Staphylococcus · Staphylococcus · May 9, 2026 · May 8, 2026 · May 9, 2026 · May 9, 2026
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ chmod +x ./install.sh
 ./install.sh
 ```
 
-The installer will prompt for your TV IP, MAC address, HDMI input, idle-monitor backend, idle timeout, and screen restore policy, then install the required services. System sleep/wake handling uses the default lifecycle service plus NetworkManager pre-down gate unless you opt out in `config.env`.
+The installer will prompt for your TV IP, MAC address, HDMI input, and session idle blanking details, then install the required services. System sleep/wake handling uses the default lifecycle service plus NetworkManager pre-down gate unless you opt out in `config.env`.
 
 On first use, you may need to accept a pairing prompt on the TV:
 
@@ -92,8 +92,10 @@ LG Buddy is mostly automatic after installation.
 - To inspect the installed runtime version, run `lg-buddy --version`
 - To check GitHub releases on demand, run `lg-buddy updates check`; add
   `--notify` to send a desktop notification when an update is available
+- Weekly background update checks are installed by default; opt out with
+  `lg-buddy settings set updates.auto_check disabled`
 - To rerun full setup for TV IP, MAC address, or HDMI input, run `./configure.sh`
-- To check the screen monitor, run `systemctl --user status LG_Buddy_screen.service`
+- To check the user-session service, run `systemctl --user status LG_Buddy_screen.service`
 - To remove LG Buddy, run `./uninstall.sh`
 
 The settings CLI is a structured layer over `config.env`. These examples write
@@ -102,10 +104,13 @@ the same file that manual editing and `configure.sh` use:
 ```bash
 lg-buddy settings describe tv.input
 lg-buddy settings set tv.input HDMI_2
+lg-buddy settings set screen.idle_blank disabled
 lg-buddy settings describe screen.restore_policy
 lg-buddy settings set screen.idle_timeout 600
 lg-buddy settings set screen.restore_policy aggressive
 lg-buddy settings set system.sleep_wake_policy disabled
+lg-buddy settings set updates.auto_check disabled
+lg-buddy settings set updates.channel prerelease
 lg-buddy settings unset screen.restore_policy
 ```
 
@@ -115,9 +120,13 @@ Settings can also be edited directly in `config.env`:
 tvs_primary_ip=192.168.1.100
 tvs_primary_mac=aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff
 tvs_primary_input=HDMI_2
+screen_idle_blank=enabled
+screen_backend=auto
 screen_idle_timeout=300
 screen_restore_policy=conservative
 system_sleep_wake_policy=enabled
+updates_auto_check=enabled
+updates_channel=stable
 ```
 
 `tv_ip`, `tv_mac`, and `input` are still accepted as legacy single-TV keys, but
@@ -136,11 +145,23 @@ Set `screen_restore_policy=aggressive` to let session wake/activity and system w
 
 `marker_only` is still accepted as a legacy alias for `conservative`.
 
+`screen_idle_blank=enabled` is the default. Set
+`screen_idle_blank=disabled` if you want the user-session service to stay
+available for update notifications without running idle-driven TV blank/restore
+behavior.
+
 `system_sleep_wake_policy=enabled` is the default. Set
 `system_sleep_wake_policy=disabled` if you do not want LG Buddy to control the
 TV around system sleep and wake. The lifecycle service and NetworkManager
 pre-down hook stay installed and no-op while the policy is disabled.
 
