateChecker = () => {
   );
   const [dismissedUpdatesLoaded, setDismissedUpdatesLoaded] = useState(false);
 
+  const { availableDownloads: releases, getROCmDownload } = useKoboldVersions();
+
   useEffect(() => {
     const loadDismissedUpdates = async () => {
       try {
@@ -54,28 +57,26 @@ export const useUpdateChecker = () => {
   }, []);
 
   const checkForUpdates = useCallback(async () => {
-    if (!dismissedUpdatesLoaded) {
+    if (!dismissedUpdatesLoaded || releases.length === 0) {
       return;
     }
 
     setIsChecking(true);
 
     try {
-      const [currentBinaryPath, installedVersions, releases, rocm] =
+      const [currentBinaryPath, installedVersionsResult, rocmDownload] =
         await Promise.all([
           window.electronAPI.config.get(
             'currentKoboldBinary'
           ) as Promise<string>,
           window.electronAPI.kobold.getInstalledVersions(),
-          window.electronAPI.kobold.getLatestRelease(),
-          window.electronAPI.kobold.getROCmDownload(),
+          getROCmDownload(),
         ]);
-
-      if (!currentBinaryPath || installedVersions.length === 0) {
+      if (!currentBinaryPath || installedVersionsResult.length === 0) {
         return;
       }
 
-      const currentVersion = installedVersions.find(
+      const currentVersion = installedVersionsResult.find(
         (v: InstalledVersion) => v.path === currentBinaryPath
       );
       if (!currentVersion) {
@@ -83,8 +84,8 @@ export const useUpdateChecker = () => {
       }
 
       const availableDownloads: DownloadItem[] = [...releases];
-      if (rocm) {
-        availableDownloads.push(rocm);
+      if (rocmDownload) {
+        availableDownloads.push(rocmDownload);
       }
 
       const currentDisplayName = getDisplayNameFromPath(currentVersion);
@@ -122,7 +123,7 @@ export const useUpdateChecker = () => {
     } finally {
       setIsChecking(false);
     }
-  }, [dismissedUpdates, dismissedUpdatesLoaded]);
+  }, [dismissedUpdates, dismissedUpdatesLoaded, releases, getROCmDownload]);
 
   const dismissUpdate = useCallback(async () => {
     if (updateInfo) {
diff --git a/src/main/gui.ts b/src/main/gui.ts
index fdcab44..8094a62 100644
--- a/src/main/gui.ts
+++ b/src/main/gui.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ import { ConfigManager } from '@/main/managers/ConfigManager';
 import { LogManager } from '@/main/managers/LogManager';
 import { KoboldCppManager } from '@/main/managers/KoboldCppManager';
 import { SillyTavernManager } from '@/main/managers/SillyTavernManager';
-import { GitHubService } from '@/main/services/GitHubService';
 import { HardwareService } from '@/main/services/HardwareService';
 import { BinaryService } from '@/main/services/BinaryService';
 import { IPCHandlers } from '@/main/ipc';
@@ -16,11 +15,10 @@ import { homedir } from 'os';
 
 export class FriendlyKoboldApp {
   private windowManager: WindowManager;
+  private koboldManager: KoboldCppManager;
   private configManager: ConfigManager;
   private logManager: LogManager;
-  private koboldManager: KoboldCppManager;
   private sillyTavernManager: SillyTavernManager;
-  private githubService: GitHubService;
   private hardwareService: HardwareService;
   private binaryService: BinaryService;
   private ipcHandlers: IPCHandlers;
@@ -35,12 +33,10 @@ export class FriendlyKoboldApp {
     );
     this.ensureInstallDirectory();
     this.windowManager = new WindowManager();
-    this.githubService = new GitHubService(this.logManager);
     this.hardwareService = new HardwareService(this.logManager);
 
