Rename AuthMode to Backend, fix LiteLLM variant typo, add image update alerts, clean up Settings

- Fix serde deserialization error: TypeScript sent "lit_llm" but Rust expected "lite_llm"
- Rename AuthMode enum to Backend across Rust and TypeScript (with serde alias for backward compat)
- Add container image update checking via registry digest comparison
- Improve Settings page: fix image address display spacing, remove per-project auth section
- Update UI labels from "Auth" to "Backend" throughout

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

CLAUDE.md

@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ docker exec stdout → tokio task → emit("terminal-output-{sessionId}") → li
   - `container.rs` — Container lifecycle (create, start, stop, remove, inspect)
   - `exec.rs` — PTY exec sessions with bidirectional stdin/stdout streaming
   - `image.rs` — Image build/pull with progress streaming
-- **`models/`** — Serde structs (`Project`, `AuthMode`, `BedrockConfig`, `OllamaConfig`, `LiteLlmConfig`, `ContainerInfo`, `AppSettings`). These define the IPC contract with the frontend.
+- **`models/`** — Serde structs (`Project`, `Backend`, `BedrockConfig`, `OllamaConfig`, `LiteLlmConfig`, `ContainerInfo`, `AppSettings`). These define the IPC contract with the frontend.
 - **`storage/`** — Persistence: `projects_store.rs` (JSON file with atomic writes), `secure.rs` (OS keychain via `keyring` crate), `settings_store.rs`
 
 ### Container (`container/`)

HOW-TO-USE.md

@@ -86,21 +86,21 @@ Claude Code launches automatically with `--dangerously-skip-permissions` inside
 **AWS Bedrock:**
 
 1. Stop the container first (settings can only be changed while stopped).
-2. In the project card, switch the auth mode to **Bedrock**.
+2. In the project card, switch the backend to **Bedrock**.
 3. Expand the **Config** panel and fill in your AWS credentials (see [AWS Bedrock Configuration](#aws-bedrock-configuration) below).
 4. Start the container again.
 
 **Ollama:**
 
 1. Stop the container first (settings can only be changed while stopped).
-2. In the project card, switch the auth mode to **Ollama**.
+2. In the project card, switch the backend to **Ollama**.
 3. Expand the **Config** panel and set the base URL of your Ollama server (defaults to `http://host.docker.internal:11434` for a local instance). Optionally set a model ID.
 4. Start the container again.
 
 **LiteLLM:**
 
 1. Stop the container first (settings can only be changed while stopped).
-2. In the project card, switch the auth mode to **LiteLLM**.
+2. In the project card, switch the backend to **LiteLLM**.
 3. Expand the **Config** panel and set the base URL of your LiteLLM proxy (defaults to `http://host.docker.internal:4000`). Optionally set an API key and model ID.
 4. Start the container again.
 
@@ -361,7 +361,7 @@ MCP server configuration is tracked via SHA-256 fingerprints stored as Docker la
 
 ## AWS Bedrock Configuration
 
-To use Claude via AWS Bedrock instead of Anthropic's API, switch the auth mode to **Bedrock** on the project card.
+To use Claude via AWS Bedrock instead of Anthropic's API, switch the backend to **Bedrock** on the project card.
 
 ### Authentication Methods
 
@@ -390,7 +390,7 @@ Per-project settings always override these global defaults.
 
 ## Ollama Configuration
 
-To use Claude Code with a local or remote Ollama server, switch the auth mode to **Ollama** on the project card.
+To use Claude Code with a local or remote Ollama server, switch the backend to **Ollama** on the project card.
 
 ### Settings
 
@@ -407,7 +407,7 @@ Triple-C sets `ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL` to point Claude Code at your Ollama server in
 
 ## LiteLLM Configuration
 
-To use Claude Code through a [LiteLLM](https://docs.litellm.ai/) proxy gateway, switch the auth mode to **LiteLLM** on the project card. LiteLLM supports 100+ model providers (OpenAI, Gemini, Anthropic, and more) through a single proxy.
+To use Claude Code through a [LiteLLM](https://docs.litellm.ai/) proxy gateway, switch the backend to **LiteLLM** on the project card. LiteLLM supports 100+ model providers (OpenAI, Gemini, Anthropic, and more) through a single proxy.
 
 ### Settings
 

README.md

@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ Users can override this in Settings via the global `docker_socket_path` option.
 | `app/src/components/layout/TopBar.tsx` | Terminal tabs + Docker/Image status indicators |
 | `app/src/components/layout/Sidebar.tsx` | Responsive sidebar (25% width, min 224px, max 320px) |
 | `app/src/components/layout/StatusBar.tsx` | Running project/terminal counts |
-| `app/src/components/projects/ProjectCard.tsx` | Project config, auth mode, action buttons |
+| `app/src/components/projects/ProjectCard.tsx` | Project config, backend selector, action buttons |
 | `app/src/components/projects/ProjectList.tsx` | Project list in sidebar |
 | `app/src/components/projects/FileManagerModal.tsx` | File browser modal (browse, download, upload) |
 | `app/src/components/projects/ContainerProgressModal.tsx` | Real-time container operation progress |
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ Users can override this in Settings via the global `docker_socket_path` option.
 | `app/src-tauri/src/commands/project_commands.rs` | Start/stop/rebuild Tauri command handlers |
 | `app/src-tauri/src/commands/file_commands.rs` | File manager Tauri commands (list, download, upload) |
 | `app/src-tauri/src/commands/mcp_commands.rs` | MCP server CRUD Tauri commands |
-| `app/src-tauri/src/models/project.rs` | Project struct (auth mode, Docker access, MCP servers, Mission Control) |
+| `app/src-tauri/src/models/project.rs` | Project struct (backend, Docker access, MCP servers, Mission Control) |
 | `app/src-tauri/src/models/mcp_server.rs` | MCP server struct (transport, Docker image, env vars) |
 | `app/src-tauri/src/models/app_settings.rs` | Global settings (image source, Docker socket, AWS, microphone) |
 | `app/src-tauri/src/storage/mcp_store.rs` | MCP server persistence (JSON with atomic writes) |