+`updates_auto_check=enabled` is the default. Set
+`updates_auto_check=disabled` if you do not want the installed user timer to
+check for updates and notify you when a release is available. Manual
+`lg-buddy updates check` commands still work when automatic checks are disabled.
+`updates_channel=stable` is the default for scheduled checks. Set it to
+`prerelease` to opt in to prerelease update notifications.
+
 ## More Help
 
 - [User guide](docs/user-guide.md)

diff --git a/bin/LG_Buddy_Common b/bin/LG_Buddy_Common
@@ -9,10 +9,13 @@ else
 fi
 LG_BUDDY_POINTER_FILE="${LG_BUDDY_INSTALL_DIR}/config-path"
 LG_BUDDY_DEFAULT_SCREEN_BACKEND="auto"
+LG_BUDDY_DEFAULT_SCREEN_IDLE_BLANK="enabled"
 LG_BUDDY_DEFAULT_IDLE_TIMEOUT=300
 LG_BUDDY_MAX_IDLE_TIMEOUT=86400
 LG_BUDDY_DEFAULT_SCREEN_RESTORE_POLICY="conservative"
 LG_BUDDY_DEFAULT_SYSTEM_SLEEP_WAKE_POLICY="enabled"
+LG_BUDDY_DEFAULT_UPDATE_AUTO_CHECK="enabled"
+LG_BUDDY_DEFAULT_UPDATE_CHANNEL="stable"
 
 lg_buddy_user_config_path() {
     if [ -n "${LG_BUDDY_CONFIG:-}" ]; then
@@ -169,10 +172,13 @@ lg_buddy_load_config() {
     tv_mac="$(lg_buddy_config_get_valid_any '^([0-9A-Fa-f]{2}:){5}[0-9A-Fa-f]{2}$' "" "$LG_BUDDY_CONFIG_FILE" "tvs_primary_mac" "tv_mac")"
     input="$(lg_buddy_config_get_valid_any '^HDMI_[1-4]$' "" "$LG_BUDDY_CONFIG_FILE" "tvs_primary_input" "input")"
     screen_backend="$(lg_buddy_config_get_valid "screen_backend" '^(auto|gnome|swayidle)$' "$LG_BUDDY_DEFAULT_SCREEN_BACKEND" "$LG_BUDDY_CONFIG_FILE")"
+    screen_idle_blank="$(lg_buddy_config_get_valid "screen_idle_blank" '^(enabled|disabled)$' "$LG_BUDDY_DEFAULT_SCREEN_IDLE_BLANK" "$LG_BUDDY_CONFIG_FILE")"
     screen_idle_timeout="$(lg_buddy_config_get_valid "screen_idle_timeout" '^[0-9]+$' "$LG_BUDDY_DEFAULT_IDLE_TIMEOUT" "$LG_BUDDY_CONFIG_FILE")"
     screen_idle_timeout="$(lg_buddy_normalize_idle_timeout "$screen_idle_timeout")"
     screen_restore_policy="$(lg_buddy_config_get_valid "screen_restore_policy" '^(marker_only|conservative|aggressive)$' "$LG_BUDDY_DEFAULT_SCREEN_RESTORE_POLICY" "$LG_BUDDY_CONFIG_FILE")"
     system_sleep_wake_policy="$(lg_buddy_config_get_valid "system_sleep_wake_policy" '^(enabled|disabled)$' "$LG_BUDDY_DEFAULT_SYSTEM_SLEEP_WAKE_POLICY" "$LG_BUDDY_CONFIG_FILE")"
+    updates_auto_check="$(lg_buddy_config_get_valid "updates_auto_check" '^(enabled|disabled)$' "$LG_BUDDY_DEFAULT_UPDATE_AUTO_CHECK" "$LG_BUDDY_CONFIG_FILE")"
+    updates_channel="$(lg_buddy_config_get_valid "updates_channel" '^(stable|prerelease)$' "$LG_BUDDY_DEFAULT_UPDATE_CHANNEL" "$LG_BUDDY_CONFIG_FILE")"
 
     if [ -z "$tv_ip" ] || [ -z "$tv_mac" ] || [ -z "$input" ]; then
         echo "LG Buddy: config file is missing required TV settings."

diff --git a/configure.sh b/configure.sh
@@ -50,6 +50,13 @@ validate_backend() {
     esac
 }
 
