Errors after an update

In short: an update swaps files, but the pieces that were already running pick up the new version at slightly different moments. If something misbehaves right after an update, match the symptom below — each has a one-step fix.

atbridge has a few moving parts, and an update can touch any of them:

• the core binary (atbridge update),
• the Thunderbird add-on (atbridge update-extension),
• the bridge that connects them, and
• any external MCP client (Cursor, Claude Desktop) that runs atbridge on its own.

Most of the time this is seamless. When it isn’t, here’s what each symptom means.

The chat or actions stopped working right after a core update

A core update replaces the atbridge binary — but the process already running is still the old one until it reconnects to the new file. atbridge does this automatically after an update; if it doesn’t reconnect on your machine:

macOS / Windows / regular Linux

Open Settings → Status and reconnect, or simply restart Thunderbird — it relaunches the bridge on the new binary.

Snap / Flatpak Linux

Confined Thunderbird runs the bridge as a background service, so restart that service:

systemctl --user restart atbridge-bridge.service

(See Linux: Snap/Flatpak Thunderbird.)

You can confirm which version is live with:

atbridge bridge status

The add-on looks unchanged after an extension update

update-extension refreshes the add-on’s files, but Thunderbird keeps the old version loaded until it reloads.

Reload Thunderbird after an extension update

After atbridge update-extension, restart Thunderbird (or disable and re-enable the atbridge add-on) so it picks up the new XPI. atbridge update alone only swaps the binary — see the CLI reference.

An external AI app still behaves like the old version

If you use atbridge from Cursor, Claude Desktop, or another MCP client, that app launched atbridge as a subprocess and keeps it running. It won’t pick up an update until the app restarts:

• Fully quit and reopen the app (not just close the window).
• If it still looks stale, check that the app is pointed at the same atbridge and run atbridge check to confirm you’re on the latest.

Update commands, for reference

atbridge check              # is anything newer?
atbridge update             # update the core binary (self-replacing, verified)
atbridge update-extension   # refresh the Thunderbird add-on to match

Then reconnect / restart per the symptom above. Full command reference: Updates & maintenance.

Still stuck?

If a part is still on the old version after reconnecting and restarting, email contact@atbridge.ai with the output of atbridge check and atbridge bridge status. We usually answer within a day.

Where to go next

• When activation fails
• When your AI CLI needs to sign in again
• Updates & maintenance (CLI reference)

Faster: ask the community

For “how do I…” questions you will usually get a quicker answer — and help the next person with the same question — in Discord. Anything tied to your account, billing, or a bug is better as a support ticket, where we reply by email.