TECHNICAL.md

@@ -290,7 +290,7 @@ triple-c/
             │   ├── image.rs       # Build from Dockerfile, pull from registry
             │   └── network.rs     # Per-project bridge networks for MCP
             ├── models/            # Data structures
-            │   ├── project.rs     # Project, AuthMode, BedrockConfig
+            │   ├── project.rs     # Project, Backend, BedrockConfig
             │   ├── mcp_server.rs  # MCP server configuration
             │   ├── app_settings.rs # Global settings (image source, AWS, etc.)
             │   ├── container_config.rs # Image name resolution

app/src-tauri/src/commands/project_commands.rs

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 use tauri::{Emitter, State};
 
 use crate::docker;
-use crate::models::{container_config, AuthMode, McpServer, Project, ProjectPath, ProjectStatus};
+use crate::models::{container_config, Backend, McpServer, Project, ProjectPath, ProjectStatus};
 use crate::storage::secure;
 use crate::AppState;
 
@@ -179,27 +179,27 @@ pub async fn start_project_container(
     // Resolve enabled MCP servers for this project
     let (enabled_mcp, docker_mcp) = resolve_mcp_servers(&project, &state);
 
-    // Validate auth mode requirements
+    // Validate backend requirements
-    if project.auth_mode == AuthMode::Bedrock {
+    if project.backend == Backend::Bedrock {
         let bedrock = project.bedrock_config.as_ref()
-            .ok_or_else(|| "Bedrock auth mode selected but no Bedrock configuration found.".to_string())?;
+            .ok_or_else(|| "Bedrock backend selected but no Bedrock configuration found.".to_string())?;
         // Region can come from per-project or global
         if bedrock.aws_region.is_empty() && settings.global_aws.aws_region.is_none() {
-            return Err("AWS region is required for Bedrock auth mode. Set it per-project or in global AWS settings.".to_string());
+            return Err("AWS region is required for Bedrock backend. Set it per-project or in global AWS settings.".to_string());
         }
     }
 
-    if project.auth_mode == AuthMode::Ollama {
+    if project.backend == Backend::Ollama {
         let ollama = project.ollama_config.as_ref()
-            .ok_or_else(|| "Ollama auth mode selected but no Ollama configuration found.".to_string())?;
+            .ok_or_else(|| "Ollama backend selected but no Ollama configuration found.".to_string())?;
         if ollama.base_url.is_empty() {
             return Err("Ollama base URL is required.".to_string());
         }
     }
 
-    if project.auth_mode == AuthMode::LiteLlm {
+    if project.backend == Backend::LiteLlm {
         let litellm = project.litellm_config.as_ref()
-            .ok_or_else(|| "LiteLLM auth mode selected but no LiteLLM configuration found.".to_string())?;
+            .ok_or_else(|| "LiteLLM backend selected but no LiteLLM configuration found.".to_string())?;
         if litellm.base_url.is_empty() {
             return Err("LiteLLM base URL is required.".to_string());
         }

app/src-tauri/src/commands/terminal_commands.rs

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 use tauri::{AppHandle, Emitter, State};
 
-use crate::models::{AuthMode, BedrockAuthMethod, Project};
+use crate::models::{Backend, BedrockAuthMethod, Project};
 use crate::AppState;
 
 /// Build the command to run in the container terminal.
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ use crate::AppState;
 /// the AWS session first. If the SSO session is expired, runs `aws sso login`
 /// so the user can re-authenticate (the URL is clickable via xterm.js WebLinksAddon).
 fn build_terminal_cmd(project: &Project, state: &AppState) -> Vec<String> {
-    let is_bedrock_profile = project.auth_mode == AuthMode::Bedrock
+    let is_bedrock_profile = project.backend == Backend::Bedrock
         && project
             .bedrock_config
             .as_ref()

app/src-tauri/src/commands/update_commands.rs

@@ -1,8 +1,16 @@
-use crate::models::{GiteaRelease, ReleaseAsset, UpdateInfo};
+use tauri::State;
+
+use crate::docker;
+use crate::models::{container_config, GiteaRelease, ImageUpdateInfo, ReleaseAsset, UpdateInfo};
+use crate::AppState;
 
 const RELEASES_URL: &str =
     "https://repo.anhonesthost.net/api/v1/repos/cybercovellc/triple-c/releases";
 
