(feature): show unhandled UI errors in a copyable dialog and keep the desktop shortcut on reinstall

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -7,6 +7,16 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+## [1.3.0] - 2026-09-30
+
+### Added
+
+- Unhandled UI errors open a dialog with the exception details and a **Copy** button. The same text is saved under `%AppData%\MaksIT\UScheduler\logs`.
+
+### Fixed
+
+- Windows setup keeps an existing desktop shortcut when the checkbox is off on reinstall, and removes a leftover duplicate (`UScheduler (2).lnk`) so a checked box does not leave two icons.
+
 ## [1.2.0] - 2026-09-21
 
 ### Added

assets/badges/coverage-branches.svg

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="150" height="20" role="img" aria-label="Branch Coverage: 25.1%">
+<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="150" height="20" role="img" aria-label="Branch Coverage: 30.3%">
-  <title>Branch Coverage: 25.1%</title>
+  <title>Branch Coverage: 30.3%</title>
   <linearGradient id="s" x2="0" y2="100%">
     <stop offset="0" stop-color="#bbb" stop-opacity=".1"/>
     <stop offset="1" stop-opacity=".1"/>
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
   <g fill="#fff" text-anchor="middle" font-family="Verdana,Geneva,DejaVu Sans,sans-serif" text-rendering="geometricPrecision" font-size="11">
     <text aria-hidden="true" x="53.75" y="15" fill="#010101" fill-opacity=".3">Branch Coverage</text>
     <text x="53.75" y="14" fill="#fff">Branch Coverage</text>
-    <text aria-hidden="true" x="128.75" y="15" fill="#010101" fill-opacity=".3">25.1%</text>
+    <text aria-hidden="true" x="128.75" y="15" fill="#010101" fill-opacity=".3">30.3%</text>
-    <text x="128.75" y="14" fill="#fff">25.1%</text>
+    <text x="128.75" y="14" fill="#fff">30.3%</text>
   </g>
 </svg>

assets/badges/coverage-lines.svg

@@ -1,21 +1,21 @@
-<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="134.5" height="20" role="img" aria-label="Line Coverage: 30%">
+<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="137" height="20" role="img" aria-label="Line Coverage: 34.3%">
-  <title>Line Coverage: 30%</title>
+  <title>Line Coverage: 34.3%</title>
   <linearGradient id="s" x2="0" y2="100%">
     <stop offset="0" stop-color="#bbb" stop-opacity=".1"/>
     <stop offset="1" stop-opacity=".1"/>
   </linearGradient>
   <clipPath id="r">
-    <rect width="134.5" height="20" rx="3" fill="#fff"/>
+    <rect width="137" height="20" rx="3" fill="#fff"/>
   </clipPath>
   <g clip-path="url(#r)">
     <rect width="94.5" height="20" fill="#555"/>
-    <rect x="94.5" width="40" height="20" fill="#dfb317"/>
+    <rect x="94.5" width="42.5" height="20" fill="#dfb317"/>
-    <rect width="134.5" height="20" fill="url(#s)"/>
+    <rect width="137" height="20" fill="url(#s)"/>
   </g>
   <g fill="#fff" text-anchor="middle" font-family="Verdana,Geneva,DejaVu Sans,sans-serif" text-rendering="geometricPrecision" font-size="11">
     <text aria-hidden="true" x="47.25" y="15" fill="#010101" fill-opacity=".3">Line Coverage</text>
     <text x="47.25" y="14" fill="#fff">Line Coverage</text>
-    <text aria-hidden="true" x="114.5" y="15" fill="#010101" fill-opacity=".3">30%</text>
+    <text aria-hidden="true" x="115.75" y="15" fill="#010101" fill-opacity=".3">34.3%</text>
-    <text x="114.5" y="14" fill="#fff">30%</text>
+    <text x="115.75" y="14" fill="#fff">34.3%</text>
   </g>
 </svg>

assets/badges/coverage-methods.svg

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="150" height="20" role="img" aria-label="Method Coverage: 46.3%">
+<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="150" height="20" role="img" aria-label="Method Coverage: 51.3%">
-  <title>Method Coverage: 46.3%</title>
+  <title>Method Coverage: 51.3%</title>
   <linearGradient id="s" x2="0" y2="100%">
     <stop offset="0" stop-color="#bbb" stop-opacity=".1"/>
     <stop offset="1" stop-opacity=".1"/>
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
   <g fill="#fff" text-anchor="middle" font-family="Verdana,Geneva,DejaVu Sans,sans-serif" text-rendering="geometricPrecision" font-size="11">
     <text aria-hidden="true" x="53.75" y="15" fill="#010101" fill-opacity=".3">Method Coverage</text>
     <text x="53.75" y="14" fill="#fff">Method Coverage</text>
-    <text aria-hidden="true" x="128.75" y="15" fill="#010101" fill-opacity=".3">46.3%</text>
+    <text aria-hidden="true" x="128.75" y="15" fill="#010101" fill-opacity=".3">51.3%</text>
-    <text x="128.75" y="14" fill="#fff">46.3%</text>
+    <text x="128.75" y="14" fill="#fff">51.3%</text>
   </g>
 </svg>