+validate_screen_idle_blank() {
+    case "$1" in
+        enabled|disabled) return 0 ;;
+        *) return 1 ;;
+    esac
+}
+
 validate_restore_policy() {
     case "$1" in
         marker_only|conservative|aggressive) return 0 ;;
@@ -80,18 +87,24 @@ current_tv_ip=""
 current_tv_mac=""
 current_input="HDMI_1"
 current_screen_backend="$LG_BUDDY_DEFAULT_SCREEN_BACKEND"
+current_screen_idle_blank="$LG_BUDDY_DEFAULT_SCREEN_IDLE_BLANK"
 current_screen_idle_timeout="$LG_BUDDY_DEFAULT_IDLE_TIMEOUT"
 current_screen_restore_policy="$LG_BUDDY_DEFAULT_SCREEN_RESTORE_POLICY"
 current_system_sleep_wake_policy="$LG_BUDDY_DEFAULT_SYSTEM_SLEEP_WAKE_POLICY"
+current_update_auto_check="$LG_BUDDY_DEFAULT_UPDATE_AUTO_CHECK"
+current_update_channel="$LG_BUDDY_DEFAULT_UPDATE_CHANNEL"
 
 if lg_buddy_load_config >/dev/null 2>&1; then
     current_tv_ip="$tv_ip"
     current_tv_mac="$tv_mac"
     current_input="$input"
     current_screen_backend="$screen_backend"
+    current_screen_idle_blank="$screen_idle_blank"
     current_screen_idle_timeout="$screen_idle_timeout"
     current_screen_restore_policy="$(normalize_restore_policy "$screen_restore_policy")"
     current_system_sleep_wake_policy="$system_sleep_wake_policy"
+    current_update_auto_check="$updates_auto_check"
+    current_update_channel="$updates_channel"
     echo "Loaded existing configuration from $LG_BUDDY_CONFIG_FILE"
 fi
 
@@ -100,9 +113,12 @@ if [ "${LG_BUDDY_NONINTERACTIVE:-0}" = "1" ]; then
     tv_mac="${LG_BUDDY_TV_MAC:-$current_tv_mac}"
     input="${LG_BUDDY_INPUT:-$current_input}"
     screen_backend="${LG_BUDDY_SCREEN_BACKEND:-$current_screen_backend}"
+    screen_idle_blank="$current_screen_idle_blank"
     screen_idle_timeout="${LG_BUDDY_SCREEN_IDLE_TIMEOUT:-$current_screen_idle_timeout}"
     screen_restore_policy="${LG_BUDDY_SCREEN_RESTORE_POLICY:-$current_screen_restore_policy}"
     system_sleep_wake_policy="${LG_BUDDY_SYSTEM_SLEEP_WAKE_POLICY:-$current_system_sleep_wake_policy}"
+    update_auto_check="$current_update_auto_check"
+    update_channel="$current_update_channel"
     if [ -z "${LG_BUDDY_SYSTEM_SLEEP_WAKE_POLICY:-}" ] && [ -n "${LG_BUDDY_DISABLE_SLEEP_WAKE:-}" ]; then
         case "$LG_BUDDY_DISABLE_SLEEP_WAKE" in
             [Yy]*|1|true|TRUE|True|yes|YES|Yes) system_sleep_wake_policy="disabled" ;;
@@ -126,6 +142,10 @@ if [ "${LG_BUDDY_NONINTERACTIVE:-0}" = "1" ]; then
         echo "LG_BUDDY_SCREEN_BACKEND must be one of auto, gnome, or swayidle."
         exit 1
     }
+    validate_screen_idle_blank "$screen_idle_blank" || {
+        echo "screen_idle_blank must be one of enabled or disabled."
+        exit 1
+    }
     validate_restore_policy "$screen_restore_policy" || {
         echo "LG_BUDDY_SCREEN_RESTORE_POLICY must be one of conservative or aggressive (legacy marker_only is also accepted)."
         exit 1
@@ -229,68 +249,94 @@ else
         esac
     done
 