+/// Gitea container-registry tag object (v2 manifest).
+const REGISTRY_API_BASE: &str =
+    "https://repo.anhonesthost.net/v2/cybercovellc/triple-c/triple-c-sandbox";
+
 #[tauri::command]
 pub fn get_app_version() -> String {
     env!("CARGO_PKG_VERSION").to_string()
@@ -115,3 +123,96 @@ fn extract_version_from_tag(tag: &str) -> Option<String> {
         None
     }
 }
+
+/// Check whether a newer container image is available in the registry.
+///
+/// Compares the local image digest with the remote registry digest using the
+/// Docker Registry HTTP API v2.  Only applies when the image source is
+/// "registry" (the default); for local builds or custom images we cannot
+/// meaningfully check for remote updates.
+#[tauri::command]
+pub async fn check_image_update(
+    state: State<'_, AppState>,
+) -> Result<Option<ImageUpdateInfo>, String> {
+    let settings = state.settings_store.get();
+
+    // Only check for registry images
+    if settings.image_source != crate::models::app_settings::ImageSource::Registry {
+        return Ok(None);
+    }
+
+    let image_name =
+        container_config::resolve_image_name(&settings.image_source, &settings.custom_image_name);
+
+    // 1. Get local image digest via Docker
+    let local_digest = docker::get_local_image_digest(&image_name).await.ok().flatten();
+
+    // 2. Get remote digest from the Gitea container registry (OCI distribution spec)
+    let remote_digest = fetch_remote_digest("latest").await?;
+
+    // No remote digest available — nothing to compare
+    let remote_digest = match remote_digest {
+        Some(d) => d,
+        None => return Ok(None),
+    };
+
+    // If local digest matches remote, no update
+    if let Some(ref local) = local_digest {
+        if *local == remote_digest {
+            return Ok(None);
+        }
+    }
+
+    // There's a difference (or no local image at all)
+    Ok(Some(ImageUpdateInfo {
+        remote_digest,
+        local_digest,
+        remote_updated_at: None,
+    }))
+}
+
+/// Fetch the digest of a tag from the Gitea container registry using the
+/// OCI / Docker Registry HTTP API v2.
+///
+/// We issue a HEAD request to /v2/<repo>/manifests/<tag> and read the
+/// `Docker-Content-Digest` header that the registry returns.
+async fn fetch_remote_digest(tag: &str) -> Result<Option<String>, String> {
+    let url = format!("{}/manifests/{}", REGISTRY_API_BASE, tag);
+
+    let client = reqwest::Client::builder()
+        .timeout(std::time::Duration::from_secs(15))
+        .build()
+        .map_err(|e| format!("Failed to create HTTP client: {}", e))?;
+
+    let response = client
+        .head(&url)
+        .header(
+            "Accept",
+            "application/vnd.docker.distribution.manifest.v2+json, application/vnd.oci.image.index.v1+json",
+        )
+        .send()
+        .await;
+
+    match response {
+        Ok(resp) => {
+            if !resp.status().is_success() {
+                log::warn!(
+                    "Registry returned status {} when checking image digest",
+                    resp.status()
+                );
+                return Ok(None);
+            }
+            // The digest is returned in the Docker-Content-Digest header
+            if let Some(digest) = resp.headers().get("docker-content-digest") {
+                if let Ok(val) = digest.to_str() {
+                    return Ok(Some(val.to_string()));
+                }
+            }
+            Ok(None)
+        }
+        Err(e) => {
+            log::warn!("Failed to check registry for image update: {}", e);
+            Ok(None)
+        }
+    }
+}

app/src-tauri/src/docker/container.rs

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ use std::collections::HashMap;
 use sha2::{Sha256, Digest};
 
 use super::client::get_docker;
-use crate::models::{AuthMode, BedrockAuthMethod, ContainerInfo, EnvVar, GlobalAwsSettings, McpServer, McpTransportType, PortMapping, Project, ProjectPath};
+use crate::models::{Backend, BedrockAuthMethod, ContainerInfo, EnvVar, GlobalAwsSettings, McpServer, McpTransportType, PortMapping, Project, ProjectPath};
 
 const SCHEDULER_INSTRUCTIONS: &str = r#"## Scheduled Tasks
 
@@ -453,7 +453,7 @@ pub async fn create_container(
     }
 
     // Bedrock configuration
-    if project.auth_mode == AuthMode::Bedrock {
+    if project.backend == Backend::Bedrock {
         if let Some(ref bedrock) = project.bedrock_config {
             env_vars.push("CLAUDE_CODE_USE_BEDROCK=1".to_string());
 
@@ -506,7 +506,7 @@ pub async fn create_container(
     }
 
     // Ollama configuration
-    if project.auth_mode == AuthMode::Ollama {
+    if project.backend == Backend::Ollama {
         if let Some(ref ollama) = project.ollama_config {
             env_vars.push(format!("ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL={}", ollama.base_url));
             env_vars.push("ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN=ollama".to_string());
@@ -517,7 +517,7 @@ pub async fn create_container(
     }
 
     // LiteLLM configuration
-    if project.auth_mode == AuthMode::LiteLlm {
+    if project.backend == Backend::LiteLlm {
         if let Some(ref litellm) = project.litellm_config {
             env_vars.push(format!("ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL={}", litellm.base_url));
             if let Some(ref key) = litellm.api_key {
@@ -624,7 +624,7 @@ pub async fn create_container(
 
     // AWS config mount (read-only)
     // Mount if: Bedrock profile auth needs it, OR a global aws_config_path is set
-    let should_mount_aws = if project.auth_mode == AuthMode::Bedrock {
+    let should_mount_aws = if project.backend == Backend::Bedrock {
         if let Some(ref bedrock) = project.bedrock_config {
             bedrock.auth_method == BedrockAuthMethod::Profile
         } else {
@@ -694,7 +694,7 @@ pub async fn create_container(
     labels.insert("triple-c.managed".to_string(), "true".to_string());
     labels.insert("triple-c.project-id".to_string(), project.id.clone());
     labels.insert("triple-c.project-name".to_string(), project.name.clone());
-    labels.insert("triple-c.auth-mode".to_string(), format!("{:?}", project.auth_mode));
+    labels.insert("triple-c.backend".to_string(), format!("{:?}", project.backend));
     labels.insert("triple-c.paths-fingerprint".to_string(), compute_paths_fingerprint(&project.paths));
     labels.insert("triple-c.bedrock-fingerprint".to_string(), compute_bedrock_fingerprint(project));
     labels.insert("triple-c.ollama-fingerprint".to_string(), compute_ollama_fingerprint(project));
@@ -897,11 +897,13 @@ pub async fn container_needs_recreation(
     // Code settings stored in the named volume). The change takes effect
     // on the next explicit rebuild instead.
 