     this.koboldManager = new KoboldCppManager(
       this.configManager,
-      this.githubService,
       this.windowManager,
       this.logManager
     );
@@ -59,7 +55,6 @@ export class FriendlyKoboldApp {
     this.ipcHandlers = new IPCHandlers(
       this.koboldManager,
       this.configManager,
-      this.githubService,
       this.hardwareService,
       this.binaryService,
       this.logManager,
diff --git a/src/main/ipc.ts b/src/main/ipc.ts
index f54a1b0..0fd3000 100644
--- a/src/main/ipc.ts
+++ b/src/main/ipc.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,8 @@
 import { ipcMain, shell, app } from 'electron';
-import { KoboldCppManager } from '@/main/managers/KoboldCppManager';
-import { ConfigManager } from '@/main/managers/ConfigManager';
-import { LogManager } from '@/main/managers/LogManager';
-import { SillyTavernManager } from '@/main/managers/SillyTavernManager';
-import { GitHubService } from '@/main/services/GitHubService';
+import type { KoboldCppManager } from '@/main/managers/KoboldCppManager';
+import type { ConfigManager } from '@/main/managers/ConfigManager';
+import type { LogManager } from '@/main/managers/LogManager';
+import type { SillyTavernManager } from '@/main/managers/SillyTavernManager';
 import { HardwareService } from '@/main/services/HardwareService';
 import { BinaryService } from '@/main/services/BinaryService';
 import type { FrontendPreference } from '@/types';
@@ -13,14 +12,12 @@ export class IPCHandlers {
   private configManager: ConfigManager;
   private logManager: LogManager;
   private sillyTavernManager: SillyTavernManager;
-  private githubService: GitHubService;
   private hardwareService: HardwareService;
   private binaryService: BinaryService;
 
   constructor(
     koboldManager: KoboldCppManager,
     configManager: ConfigManager,
-    githubService: GitHubService,
     hardwareService: HardwareService,
     binaryService: BinaryService,
     logManager: LogManager,
@@ -30,7 +27,6 @@ export class IPCHandlers {
     this.configManager = configManager;
     this.logManager = logManager;
     this.sillyTavernManager = sillyTavernManager;
-    this.githubService = githubService;
     this.hardwareService = hardwareService;
     this.binaryService = binaryService;
   }
@@ -74,15 +70,6 @@ export class IPCHandlers {
   }
 
   setupHandlers() {
-    ipcMain.handle('kobold:getLatestRelease', () =>
-      this.githubService.getLatestRelease()
-    );
-
-    ipcMain.handle('kobold:checkForUpdates', async () => {
-      const latest = await this.githubService.getRawLatestRelease();
-      return latest;
-    });
-
     ipcMain.handle('kobold:downloadRelease', async (_event, asset) => {
       try {
         const mainWindow = this.koboldManager
@@ -126,14 +113,6 @@ export class IPCHandlers {
       this.configManager.setSelectedConfig(configName)
     );
 
-    ipcMain.handle('kobold:getCurrentVersion', () =>
-      this.koboldManager.getCurrentVersion()
-    );
-
-    ipcMain.handle('kobold:getCurrentBinaryInfo', () =>
-      this.koboldManager.getCurrentBinaryInfo()
-    );
-
     ipcMain.handle('kobold:setCurrentVersion', (_event, version) =>
       this.koboldManager.setCurrentVersion(version)
     );
@@ -162,10 +141,6 @@ export class IPCHandlers {
       this.hardwareService.detectROCm()
     );
 
-    ipcMain.handle('kobold:detectAllCapabilities', () =>
-      this.hardwareService.detectAllWithCapabilities()
-    );
-
     ipcMain.handle('kobold:detectBackendSupport', () =>
       this.binaryService.detectBackendSupport()
     );
@@ -181,10 +156,6 @@ export class IPCHandlers {
       arch: process.arch,
     }));
 
-    ipcMain.handle('kobold:getROCmDownload', () =>
-      this.koboldManager.getROCmDownload()
-    );
-
     ipcMain.handle('kobold:downloadROCm', async () => {
       try {
         const mainWindow = this.koboldManager
@@ -201,18 +172,6 @@ export class IPCHandlers {
       }
     });
 