data/com.maks_it.uscheduler.metainfo.xml

@@ -39,6 +39,12 @@
     <display_length compare="ge">768</display_length>
   </requires>
   <releases>
+    <release version="1.3.0" date="2026-09-30">
+      <url type="details">https://github.com/MAKS-IT-COM/uscheduler/blob/v1.3.0/CHANGELOG.md</url>
+      <description>
+        <p>Unhandled UI errors open a copyable dialog and are saved to a crash log. Windows setup keeps an existing desktop shortcut on reinstall.</p>
+      </description>
+    </release>
     <release version="1.2.0" date="2026-09-21">
       <url type="details">https://github.com/MAKS-IT-COM/uscheduler/blob/v1.2.0/CHANGELOG.md</url>
       <description>

src/MaksIT.UScheduler.Shared/ErrorReport.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+using System.Reflection;
+using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
+using System.Text;
+using MaksIT.UScheduler.Shared.Helpers;
+
+
+namespace MaksIT.UScheduler.Shared;
+
+
+/// <summary>Formats unhandled exceptions for a copyable dialog and a crash log file.</summary>
+public static class ErrorReport {
+  public static string Capture(Exception exception) {
+    ArgumentNullException.ThrowIfNull(exception);
+    var body = Format(exception);
+    var path = TryWrite(body);
+    if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(path))
+      return body;
+    return body + Environment.NewLine + Environment.NewLine + "Log: " + path;
+  }
+
+  public static string Format(Exception exception) {
+    ArgumentNullException.ThrowIfNull(exception);
+    var text = new StringBuilder();
+    text.AppendLine("UScheduler " + Version());
+    text.AppendLine("MaksIT");
+    text.AppendLine(DateTimeOffset.UtcNow.ToString("u"));
+    text.AppendLine(RuntimeInformation.OSDescription);
+    text.AppendLine(RuntimeInformation.FrameworkDescription);
+    text.AppendLine((Environment.Is64BitProcess ? "64-bit" : "32-bit") + " process");
+    text.AppendLine();
+    AppendException(text, exception);
+    return text.ToString().TrimEnd();
+  }
+
+  public static string? TryWrite(string report) {
+    try {
+      var dir = UserSettingsPath.LogsDirectory(HostPaths.ProductFolder);
+      Directory.CreateDirectory(dir);
+      var name = "crash-" + DateTime.UtcNow.ToString("yyyyMMdd-HHmmss") + "-" + Environment.ProcessId + ".txt";
+      var path = Path.Combine(dir, name);
+      File.WriteAllText(path, report ?? "");
+      return path;
+    }
+    catch {
+      return null;
+    }
+  }
+
+  private static string Version() {
+    var version = Assembly.GetEntryAssembly()?.GetName().Version;
+    return version is null ? "" : version.ToString();
+  }
+
+  private static void AppendException(StringBuilder text, Exception exception) {
+    var seen = new HashSet<Exception>();
+    var current = exception;
+    var depth = 0;
+    while (current is not null && seen.Add(current)) {
+      if (depth > 0)
+        text.AppendLine().AppendLine("--- inner ---");
+      text.AppendLine(current.GetType().FullName);
+      text.AppendLine(current.Message);
+      if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(current.StackTrace))
+        text.AppendLine(current.StackTrace);
+      if (current is AggregateException aggregate) {
+        foreach (var inner in aggregate.InnerExceptions) {
+          if (inner is null || ReferenceEquals(inner, current.InnerException) || !seen.Add(inner))
+            continue;
+          text.AppendLine().AppendLine("--- aggregate ---");
+          text.AppendLine(inner.ToString());
+        }
+      }
+
+      current = current.InnerException;
+      depth++;
+    }
+  }
+}

src/MaksIT.UScheduler.Shared/Helpers/UserSettingsPath.cs

@@ -17,6 +17,13 @@ public static class UserSettingsPath {
   public static string Get(string product, string fileName = "settings.json") =>
     Combine(Environment.SpecialFolder.ApplicationData, product, fileName);
 