-    // ── Auth mode ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+    // ── Backend ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-    let current_auth_mode = format!("{:?}", project.auth_mode);
+    let current_backend = format!("{:?}", project.backend);
-    if let Some(container_auth_mode) = get_label("triple-c.auth-mode") {
+    // Check new label name, falling back to old "triple-c.auth-mode" for pre-rename containers
-        if container_auth_mode != current_auth_mode {
+    let container_backend = get_label("triple-c.backend").or_else(|| get_label("triple-c.auth-mode"));
-            log::info!("Auth mode mismatch (container={:?}, project={:?})", container_auth_mode, current_auth_mode);
+    if let Some(container_backend) = container_backend {
+        if container_backend != current_backend {
+            log::info!("Backend mismatch (container={:?}, project={:?})", container_backend, current_backend);
             return Ok(true);
         }
     }

app/src-tauri/src/docker/image.rs

@@ -31,6 +31,38 @@ pub async fn image_exists(image_name: &str) -> Result<bool, String> {
     Ok(!images.is_empty())
 }
 
+/// Returns the first repo digest (e.g. "sha256:abc...") for the given image,
+/// or None if the image doesn't exist locally or has no repo digests.
+pub async fn get_local_image_digest(image_name: &str) -> Result<Option<String>, String> {
+    let docker = get_docker()?;
+
+    let filters: HashMap<String, Vec<String>> = HashMap::from([(
+        "reference".to_string(),
+        vec![image_name.to_string()],
+    )]);
+
+    let images: Vec<ImageSummary> = docker
+        .list_images(Some(ListImagesOptions {
+            filters,
+            ..Default::default()
+        }))
+        .await
+        .map_err(|e| format!("Failed to list images: {}", e))?;
+
+    if let Some(img) = images.first() {
+        // RepoDigests contains entries like "registry/repo@sha256:abc..."
+        if let Some(digest_str) = img.repo_digests.first() {
+            // Extract the sha256:... part after '@'
+            if let Some(pos) = digest_str.find('@') {
+                return Ok(Some(digest_str[pos + 1..].to_string()));
+            }
+            return Ok(Some(digest_str.clone()));
+        }
+    }
+
+    Ok(None)
+}
+
 pub async fn pull_image<F>(image_name: &str, on_progress: F) -> Result<(), String>
 where
     F: Fn(String) + Send + 'static,

app/src-tauri/src/lib.rs

@@ -119,6 +119,7 @@ pub fn run() {
             // Updates
             commands::update_commands::get_app_version,
             commands::update_commands::check_for_updates,
+            commands::update_commands::check_image_update,
         ])
         .run(tauri::generate_context!())
         .expect("error while running tauri application");

app/src-tauri/src/models/app_settings.rs

@@ -72,6 +72,8 @@ pub struct AppSettings {
     pub timezone: Option<String>,
     #[serde(default)]
     pub default_microphone: Option<String>,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub dismissed_image_digest: Option<String>,
 }
 
 impl Default for AppSettings {
@@ -90,6 +92,7 @@ impl Default for AppSettings {
             dismissed_update_version: None,
             timezone: None,
             default_microphone: None,
+            dismissed_image_digest: None,
         }
     }
 }

app/src-tauri/src/models/project.rs

@@ -31,7 +31,8 @@ pub struct Project {
     pub paths: Vec<ProjectPath>,
     pub container_id: Option<String>,
     pub status: ProjectStatus,
-    pub auth_mode: AuthMode,
+    #[serde(alias = "auth_mode")]
+    pub backend: Backend,
     pub bedrock_config: Option<BedrockConfig>,
     pub ollama_config: Option<OllamaConfig>,
     pub litellm_config: Option<LiteLlmConfig>,
@@ -65,13 +66,14 @@ pub enum ProjectStatus {
     Error,
 }
 
-/// How the project authenticates with Claude.
+/// Which AI model backend/provider the project uses.
-/// - `Anthropic`: User runs `claude login` inside the container (OAuth via Anthropic Console,
+/// - `Anthropic`: Direct Anthropic API (user runs `claude login` inside the container)
-///   persisted in the config volume)
+/// - `Bedrock`: AWS Bedrock with per-project AWS credentials
-/// - `Bedrock`: Uses AWS Bedrock with per-project AWS credentials
+/// - `Ollama`: Local or remote Ollama server
+/// - `LiteLlm`: LiteLLM proxy gateway for 100+ model providers
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize, PartialEq)]
 #[serde(rename_all = "snake_case")]
-pub enum AuthMode {
+pub enum Backend {
     /// Backward compat: old projects stored as "login" or "api_key" map to Anthropic.
     #[serde(alias = "login", alias = "api_key")]
     Anthropic,
@@ -81,7 +83,7 @@ pub enum AuthMode {
     LiteLlm,
 }
 