-    ipcMain.handle('kobold:getInstalledVersion', () =>
-      this.koboldManager.getInstalledVersion()
-    );
-
-    ipcMain.handle('kobold:getVersionFromBinary', (_event, binaryPath) =>
-      this.koboldManager.getVersionFromBinary(binaryPath)
-    );
-
-    ipcMain.handle('kobold:getLatestReleaseWithStatus', () =>
-      this.koboldManager.getLatestReleaseWithDownloadStatus()
-    );
-
     ipcMain.handle('kobold:launchKoboldCpp', (_event, args) =>
       this.launchKoboldCppWithCustomFrontends(args)
     );
diff --git a/src/main/managers/KoboldCppManager.ts b/src/main/managers/KoboldCppManager.ts
index 85290a9..b5623e4 100644
--- a/src/main/managers/KoboldCppManager.ts
+++ b/src/main/managers/KoboldCppManager.ts
@@ -16,19 +16,16 @@ import { dialog } from 'electron';
 import { execa } from 'execa';
 import { got } from 'got';
 import { pipeline } from 'stream/promises';
-import { GitHubService } from '@/main/services/GitHubService';
 import { ConfigManager } from '@/main/managers/ConfigManager';
 import { LogManager } from '@/main/managers/LogManager';
 import { WindowManager } from '@/main/managers/WindowManager';
-import { ROCM, PRODUCT_NAME } from '@/constants';
+import { ROCM, PRODUCT_NAME, GITHUB_API } from '@/constants';
 import { stripAssetExtensions } from '@/utils/versionUtils';
-import { compareVersions } from '@/utils/downloadUtils';
 import type {
   DownloadItem,
   GitHubAsset,
-  UpdateInfo,
-  ReleaseWithStatus,
   InstalledVersion,
+  KoboldConfig,
 } from '@/types/electron';
 
 export class KoboldCppManager {
@@ -36,18 +33,15 @@ export class KoboldCppManager {
   private koboldProcess: ChildProcess | null = null;
   private configManager: ConfigManager;
   private logManager: LogManager;
-  private githubService: GitHubService;
   private windowManager: WindowManager;
 
   constructor(
     configManager: ConfigManager,
-    githubService: GitHubService,
     windowManager: WindowManager,
     logManager: LogManager
   ) {
     this.configManager = configManager;
     this.logManager = logManager;
-    this.githubService = githubService;
     this.windowManager = windowManager;
     this.installDir = this.configManager.getInstallDir() || '';
   }
@@ -265,12 +259,7 @@ export class KoboldCppManager {
     return configFiles.sort((a, b) => a.name.localeCompare(b.name));
   }
 
-  async parseConfigFile(filePath: string): Promise<{
-    gpulayers?: number;
-    contextsize?: number;
-    model?: string;
-    [key: string]: unknown;
-  } | null> {
+  async parseConfigFile(filePath: string): Promise<KoboldConfig | null> {
     try {
       if (!existsSync(filePath)) {
         return null;
@@ -288,33 +277,7 @@ export class KoboldCppManager {
 
   async saveConfigFile(
     configName: string,
-    configData: {
-      gpulayers?: number;
-      contextsize?: number;
-      model?: string;
-      port?: number;
-      host?: string;
-      multiuser?: number;
-      multiplayer?: boolean;
-      remotetunnel?: boolean;
-      nocertify?: boolean;
-      websearch?: boolean;
-      noshift?: boolean;
-      flashattention?: boolean;
-      noavx2?: boolean;
-      failsafe?: boolean;
-      usemmap?: boolean;
-      usecuda?: boolean;
-      usevulkan?: boolean;
-      useclblast?: [number, number] | boolean;
-      sdmodel?: string;
-      sdt5xxl?: string;
-      sdclipl?: string;
-      sdclipg?: string;
-      sdphotomaker?: string;
-      sdvae?: string;
-      [key: string]: unknown;
-    }
+    configData: KoboldConfig
   ): Promise<boolean> {
     try {
       if (!this.installDir) {
@@ -549,16 +512,35 @@ export class KoboldCppManager {
     const platform = process.platform;
 
     if (platform === 'linux') {
-      const latestRelease = await this.githubService.getRawLatestRelease();
-      const version = latestRelease?.tag_name?.replace(/^v/, '') || 'unknown';
+      try {
+        const response = await fetch(GITHUB_API.LATEST_RELEASE_URL);
+        if (!response.ok) {
+          throw new Error(`HTTP error! status: ${response.status}`);
+        }
 