+  public static string LogsDirectory(string product) =>
+    Path.Combine(
+      Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.ApplicationData),
+      Manufacturer,
+      product,
+      "logs");
+
   /// <summary>
   /// Machine-wide settings shared by every user and the Windows service
   /// (LocalSystem). On Windows this is all-users AppData:

src/MaksIT.UScheduler.Tests/ErrorReportTests.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+using MaksIT.UScheduler.Shared;
+
+
+namespace MaksIT.UScheduler.Tests;
+
+public class ErrorReportTests {
+  [Fact]
+  public void Format_IncludesTypeMessageInnerAndStack() {
+    Exception thrown;
+    try {
+      throw new InvalidOperationException("outer", new ArgumentException("inner"));
+    }
+    catch (Exception ex) {
+      thrown = ex;
+    }
+
+    var text = ErrorReport.Format(thrown);
+    Assert.Contains("UScheduler", text, StringComparison.Ordinal);
+    Assert.Contains("MaksIT", text, StringComparison.Ordinal);
+    Assert.Contains("InvalidOperationException", text, StringComparison.Ordinal);
+    Assert.Contains("outer", text, StringComparison.Ordinal);
+    Assert.Contains("--- inner ---", text, StringComparison.Ordinal);
+    Assert.Contains("ArgumentException", text, StringComparison.Ordinal);
+    Assert.Contains("inner", text, StringComparison.Ordinal);
+    Assert.Contains(nameof(Format_IncludesTypeMessageInnerAndStack), text, StringComparison.Ordinal);
+  }
+
+  [Fact]
+  public void Format_IncludesAggregateInners() {
+    var error = new AggregateException(
+      "batch",
+      new InvalidOperationException("one"),
+      new ArgumentException("two"));
+    var text = ErrorReport.Format(error);
+    Assert.Contains("AggregateException", text, StringComparison.Ordinal);
+    Assert.Contains("one", text, StringComparison.Ordinal);
+    Assert.Contains("two", text, StringComparison.Ordinal);
+    Assert.Contains("--- aggregate ---", text, StringComparison.Ordinal);
+  }
+}

src/MaksIT.UScheduler.UI/Dialogs/ErrorDialog.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,146 @@
+using Avalonia;
+using Avalonia.Controls;
+using Avalonia.Controls.ApplicationLifetimes;
+using Avalonia.Threading;
+using MaksIT.UScheduler.Shared;
+using MaksIT.UScheduler.UI.ViewModels;
+using MaksIT.UScheduler.UI.Windows;
+
+
+namespace MaksIT.UScheduler.UI.Dialogs;
+
+
+internal static class ErrorDialog {
+  private static int _open;
+
+  public static void Report(Exception? exception) =>
+    Present(exception, wait: false);
+
+  public static void ReportBlocking(Exception? exception) =>
+    Present(exception, wait: true);
+
+  private static void Present(Exception? exception, bool wait) {
+    if (exception is null)
+      return;
+    var report = ErrorReport.Capture(exception);
+    var dispatcher = TryDispatcher();
+    if (dispatcher is null) {
+      if (wait)
+        ShowStandalone(report);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    if (dispatcher.CheckAccess()) {
+      if (wait)
+        ShowUntilClosed(report);
+      else
+        _ = ShowAsync(report);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    if (wait)
+      dispatcher.Invoke(() => ShowUntilClosed(report));
+    else
+      dispatcher.Post(() => _ = ShowAsync(report));
+  }
+
+  private static Dispatcher? TryDispatcher() {
+    try {
+      return Dispatcher.UIThread;
+    }
+    catch {
+      return null;
+    }
+  }
+
+  private static async Task ShowAsync(string report) {
+    if (Interlocked.Exchange(ref _open, 1) != 0)
+      return;
+    try {
+      var window = Create(report);
+      var owner = ActiveWindow();
+      if (owner is { IsVisible: true }) {
+        window.WindowStartupLocation = WindowStartupLocation.CenterOwner;
+        await window.ShowDialog(owner);
+        return;
+      }
+
+      window.WindowStartupLocation = WindowStartupLocation.CenterScreen;
+      var closed = new TaskCompletionSource();
+      window.Closed += (_, _) => closed.TrySetResult();
+      window.Show();
+      await closed.Task;
+    }
+    catch {
+    }
+    finally {
+      Interlocked.Exchange(ref _open, 0);
+    }
+  }
+
+  private static void ShowUntilClosed(string report) {
+    if (Interlocked.Exchange(ref _open, 1) != 0)
+      return;
+    try {
+      var window = Create(report);
+      var owner = ActiveWindow();
+      var closed = false;
+      window.Closed += (_, _) => closed = true;
+      if (owner is { IsVisible: true }) {
+        window.WindowStartupLocation = WindowStartupLocation.CenterOwner;
+        window.Show(owner);
+      }
+      else {
+        window.WindowStartupLocation = WindowStartupLocation.CenterScreen;
+        window.Show();
+      }
+
+      var dispatcher = Dispatcher.UIThread;
+      while (!closed)
+        dispatcher.RunJobs();
+    }
+    catch {
+    }
+    finally {
+      Interlocked.Exchange(ref _open, 0);
+    }
+  }
+
+  private static void ShowStandalone(string report) {
+    if (Interlocked.Exchange(ref _open, 1) != 0)
+      return;
+    try {
+      AppBuilder.Configure<Application>()
+        .UsePlatformDetect()
+        .AfterSetup(builder => {
+          if (builder.Instance?.ApplicationLifetime is not IClassicDesktopStyleApplicationLifetime life)
+            return;
+          life.ShutdownMode = ShutdownMode.OnMainWindowClose;
+          life.MainWindow = Create(report);
+        })
+        .StartWithClassicDesktopLifetime([]);
+    }
+    catch {
+    }
+    finally {
+      Interlocked.Exchange(ref _open, 0);
+    }
+  }
+
+  private static ErrorWindow Create(string report) =>
+    new() {
+      DataContext = new ErrorReportViewModel(report),
+      WindowStartupLocation = WindowStartupLocation.CenterScreen
+    };
+
+  private static Window? ActiveWindow() {
+    if (Application.Current?.ApplicationLifetime is not IClassicDesktopStyleApplicationLifetime life)
+      return null;
+    foreach (var window in life.Windows) {
+      if (window.IsActive && window is not ErrorWindow)
+        return window;
+    }
+
+    return life.MainWindow is ErrorWindow ? null : life.MainWindow;
+  }
+}