-impl Default for AuthMode {
+impl Default for Backend {
     fn default() -> Self {
         Self::Anthropic
     }
@@ -152,7 +154,7 @@ impl Project {
             paths,
             container_id: None,
             status: ProjectStatus::Stopped,
-            auth_mode: AuthMode::default(),
+            backend: Backend::default(),
             bedrock_config: None,
             ollama_config: None,
             litellm_config: None,

app/src-tauri/src/models/update_info.rs

@@ -35,3 +35,14 @@ pub struct GiteaAsset {
     pub browser_download_url: String,
     pub size: u64,
 }
+
+/// Info returned to the frontend about an available container image update.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct ImageUpdateInfo {
+    /// The remote digest (e.g. sha256:abc...)
+    pub remote_digest: String,
+    /// The local digest, if available
+    pub local_digest: Option<String>,
+    /// When the remote image was last updated (if known)
+    pub remote_updated_at: Option<String>,
+}

app/src/App.tsx

@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ export default function App() {
   const { loadSettings } = useSettings();
   const { refresh } = useProjects();
   const { refresh: refreshMcp } = useMcpServers();
-  const { loadVersion, checkForUpdates, startPeriodicCheck } = useUpdates();
+  const { loadVersion, checkForUpdates, checkImageUpdate, startPeriodicCheck } = useUpdates();
   const { sessions, activeSessionId, setProjects } = useAppState(
     useShallow(s => ({ sessions: s.sessions, activeSessionId: s.activeSessionId, setProjects: s.setProjects }))
   );
@@ -46,7 +46,10 @@ export default function App() {
 
     // Update detection
     loadVersion();
-    const updateTimer = setTimeout(() => checkForUpdates(), 3000);
+    const updateTimer = setTimeout(() => {
+      checkForUpdates();
+      checkImageUpdate();
+    }, 3000);
     const cleanup = startPeriodicCheck();
     return () => {
       clearTimeout(updateTimer);

app/src/components/layout/TopBar.tsx

@@ -4,19 +4,23 @@ import TerminalTabs from "../terminal/TerminalTabs";
 import { useAppState } from "../../store/appState";
 import { useSettings } from "../../hooks/useSettings";
 import UpdateDialog from "../settings/UpdateDialog";
+import ImageUpdateDialog from "../settings/ImageUpdateDialog";
 
 export default function TopBar() {
-  const { dockerAvailable, imageExists, updateInfo, appVersion, setUpdateInfo } = useAppState(
+  const { dockerAvailable, imageExists, updateInfo, imageUpdateInfo, appVersion, setUpdateInfo, setImageUpdateInfo } = useAppState(
     useShallow(s => ({
       dockerAvailable: s.dockerAvailable,
       imageExists: s.imageExists,
       updateInfo: s.updateInfo,
+      imageUpdateInfo: s.imageUpdateInfo,
       appVersion: s.appVersion,
       setUpdateInfo: s.setUpdateInfo,
+      setImageUpdateInfo: s.setImageUpdateInfo,
     }))
   );
   const { appSettings, saveSettings } = useSettings();
   const [showUpdateDialog, setShowUpdateDialog] = useState(false);
+  const [showImageUpdateDialog, setShowImageUpdateDialog] = useState(false);
 
   const handleDismiss = async () => {
     if (appSettings && updateInfo) {
@@ -29,6 +33,17 @@ export default function TopBar() {
     setShowUpdateDialog(false);
   };
 
+  const handleImageUpdateDismiss = async () => {
+    if (appSettings && imageUpdateInfo) {
+      await saveSettings({
+        ...appSettings,
+        dismissed_image_digest: imageUpdateInfo.remote_digest,
+      });
+    }
+    setImageUpdateInfo(null);
+    setShowImageUpdateDialog(false);
+  };
+
   return (
     <>
       <div className="flex items-center h-10 bg-[var(--bg-secondary)] border border-[var(--border-color)] rounded-lg overflow-hidden">
@@ -44,6 +59,15 @@ export default function TopBar() {
               Update
             </button>
           )}
+          {imageUpdateInfo && (
+            <button
+              onClick={() => setShowImageUpdateDialog(true)}
+              className="px-2 py-0.5 rounded text-xs font-medium bg-[var(--warning,#f59e0b)] text-white hover:opacity-80 transition-colors"
+              title="A newer container image is available"
+            >
+              Image Update
+            </button>
+          )}
           <StatusDot ok={dockerAvailable === true} label="Docker" />
           <StatusDot ok={imageExists === true} label="Image" />
         </div>
@@ -56,6 +80,13 @@ export default function TopBar() {
           onClose={() => setShowUpdateDialog(false)}
         />
       )}
+      {showImageUpdateDialog && imageUpdateInfo && (
+        <ImageUpdateDialog
+          imageUpdateInfo={imageUpdateInfo}
+          onDismiss={handleImageUpdateDismiss}
+          onClose={() => setShowImageUpdateDialog(false)}
+        />
+      )}
     </>
   );
 }

app/src/components/projects/ProjectCard.test.tsx

@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ const mockProject: Project = {
   paths: [{ host_path: "/home/user/project", mount_name: "project" }],
   container_id: null,
   status: "stopped",
-  auth_mode: "anthropic",
+  backend: "anthropic",
   bedrock_config: null,
   allow_docker_access: false,
   ssh_key_path: null,

app/src/components/projects/ProjectCard.tsx

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { useState, useEffect } from "react";
 import { open } from "@tauri-apps/plugin-dialog";
 import { listen } from "@tauri-apps/api/event";
-import type { Project, ProjectPath, AuthMode, BedrockConfig, BedrockAuthMethod, OllamaConfig, LiteLlmConfig } from "../../lib/types";
+import type { Project, ProjectPath, Backend, BedrockConfig, BedrockAuthMethod, OllamaConfig, LiteLlmConfig } from "../../lib/types";
 import { useProjects } from "../../hooks/useProjects";
 import { useMcpServers } from "../../hooks/useMcpServers";
 import { useTerminal } from "../../hooks/useTerminal";
@@ -202,16 +202,16 @@ export default function ProjectCard({ project }: Props) {
     model_id: null,
   };
 