-      return {
-        name: ROCM.BINARY_NAME,
-        url: ROCM.DOWNLOAD_URL,
-        size: ROCM.SIZE_BYTES_APPROX,
-        version,
-        type: 'rocm',
-      };
+        const latestRelease = await response.json();
+        const version = latestRelease?.tag_name?.replace(/^v/, '') || 'unknown';
+
+        return {
+          name: ROCM.BINARY_NAME,
+          url: ROCM.DOWNLOAD_URL,
+          size: ROCM.SIZE_BYTES_APPROX,
+          version,
+          type: 'rocm',
+        };
+      } catch (error) {
+        this.logManager.logError(
+          'Failed to fetch ROCm version info:',
+          error as Error
+        );
+        return {
+          name: ROCM.BINARY_NAME,
+          url: ROCM.DOWNLOAD_URL,
+          size: ROCM.SIZE_BYTES_APPROX,
+          version: 'unknown',
+          type: 'rocm',
+        };
+      }
     } else if (platform === 'win32') {
       return null;
       // The launcher doesn't exist in unpacked state yet.
@@ -706,73 +688,6 @@ export class KoboldCppManager {
     return currentVersion?.version;
   }
 
-  async checkForUpdates(): Promise<UpdateInfo | null> {
-    try {
-      const currentVersion = await this.getCurrentVersion();
-      if (!currentVersion) {
-        return null;
-      }
-
-      const latestRelease = await this.githubService.getRawLatestRelease();
-      if (!latestRelease) {
-        return null;
-      }
-
-      const latestVersion = latestRelease.tag_name.replace(/^v/, '');
-      const current = currentVersion.version.replace(/^v/, '');
-
-      const hasUpdate = compareVersions(current, latestVersion) < 0;
-
-      return {
-        currentVersion: current,
-        latestVersion,
-        releaseInfo: latestRelease,
-        hasUpdate,
-      };
-    } catch {
-      return null;
-    }
-  }
-
-  async getLatestReleaseWithDownloadStatus(): Promise<ReleaseWithStatus | null> {
-    try {
-      const latestRelease = await this.githubService.getRawLatestRelease();
-      if (!latestRelease) return null;
-
-      const installedVersions = await this.getInstalledVersions();
-
-      const availableAssets = latestRelease.assets.map((asset: GitHubAsset) => {
-        const installedVersion = installedVersions.find((v) => {
-          const pathParts = v.path.split(/[/\\]/);
-          const launcherIndex = pathParts.findIndex(
-            (part) =>
-              part === 'koboldcpp-launcher' || part === 'koboldcpp-launcher.exe'
-          );
-
-          if (launcherIndex > 0) {
-            const directoryName = pathParts[launcherIndex - 1];
-            return directoryName === asset.name;
-          }
-
-          return false;
-        });
-
-        return {
-          asset,
-          isDownloaded: !!installedVersion,
-          installedVersion: installedVersion?.version,
-        };
-      });
-
-      return {
-        release: latestRelease,
-        availableAssets,
-      };
-    } catch {
-      return null;
-    }
-  }
-
   async launchKoboldCpp(
     args: string[] = []
   ): Promise<{ success: boolean; pid?: number; error?: string }> {
diff --git a/src/main/managers/SillyTavernManager.ts b/src/main/managers/SillyTavernManager.ts
index bacd04b..31ac8e3 100644
--- a/src/main/managers/SillyTavernManager.ts
+++ b/src/main/managers/SillyTavernManager.ts
@@ -113,6 +113,13 @@ export class SillyTavernManager {
     }
   }
 
+  private createNpxProcess(args: string[]): ChildProcess {
+    return spawn('npx', args, {
+      stdio: ['pipe', 'pipe', 'pipe'],
+      detached: false,
+    });
+  }
+
   private async ensureSillyTavernSettings(): Promise<void> {
     const settingsPath = this.getSillyTavernSettingsPath();
 
@@ -132,10 +139,7 @@ export class SillyTavernManager {
     );
 
     return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
-      const initProcess = spawn('npx', spawnArgs, {
-        stdio: ['pipe', 'pipe', 'pipe'],
-        detached: false,
-      });
+      const initProcess = this.createNpxProcess(spawnArgs);
 
       let hasResolved = false;
 
@@ -364,10 +368,7 @@ export class SillyTavernManager {
         config.port.toString(),
       ];
 