-    echo "Choose the screen idle backend:"
-    echo "  1) auto"
-    echo "  2) gnome"
-    echo "  3) swayidle"
-
-    case "$current_screen_backend" in
-        auto) default_backend_choice="1" ;;
-        gnome) default_backend_choice="2" ;;
-        swayidle) default_backend_choice="3" ;;
-        *) default_backend_choice="1" ;;
+    case "$current_screen_idle_blank" in
+        enabled) default_idle_blank_choice="Y" ;;
+        disabled) default_idle_blank_choice="n" ;;
+        *) default_idle_blank_choice="Y" ;;
     esac
 
     while true; do
-        BACKEND_CHOICE="$(prompt_with_default "Enter number (1-3)" "$default_backend_choice")"
-        case "$BACKEND_CHOICE" in
-            1) screen_backend="auto"; break ;;
-            2) screen_backend="gnome"; break ;;
-            3) screen_backend="swayidle"; break ;;
-            *) echo "  Please enter a number between 1 and 3." ;;
+        IDLE_BLANK_CHOICE="$(prompt_with_default "Enable automatic idle blank/restore? (Y/n)" "$default_idle_blank_choice")"
+        case "$IDLE_BLANK_CHOICE" in
+            ""|[Yy]*|1|true|TRUE|True|yes|YES|Yes) screen_idle_blank="enabled"; break ;;
+            [Nn]*|0|false|FALSE|False|no|NO|No) screen_idle_blank="disabled"; break ;;
+            *) echo "  Please answer yes or no." ;;
         esac
     done
 
-    while true; do
-        screen_idle_timeout="$(prompt_with_default "Enter idle timeout in seconds" "$current_screen_idle_timeout")"
-        if validate_idle_timeout "$screen_idle_timeout"; then
-            screen_idle_timeout="$(lg_buddy_normalize_idle_timeout "$screen_idle_timeout")"
-            break
-        fi
-        echo "  Please enter a positive number of seconds."
-    done
+    if [ "$screen_idle_blank" = "enabled" ]; then
+        echo "Choose the screen idle backend:"
+        echo "  1) auto"
+        echo "  2) gnome"
+        echo "  3) swayidle"
+
+        case "$current_screen_backend" in
+            auto) default_backend_choice="1" ;;
+            gnome) default_backend_choice="2" ;;
+            swayidle) default_backend_choice="3" ;;
+            *) default_backend_choice="1" ;;
+        esac
+
+        while true; do
+            BACKEND_CHOICE="$(prompt_with_default "Enter number (1-3)" "$default_backend_choice")"
+            case "$BACKEND_CHOICE" in
+                1) screen_backend="auto"; break ;;
+                2) screen_backend="gnome"; break ;;
+                3) screen_backend="swayidle"; break ;;
+                *) echo "  Please enter a number between 1 and 3." ;;
+            esac
+        done
 
-    echo "Choose how aggressively LG Buddy should restore the display:"
-    echo "  1) conservative  (only restore when LG Buddy knows it blanked or powered off the TV)"
-    echo "  2) aggressive    (restore on wake/activity even without prior LG Buddy ownership)"
+        while true; do
+            screen_idle_timeout="$(prompt_with_default "Enter idle timeout in seconds" "$current_screen_idle_timeout")"
+            if validate_idle_timeout "$screen_idle_timeout"; then
+                screen_idle_timeout="$(lg_buddy_normalize_idle_timeout "$screen_idle_timeout")"
+                break
+            fi
+            echo "  Please enter a positive number of seconds."
+        done
 
-    case "$current_screen_restore_policy" in
-        conservative|marker_only) default_restore_policy_choice="1" ;;
-        aggressive) default_restore_policy_choice="2" ;;
-        *) default_restore_policy_choice="1" ;;
-    esac
+        echo "Choose how aggressively LG Buddy should restore the display:"
+        echo "  1) conservative  (only restore when LG Buddy knows it blanked or powered off the TV)"
+        echo "  2) aggressive    (restore on wake/activity even without prior LG Buddy ownership)"
 