-  const handleAuthModeChange = async (mode: AuthMode) => {
+  const handleBackendChange = async (mode: Backend) => {
     try {
-      const updates: Partial<Project> = { auth_mode: mode };
+      const updates: Partial<Project> = { backend: mode };
       if (mode === "bedrock" && !project.bedrock_config) {
         updates.bedrock_config = defaultBedrockConfig;
       }
       if (mode === "ollama" && !project.ollama_config) {
         updates.ollama_config = defaultOllamaConfig;
       }
-      if (mode === "lit_llm" && !project.litellm_config) {
+      if (mode === "lite_llm" && !project.litellm_config) {
         updates.litellm_config = defaultLiteLlmConfig;
       }
       await update({ ...project, ...updates });
@@ -446,12 +446,12 @@ export default function ProjectCard({ project }: Props) {
 
       {isSelected && (
         <div className="mt-2 ml-4 space-y-2 min-w-0 overflow-hidden">
-          {/* Auth mode selector */}
+          {/* Backend selector */}
           <div className="flex items-center gap-1 text-xs">
-            <span className="text-[var(--text-secondary)] mr-1">Auth:</span>
+            <span className="text-[var(--text-secondary)] mr-1">Backend:</span>
             <select
-              value={project.auth_mode}
+              value={project.backend}
-              onChange={(e) => { e.stopPropagation(); handleAuthModeChange(e.target.value as AuthMode); }}
+              onChange={(e) => { e.stopPropagation(); handleBackendChange(e.target.value as Backend); }}
               onClick={(e) => e.stopPropagation()}
               disabled={!isStopped}
               className="px-2 py-0.5 rounded bg-[var(--bg-primary)] border border-[var(--border-color)] text-xs text-[var(--text-primary)] focus:outline-none focus:border-[var(--accent)] disabled:opacity-50"
@@ -459,7 +459,7 @@ export default function ProjectCard({ project }: Props) {
               <option value="anthropic">Anthropic</option>
               <option value="bedrock">Bedrock</option>
               <option value="ollama">Ollama</option>
-              <option value="lit_llm">LiteLLM</option>
+              <option value="lite_llm">LiteLLM</option>
             </select>
           </div>
 
@@ -794,7 +794,7 @@ export default function ProjectCard({ project }: Props) {
               )}
 
               {/* Bedrock config */}
-              {project.auth_mode === "bedrock" && (() => {
+              {project.backend === "bedrock" && (() => {
                 const bc = project.bedrock_config ?? defaultBedrockConfig;
                 const inputCls = "w-full px-2 py-1 bg-[var(--bg-primary)] border border-[var(--border-color)] rounded text-xs text-[var(--text-primary)] focus:outline-none focus:border-[var(--accent)] disabled:opacity-50";
                 return (
@@ -916,7 +916,7 @@ export default function ProjectCard({ project }: Props) {
               })()}
 
               {/* Ollama config */}
-              {project.auth_mode === "ollama" && (() => {
+              {project.backend === "ollama" && (() => {
                 const inputCls = "w-full px-2 py-1 bg-[var(--bg-primary)] border border-[var(--border-color)] rounded text-xs text-[var(--text-primary)] focus:outline-none focus:border-[var(--accent)] disabled:opacity-50";
                 return (
                   <div className="space-y-2 pt-1 border-t border-[var(--border-color)]">
@@ -956,7 +956,7 @@ export default function ProjectCard({ project }: Props) {
               })()}
 
               {/* LiteLLM config */}
-              {project.auth_mode === "lit_llm" && (() => {
+              {project.backend === "lite_llm" && (() => {
                 const inputCls = "w-full px-2 py-1 bg-[var(--bg-primary)] border border-[var(--border-color)] rounded text-xs text-[var(--text-primary)] focus:outline-none focus:border-[var(--accent)] disabled:opacity-50";
                 return (
                   <div className="space-y-2 pt-1 border-t border-[var(--border-color)]">

app/src/components/settings/ApiKeyInput.tsx

@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 export default function ApiKeyInput() {
   return (
     <div>
-      <label className="block text-sm font-medium mb-1">Authentication</label>
+      <label className="block text-sm font-medium mb-1">Backend</label>
       <p className="text-xs text-[var(--text-secondary)] mb-3">
-        Each project can use <strong>claude login</strong> (OAuth, run inside the terminal) or <strong>AWS Bedrock</strong>. Set auth mode per-project.
+        Each project can use <strong>claude login</strong> (OAuth, run inside the terminal) or <strong>AWS Bedrock</strong>. Set backend per-project.
       </p>
     </div>
   );

app/src/components/settings/DockerSettings.tsx

@@ -121,9 +121,9 @@ export default function DockerSettings() {
         )}
 
         {/* Resolved image display */}
-        <div className="flex items-center justify-between">
+        <div>
           <span className="text-[var(--text-secondary)]">Image</span>
-          <span className="text-xs text-[var(--text-secondary)] truncate max-w-[200px]" title={resolvedImageName}>
+          <span className="block text-xs text-[var(--text-secondary)] font-mono mt-0.5 truncate" title={resolvedImageName}>
             {resolvedImageName}
           </span>
         </div>