-      this.sillyTavernProcess = spawn('npx', sillyTavernArgs, {
-        stdio: ['pipe', 'pipe', 'pipe'],
-        detached: false,
-      });
+      this.sillyTavernProcess = this.createNpxProcess(sillyTavernArgs);
 
       if (this.sillyTavernProcess.stdout) {
         this.sillyTavernProcess.stdout.on('data', (data: Buffer) => {
diff --git a/src/main/services/GitHubService.ts b/src/main/services/GitHubService.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 9e4b8bf..0000000
--- a/src/main/services/GitHubService.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,99 +0,0 @@
-import type { GitHubRelease, DownloadItem } from '@/types/electron';
-import { LogManager } from '@/main/managers/LogManager';
-import { GITHUB_API } from '@/constants';
-import { filterAssetsByPlatform } from '@/utils/platform';
-
-export class GitHubService {
-  private lastApiCall = 0;
-  private apiCooldown = 60000;
-  private cachedRelease: GitHubRelease | null = null;
-  private logManager: LogManager;
-
-  constructor(logManager: LogManager) {
-    this.logManager = logManager;
-  }
-
-  async getLatestRelease(): Promise<DownloadItem[]> {
-    const now = Date.now();
-    if (now - this.lastApiCall < this.apiCooldown && this.cachedRelease) {
-      return this.transformReleaseToDownloadItems(this.cachedRelease);
-    }
-
-    try {
-      const response = await fetch(GITHUB_API.LATEST_RELEASE_URL);
-
-      if (!response.ok) {
-        if (response.status === 403) {
-          this.logManager.logError(
-            'GitHub API rate limit reached, using cached data if available'
-          );
-          return this.cachedRelease
-            ? this.transformReleaseToDownloadItems(this.cachedRelease)
-            : [];
-        }
-        throw new Error(`HTTP error! status: ${response.status}`);
-      }
-
-      this.lastApiCall = now;
-      this.cachedRelease = (await response.json()) as GitHubRelease;
-      return this.transformReleaseToDownloadItems(this.cachedRelease);
-    } catch (error) {
-      this.logManager.logError(
-        'Error fetching latest release:',
-        error as Error
-      );
-      return this.cachedRelease
-        ? this.transformReleaseToDownloadItems(this.cachedRelease)
-        : [];
-    }
-  }
-
-  private transformReleaseToDownloadItems(
-    release: GitHubRelease
-  ): DownloadItem[] {
-    const version = release.tag_name?.replace(/^v/, '') || 'unknown';
-    const platformAssets = filterAssetsByPlatform(
-      release.assets,
-      process.platform
-    );
-
-    return platformAssets.map((asset) => ({
-      name: asset.name,
-      url: asset.browser_download_url,
-      size: asset.size,
-      version,
-      type: 'asset' as const,
-    }));
-  }
-
-  async getRawLatestRelease(): Promise<GitHubRelease | null> {
-    const now = Date.now();
-    if (now - this.lastApiCall < this.apiCooldown && this.cachedRelease) {
-      return this.cachedRelease;
-    }
-
-    try {
-      const response = await fetch(GITHUB_API.LATEST_RELEASE_URL);
-
-      if (!response.ok) {
-        if (response.status === 403) {
-          this.logManager.logError(
-            'GitHub API rate limit reached, using cached data if available'
-          );
-          return this.cachedRelease;
-        }
-        throw new Error(`HTTP error! status: ${response.status}`);
-      }
-
-      this.lastApiCall = now;
-      this.cachedRelease = (await response.json()) as GitHubRelease;
-      return this.cachedRelease;
-    } catch (error) {
-      this.logManager.logError(
-        'Error fetching latest release:',
-        error as Error
-      );
-      return this.cachedRelease;
-    }
-  }
-}
diff --git a/src/main/services/HardwareService.ts b/src/main/services/HardwareService.ts
index 75ba82b..4c9d93b 100644
--- a/src/main/services/HardwareService.ts
+++ b/src/main/services/HardwareService.ts
@@ -141,16 +141,6 @@ export class HardwareService {
     return { cpu, gpu };
   }
 