-    while true; do
-        RESTORE_POLICY_CHOICE="$(prompt_with_default "Enter number (1-2)" "$default_restore_policy_choice")"
-        case "$RESTORE_POLICY_CHOICE" in
-            1) screen_restore_policy="conservative"; break ;;
-            2) screen_restore_policy="aggressive"; break ;;
-            *) echo "  Please enter a number between 1 and 2." ;;
+        case "$current_screen_restore_policy" in
+            conservative|marker_only) default_restore_policy_choice="1" ;;
+            aggressive) default_restore_policy_choice="2" ;;
+            *) default_restore_policy_choice="1" ;;
         esac
-    done
+
+        while true; do
+            RESTORE_POLICY_CHOICE="$(prompt_with_default "Enter number (1-2)" "$default_restore_policy_choice")"
+            case "$RESTORE_POLICY_CHOICE" in
+                1) screen_restore_policy="conservative"; break ;;
+                2) screen_restore_policy="aggressive"; break ;;
+                *) echo "  Please enter a number between 1 and 2." ;;
+            esac
+        done
+    else
+        screen_backend="$current_screen_backend"
+        screen_idle_timeout="$current_screen_idle_timeout"
+        screen_restore_policy="$current_screen_restore_policy"
+    fi
 
     system_sleep_wake_policy="$current_system_sleep_wake_policy"
+    update_auto_check="$current_update_auto_check"
+    update_channel="$current_update_channel"
 fi
 
 echo ""
 echo "Configuration to apply:"
 echo "  TV IP:               $tv_ip"
 echo "  TV MAC:              $tv_mac"
 echo "  PC Input:            $input"
+echo "  Screen Idle Blank:   $screen_idle_blank"
 echo "  Screen Backend:      $screen_backend"
 echo "  Screen Idle Timeout: $screen_idle_timeout"
 echo "  Screen Restore:      $screen_restore_policy"
 echo "  System Sleep/Wake:   $system_sleep_wake_policy"
+echo "  Update Checks:       $update_auto_check"
+echo "  Update Channel:      $update_channel"
 echo "  Config File:         $CONFIG_FILE"
 echo ""
 
@@ -312,10 +358,13 @@ cat >"$CONFIG_FILE" <<EOF
 tvs_primary_ip=$tv_ip
 tvs_primary_mac=$tv_mac
 tvs_primary_input=$input
+screen_idle_blank=$screen_idle_blank
 screen_backend=$screen_backend
 screen_idle_timeout=$screen_idle_timeout
 screen_restore_policy=$screen_restore_policy
 system_sleep_wake_policy=$system_sleep_wake_policy
+updates_auto_check=$update_auto_check
+updates_channel=$update_channel
 EOF
 
 chmod 600 "$CONFIG_FILE"

diff --git a/crates/lg-buddy/src/commands.rs b/crates/lg-buddy/src/commands.rs
@@ -548,7 +548,8 @@ mod tests {
         BrightnessDialogDeps, BrightnessUi, ReachabilityChecker,
     };
     use crate::config::{
-        Config, HdmiInput, MacAddress, ScreenBackend, ScreenRestorePolicy, SystemSleepWakePolicy,
+        Config, HdmiInput, MacAddress, ScreenBackend, ScreenIdleBlankPolicy, ScreenRestorePolicy,
+        SystemSleepWakePolicy,
     };
     use crate::lifecycle::{
         run_shutdown_with, run_startup_with, NetworkWaiter, RebootDetector, SleepRequestDetector,
@@ -1784,6 +1785,7 @@ mod tests {
                 .expect("parse mac"),
             input,
             screen_backend: ScreenBackend::Auto,
+            screen_idle_blank: ScreenIdleBlankPolicy::Enabled,
             screen_idle_timeout: 300,
             screen_restore_policy,
             system_sleep_wake_policy: SystemSleepWakePolicy::Enabled,