app/src/components/settings/ImageUpdateDialog.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+import { useEffect, useRef, useCallback } from "react";
+import type { ImageUpdateInfo } from "../../lib/types";
+
+interface Props {
+  imageUpdateInfo: ImageUpdateInfo;
+  onDismiss: () => void;
+  onClose: () => void;
+}
+
+export default function ImageUpdateDialog({
+  imageUpdateInfo,
+  onDismiss,
+  onClose,
+}: Props) {
+  const overlayRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const handleKeyDown = (e: KeyboardEvent) => {
+      if (e.key === "Escape") onClose();
+    };
+    document.addEventListener("keydown", handleKeyDown);
+    return () => document.removeEventListener("keydown", handleKeyDown);
+  }, [onClose]);
+
+  const handleOverlayClick = useCallback(
+    (e: React.MouseEvent<HTMLDivElement>) => {
+      if (e.target === overlayRef.current) onClose();
+    },
+    [onClose],
+  );
+
+  const shortDigest = (digest: string) => {
+    // Show first 16 chars of the hash part (after "sha256:")
+    const hash = digest.startsWith("sha256:") ? digest.slice(7) : digest;
+    return hash.slice(0, 16);
+  };
+
+  return (
+    <div
+      ref={overlayRef}
+      onClick={handleOverlayClick}
+      className="fixed inset-0 bg-black/50 flex items-center justify-center z-50"
+    >
+      <div className="bg-[var(--bg-secondary)] border border-[var(--border-color)] rounded-lg p-6 w-[28rem] max-h-[80vh] overflow-y-auto shadow-xl">
+        <h2 className="text-lg font-semibold mb-3">Container Image Update</h2>
+
+        <p className="text-sm text-[var(--text-secondary)] mb-4">
+          A newer version of the container image is available in the registry.
+          Re-pull the image in Docker settings to get the latest tools and fixes.
+        </p>
+
+        <div className="space-y-2 mb-4 text-xs bg-[var(--bg-primary)] rounded p-3 border border-[var(--border-color)]">
+          {imageUpdateInfo.local_digest && (
+            <div className="flex justify-between">
+              <span className="text-[var(--text-secondary)]">Local digest</span>
+              <span className="font-mono text-[var(--text-primary)]">
+                {shortDigest(imageUpdateInfo.local_digest)}...
+              </span>
+            </div>
+          )}
+          <div className="flex justify-between">
+            <span className="text-[var(--text-secondary)]">Remote digest</span>
+            <span className="font-mono text-[var(--accent)]">
+              {shortDigest(imageUpdateInfo.remote_digest)}...
+            </span>
+          </div>
+        </div>
+
+        <p className="text-xs text-[var(--text-secondary)] mb-4">
+          Go to Settings &gt; Docker and click &quot;Re-pull Image&quot; to update.
+          Running containers will not be affected until restarted.
+        </p>
+
+        <div className="flex items-center justify-end gap-2">
+          <button
+            onClick={onDismiss}
+            className="px-3 py-1.5 text-xs text-[var(--text-secondary)] hover:text-[var(--text-primary)] transition-colors"
+          >
+            Dismiss
+          </button>
+          <button
+            onClick={onClose}
+            className="px-3 py-1.5 text-xs bg-[var(--bg-tertiary)] border border-[var(--border-color)] rounded hover:bg-[var(--border-color)] transition-colors"
+          >
+            Close
+          </button>
+        </div>
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  );
+}

app/src/components/settings/SettingsPanel.tsx

@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import { useState, useEffect } from "react";
-import ApiKeyInput from "./ApiKeyInput";
 import DockerSettings from "./DockerSettings";
 import AwsSettings from "./AwsSettings";
 import { useSettings } from "../../hooks/useSettings";
@@ -11,7 +10,7 @@ import type { EnvVar } from "../../lib/types";
 
 export default function SettingsPanel() {
   const { appSettings, saveSettings } = useSettings();
-  const { appVersion, checkForUpdates } = useUpdates();
+  const { appVersion, imageUpdateInfo, checkForUpdates, checkImageUpdate } = useUpdates();
   const [globalInstructions, setGlobalInstructions] = useState(appSettings?.global_claude_instructions ?? "");
   const [globalEnvVars, setGlobalEnvVars] = useState<EnvVar[]>(appSettings?.global_custom_env_vars ?? []);
   const [checkingUpdates, setCheckingUpdates] = useState(false);
@@ -39,7 +38,7 @@ export default function SettingsPanel() {
   const handleCheckNow = async () => {
     setCheckingUpdates(true);
     try {
-      await checkForUpdates();
+      await Promise.all([checkForUpdates(), checkImageUpdate()]);
     } finally {
       setCheckingUpdates(false);
     }
@@ -55,7 +54,6 @@ export default function SettingsPanel() {
       <h2 className="text-xs font-semibold uppercase text-[var(--text-secondary)]">
         Settings
       </h2>
-      <ApiKeyInput />
       <DockerSettings />
       <AwsSettings />
 