-  async detectAllWithCapabilities(): Promise<HardwareInfo> {
-    const [cpu, gpu, gpuCapabilities] = await Promise.all([
-      this.detectCPU(),
-      this.detectGPU(),
-      this.detectGPUCapabilities(),
-    ]);
-
-    return { cpu, gpu, gpuCapabilities };
-  }
-
   private async detectCUDA(): Promise<{
     supported: boolean;
     devices: string[];
diff --git a/src/preload/index.ts b/src/preload/index.ts
index f92ede9..7cbc5f8 100644
--- a/src/preload/index.ts
+++ b/src/preload/index.ts
@@ -5,18 +5,14 @@ import type {
   ConfigAPI,
   LogsAPI,
   SillyTavernAPI,
+  KoboldConfig,
 } from '@/types/electron';
 
 const koboldAPI: KoboldAPI = {
   getInstalledVersions: () => ipcRenderer.invoke('kobold:getInstalledVersions'),
-  getCurrentBinaryInfo: () => ipcRenderer.invoke('kobold:getCurrentBinaryInfo'),
   setCurrentVersion: (version: string) =>
     ipcRenderer.invoke('kobold:setCurrentVersion', version),
-  getLatestReleaseWithStatus: () =>
-    ipcRenderer.invoke('kobold:getLatestReleaseWithStatus'),
-  getROCmDownload: () => ipcRenderer.invoke('kobold:getROCmDownload'),
   downloadROCm: () => ipcRenderer.invoke('kobold:downloadROCm'),
-  getLatestRelease: () => ipcRenderer.invoke('kobold:getLatestRelease'),
   getPlatform: () => ipcRenderer.invoke('kobold:getPlatform'),
   detectGPU: () => ipcRenderer.invoke('kobold:detectGPU'),
   detectCPU: () => ipcRenderer.invoke('kobold:detectCPU'),
@@ -35,36 +31,8 @@ const koboldAPI: KoboldAPI = {
   launchKoboldCpp: (args?: string[]) =>
     ipcRenderer.invoke('kobold:launchKoboldCpp', args),
   getConfigFiles: () => ipcRenderer.invoke('kobold:getConfigFiles'),
-  saveConfigFile: (
-    configName: string,
-    configData: {
-      gpulayers?: number;
-      contextsize?: number;
-      model_param?: string;
-      port?: number;
-      host?: string;
-      multiuser?: number;
-      multiplayer?: boolean;
-      remotetunnel?: boolean;
-      nocertify?: boolean;
-      websearch?: boolean;
-      noshift?: boolean;
-      flashattention?: boolean;
-      noavx2?: boolean;
-      failsafe?: boolean;
-      usemmap?: boolean;
-      usecuda?: boolean;
-      usevulkan?: boolean;
-      useclblast?: boolean;
-      sdmodel?: string;
-      sdt5xxl?: string;
-      sdclipl?: string;
-      sdclipg?: string;
-      sdphotomaker?: string;
-      sdvae?: string;
-      [key: string]: unknown;
-    }
-  ) => ipcRenderer.invoke('kobold:saveConfigFile', configName, configData),
+  saveConfigFile: (configName: string, configData: KoboldConfig) =>
+    ipcRenderer.invoke('kobold:saveConfigFile', configName, configData),
   getSelectedConfig: () => ipcRenderer.invoke('kobold:getSelectedConfig'),
   setSelectedConfig: (configName: string) =>
     ipcRenderer.invoke('kobold:setSelectedConfig', configName),
@@ -109,6 +77,7 @@ const koboldAPI: KoboldAPI = {
 
 const appAPI: AppAPI = {
   openExternal: (url) => ipcRenderer.invoke('app:openExternal', url),
+  getVersion: () => ipcRenderer.invoke('app:getVersion'),
 };
 
 const configAPI: ConfigAPI = {
diff --git a/src/stores/launchConfigStore.ts b/src/stores/launchConfigStore.ts
index 2cb9afc..a7a07be 100644
--- a/src/stores/launchConfigStore.ts
+++ b/src/stores/launchConfigStore.ts
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ interface LaunchConfigState {
 
 export const useLaunchConfigStore = create<LaunchConfigState>((set, get) => ({
   gpuLayers: 0,
-  autoGpuLayers: false,
+  autoGpuLayers: true,
   contextSize: DEFAULT_CONTEXT_SIZE,
   modelPath: '',
   additionalArguments: '',
@@ -163,6 +163,12 @@ export const useLaunchConfigStore = create<LaunchConfigState>((set, get) => ({
     if (configData) {
       const updates: Partial<LaunchConfigState> = {};
 
