aim-appimage-manager 0.1.0

A lightweight CLI for installing and managing AppImages on Linux.

Aim AppImage Manager

Aim is a lightweight CLI for installing, launching, updating, and removing AppImages on Linux. It keeps AppImages in one predictable place, adds desktop launcher entries, extracts icons when possible, and cleans everything up when you uninstall.

Current release: 0.1.0 alpha.

Demo

Install an AppImage from a URL, then launch it from your app menu with its icon in place.

Why Aim?

• Install local AppImages or direct AppImage URLs with one command.
• Add apps to your desktop launcher automatically.
• Keep managed AppImages in a consistent user-local folder.
• Update URL-installed apps by redownloading from their saved source.
• Remove installed AppImages, desktop entries, icons, and symlinks cleanly.
• Inspect managed apps without hunting through your filesystem.
• Run without root by default.

Requirements

• Linux
• Python 3.9+
• pipx recommended for installation

Check your Python version with:

python3 --version

Installation

Install With pipx

pipx install git+https://github.com/leonfrancis37/Aim-AppImage-Manager.git

After installation:

aim help

Install pipx

Fedora:

sudo dnf install pipx
pipx ensurepath

Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt install pipx
pipx ensurepath

Arch:

sudo pacman -S python-pipx
pipx ensurepath

Install From Source

git clone https://github.com/leonfrancis37/Aim-AppImage-Manager.git
cd Aim-AppImage-Manager
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
pip install .

Then run:

aim help

Run From Source

Useful while developing or testing changes:

git clone https://github.com/leonfrancis37/Aim-AppImage-Manager.git
cd Aim-AppImage-Manager
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
python3 src/main.py help

Quick Start

aim install ./App.AppImage
aim install https://example.com/App.AppImage --name app
aim run app
aim list --detailed
aim update app
aim uninstall app

Aim should be run as your normal user. For --system, Aim asks for sudo only when it needs to create or remove a /usr/local/bin symlink.

Commands

Command	Description
aim install <file-or-url>	Install and register an AppImage.
aim open <file-or-url>	Run an AppImage once without installing it.
aim run <app>	Run an installed AppImage by name.
aim update <app> [app ...]	Redownload URL-installed apps.
aim uninstall <app> [app ...]	Remove apps and their managed files.
aim list	Show installed apps.
aim list --detailed	Show installed apps with paths, source type, and size.
aim info <app>	Show metadata for one app.
aim path <app>	Print the managed AppImage path.
aim desktop <app>	Print the desktop entry path.
aim edit <app>	Open the desktop entry in your editor.
aim stats	Show app count and total disk usage.

Install Options

Option	Description
--name NAME	Choose the managed app name.
--replace	Replace an existing app with the same name.
--no-icon	Skip icon extraction.
--no-desktop	Skip desktop entry creation.
--system	Add a /usr/local/bin command symlink.

Example for a CLI-style AppImage:

aim install ./tool.AppImage --name tool --system --no-desktop

Updating Apps

Aim can update apps that were installed from a URL because it stores the original source URL:

aim update app
aim update app another-app

Local file installs cannot be updated automatically unless they are reinstalled with --replace.

Where Files Are Stored

Aim stores everything in user-local locations by default:

What	Location
AppImages	~/.local/appimages/
Desktop entries	~/.local/share/applications/
Extracted icons	~/.local/share/icons/aim/
Aim app database	~/.local/share/aim/apps.json
Optional system command symlinks	/usr/local/bin/

The optional /usr/local/bin/ symlink is only created when using --system.

Distribution

Currently, Aim can be installed with pipx from GitHub or from source.

Planned distribution:

• PyPI package for pipx install aim-appimage-manager
• Arch User Repository package

License

Aim is released under the MIT License. See LICENSE for details.