@@ -146,6 +144,12 @@ export default function SettingsPanel() {
           >
             {checkingUpdates ? "Checking..." : "Check now"}
           </button>
+          {imageUpdateInfo && (
+            <div className="flex items-center gap-2 px-3 py-2 text-xs bg-[var(--bg-primary)] border border-[var(--warning,#f59e0b)] rounded">
+              <span className="inline-block w-2 h-2 rounded-full bg-[var(--warning,#f59e0b)]" />
+              <span>A newer container image is available. Re-pull the image in Docker settings above to update.</span>
+            </div>
+          )}
         </div>
       </div>
 

app/src/hooks/useUpdates.ts

@@ -6,11 +6,20 @@ import * as commands from "../lib/tauri-commands";
 const CHECK_INTERVAL_MS = 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000; // 24 hours
 
 export function useUpdates() {
-  const { updateInfo, setUpdateInfo, appVersion, setAppVersion, appSettings } =
+  const {
-    useAppState(
+    updateInfo,
+    setUpdateInfo,
+    imageUpdateInfo,
+    setImageUpdateInfo,
+    appVersion,
+    setAppVersion,
+    appSettings,
+  } = useAppState(
     useShallow((s) => ({
       updateInfo: s.updateInfo,
       setUpdateInfo: s.setUpdateInfo,
+      imageUpdateInfo: s.imageUpdateInfo,
+      setImageUpdateInfo: s.setImageUpdateInfo,
       appVersion: s.appVersion,
       setAppVersion: s.setAppVersion,
       appSettings: s.appSettings,
@@ -47,11 +56,31 @@ export function useUpdates() {
     }
   }, [setUpdateInfo, appSettings?.dismissed_update_version]);
 
+  const checkImageUpdate = useCallback(async () => {
+    try {
+      const info = await commands.checkImageUpdate();
+      if (info) {
+        // Respect dismissed image digest
+        const dismissed = appSettings?.dismissed_image_digest;
+        if (dismissed && dismissed === info.remote_digest) {
+          setImageUpdateInfo(null);
+          return null;
+        }
+      }
+      setImageUpdateInfo(info);
+      return info;
+    } catch (e) {
+      console.error("Failed to check for image updates:", e);
+      return null;
+    }
+  }, [setImageUpdateInfo, appSettings?.dismissed_image_digest]);
+
   const startPeriodicCheck = useCallback(() => {
     if (intervalRef.current) return;
     intervalRef.current = setInterval(() => {
       if (appSettings?.auto_check_updates !== false) {
         checkForUpdates();
+        checkImageUpdate();
       }
     }, CHECK_INTERVAL_MS);
     return () => {
@@ -60,13 +89,15 @@ export function useUpdates() {
         intervalRef.current = null;
       }
     };
-  }, [checkForUpdates, appSettings?.auto_check_updates]);
+  }, [checkForUpdates, checkImageUpdate, appSettings?.auto_check_updates]);
 
   return {
     updateInfo,
+    imageUpdateInfo,
     appVersion,
     loadVersion,
     checkForUpdates,
+    checkImageUpdate,
     startPeriodicCheck,
   };
 }

app/src/lib/tauri-commands.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { invoke } from "@tauri-apps/api/core";
-import type { Project, ProjectPath, ContainerInfo, SiblingContainer, AppSettings, UpdateInfo, McpServer, FileEntry } from "./types";
+import type { Project, ProjectPath, ContainerInfo, SiblingContainer, AppSettings, UpdateInfo, ImageUpdateInfo, McpServer, FileEntry } from "./types";
 
 // Docker
 export const checkDocker = () => invoke<boolean>("check_docker");
@@ -83,3 +83,5 @@ export const uploadFileToContainer = (projectId: string, hostPath: string, conta
 export const getAppVersion = () => invoke<string>("get_app_version");
 export const checkForUpdates = () =>
   invoke<UpdateInfo | null>("check_for_updates");
+export const checkImageUpdate = () =>
+  invoke<ImageUpdateInfo | null>("check_image_update");

app/src/lib/types.ts

@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ export interface Project {
   paths: ProjectPath[];
   container_id: string | null;
   status: ProjectStatus;
-  auth_mode: AuthMode;
+  backend: Backend;
   bedrock_config: BedrockConfig | null;
   ollama_config: OllamaConfig | null;
   litellm_config: LiteLlmConfig | null;
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ export type ProjectStatus =
   | "stopping"
   | "error";
 
-export type AuthMode = "anthropic" | "bedrock" | "ollama" | "lit_llm";
+export type Backend = "anthropic" | "bedrock" | "ollama" | "lite_llm";
 
 export type BedrockAuthMethod = "static_credentials" | "profile" | "bearer_token";
 
@@ -116,6 +116,7 @@ export interface AppSettings {
   dismissed_update_version: string | null;
   timezone: string | null;
   default_microphone: string | null;
+  dismissed_image_digest: string | null;
 }
 
 export interface UpdateInfo {
@@ -133,6 +134,12 @@ export interface ReleaseAsset {
   size: number;
 }
 
+export interface ImageUpdateInfo {
+  remote_digest: string;
+  local_digest: string | null;
+  remote_updated_at: string | null;
+}
+
 export type McpTransportType = "stdio" | "http";
 
 export interface McpServer {

app/src/store/appState.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { create } from "zustand";
-import type { Project, TerminalSession, AppSettings, UpdateInfo, McpServer } from "../lib/types";
+import type { Project, TerminalSession, AppSettings, UpdateInfo, ImageUpdateInfo, McpServer } from "../lib/types";
 
 interface AppState {
   // Projects
@@ -39,6 +39,10 @@ interface AppState {
   setUpdateInfo: (info: UpdateInfo | null) => void;
   appVersion: string;
   setAppVersion: (version: string) => void;
+
+  // Image update info
+  imageUpdateInfo: ImageUpdateInfo | null;
+  setImageUpdateInfo: (info: ImageUpdateInfo | null) => void;
 }
 
 export const useAppState = create<AppState>((set) => ({
@@ -111,4 +115,8 @@ export const useAppState = create<AppState>((set) => ({
   setUpdateInfo: (info) => set({ updateInfo: info }),
   appVersion: "",
   setAppVersion: (version) => set({ appVersion: version }),
+
+  // Image update info
+  imageUpdateInfo: null,
+  setImageUpdateInfo: (info) => set({ imageUpdateInfo: info }),
 }));