+      if (typeof configData.autoGpuLayers === 'boolean') {
+        updates.autoGpuLayers = configData.autoGpuLayers;
+      } else {
+        updates.autoGpuLayers = true;
+      }
+
       if (typeof configData.gpulayers === 'number') {
         updates.gpuLayers = configData.gpulayers;
       } else {
diff --git a/src/types/electron.d.ts b/src/types/electron.d.ts
index 18994b3..e4b615e 100644
--- a/src/types/electron.d.ts
+++ b/src/types/electron.d.ts
@@ -57,14 +57,47 @@ export interface DownloadItem {
   type: 'asset' | 'rocm';
 }
 
+export interface KoboldConfig {
+  gpulayers?: number;
+  contextsize?: number;
+  model_param?: string;
+  port?: number;
+  host?: string;
+  multiuser?: number;
+  multiplayer?: boolean;
+  remotetunnel?: boolean;
+  nocertify?: boolean;
+  websearch?: boolean;
+  noshift?: boolean;
+  flashattention?: boolean;
+  noavx2?: boolean;
+  failsafe?: boolean;
+  lowvram?: boolean;
+  quantmatmul?: boolean;
+  usemmap?: boolean;
+  usecuda?: boolean;
+  usevulkan?: boolean;
+  useclblast?: boolean | [number, number];
+  gpuDeviceSelection?: string;
+  tensorSplit?: string;
+  gpuPlatform?: number;
+  sdmodel?: string;
+  sdt5xxl?: string;
+  sdclipl?: string;
+  sdclipg?: string;
+  sdphotomaker?: string;
+  sdvae?: string;
+  sdlora?: string;
+  sdconvdirect?: string;
+  additionalArguments?: string;
+  autoGpuLayers?: boolean;
+  model?: string;
+  backend?: string;
+}
+
 export interface KoboldAPI {
   getInstalledVersions: () => Promise<InstalledVersion[]>;
-  getCurrentBinaryInfo: () => Promise<{
-    path: string;
-    filename: string;
-  } | null>;
   setCurrentVersion: (version: string) => Promise<boolean>;
-  getLatestRelease: () => Promise<DownloadItem[]>;
   getPlatform: () => Promise<PlatformInfo>;
   detectGPU: () => Promise<BasicGPUInfo>;
   detectCPU: () => Promise<CPUCapabilities>;
@@ -90,50 +123,17 @@ export interface KoboldAPI {
     path?: string;
     error?: string;
   }>;
-  getROCmDownload: () => Promise<DownloadItem | null>;
-  getLatestReleaseWithStatus: () => Promise<ReleaseWithStatus | null>;
   launchKoboldCpp: (
     args?: string[]
   ) => Promise<{ success: boolean; pid?: number; error?: string }>;
   getConfigFiles: () => Promise<{ name: string; path: string; size: number }[]>;
   saveConfigFile: (
     configName: string,
-    configData: {
-      gpulayers?: number;
-      contextsize?: number;
-      model_param?: string;
-      port?: number;
-      host?: string;
-      multiuser?: number;
-      multiplayer?: boolean;
-      remotetunnel?: boolean;
-      nocertify?: boolean;
-      websearch?: boolean;
-      noshift?: boolean;
-      flashattention?: boolean;
-      noavx2?: boolean;
-      failsafe?: boolean;
-      usemmap?: boolean;
-      usecuda?: boolean;
-      usevulkan?: boolean;
-      useclblast?: boolean;
-      sdmodel?: string;
-      sdt5xxl?: string;
-      sdclipl?: string;
-      sdclipg?: string;
-      sdphotomaker?: string;
-      sdvae?: string;
-      [key: string]: unknown;
-    }
+    configData: KoboldConfig
   ) => Promise<boolean>;
   getSelectedConfig: () => Promise<string | null>;
   setSelectedConfig: (configName: string) => Promise<boolean>;
-  parseConfigFile: (filePath: string) => Promise<{
-    gpulayers?: number;
-    contextsize?: number;
-    model_param?: string;
-    [key: string]: unknown;
-  } | null>;
+  parseConfigFile: (filePath: string) => Promise<KoboldConfig | null>;
   selectModelFile: () => Promise<string | null>;
   stopKoboldCpp: () => void;
   onDownloadProgress: (callback: (progress: number) => void) => void;
@@ -145,6 +145,7 @@ export interface KoboldAPI {
 
 export interface AppAPI {
   openExternal: (url: string) => Promise<void>;
+  getVersion: () => Promise<string>;
 }
 
 export interface ConfigAPI {