src/MaksIT.UScheduler.UI/MaksIT.UScheduler.UI.csproj

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
     <OutputType>WinExe</OutputType>
     <TargetFramework>net10.0</TargetFramework>
     <RootNamespace>MaksIT.UScheduler.UI</RootNamespace>
-    <Version>1.2.0</Version>
+    <Version>1.3.0</Version>
     <Nullable>enable</Nullable>
     <ImplicitUsings>enable</ImplicitUsings>
     <BuiltInComInteropSupport>true</BuiltInComInteropSupport>

src/MaksIT.UScheduler.UI/Program.cs

@@ -1,18 +1,48 @@
 using Avalonia;
 using Avalonia.Logging;
+using Avalonia.Threading;
+using MaksIT.UScheduler.UI.Dialogs;
 
 
 namespace MaksIT.UScheduler.UI;
 
 internal static class Program {
   [STAThread]
-  public static void Main(string[] args) =>
+  public static void Main(string[] args) {
+    AppDomain.CurrentDomain.UnhandledException += OnDomainUnhandled;
+    TaskScheduler.UnobservedTaskException += OnUnobservedTask;
+    try {
       BuildAvaloniaApp().StartWithClassicDesktopLifetime(args);
+    }
+    catch (Exception ex) {
+      ErrorDialog.ReportBlocking(ex);
+    }
+  }
 
   // Linux: X11/XWayland. Avalonia 12.1.2 native Wayland still hangs on GNOME's
   // xdg_toplevel.configure(0, 0) and never maps a window (GNOME app icon).
   public static AppBuilder BuildAvaloniaApp() =>
     AppBuilder.Configure<App>()
       .UsePlatformDetect()
-      .LogToTrace(LogEventLevel.Warning);
+      .LogToTrace(LogEventLevel.Warning)
+      .AfterSetup(_ => Dispatcher.UIThread.UnhandledException += OnDispatcherUnhandled);
+
+  private static void OnDispatcherUnhandled(object? sender, DispatcherUnhandledExceptionEventArgs e) {
+    e.Handled = true;
+    ErrorDialog.Report(e.Exception);
+  }
+
+  private static void OnDomainUnhandled(object? sender, UnhandledExceptionEventArgs e) {
+    if (e.ExceptionObject is not Exception ex)
+      return;
+    if (e.IsTerminating)
+      ErrorDialog.ReportBlocking(ex);
+    else
+      ErrorDialog.Report(ex);
+  }
+
+  private static void OnUnobservedTask(object? sender, UnobservedTaskExceptionEventArgs e) {
+    e.SetObserved();
+    ErrorDialog.Report(e.Exception);
+  }
 }

src/MaksIT.UScheduler.UI/Themes/Dark.axaml

@@ -11,6 +11,12 @@
     <Setter Property="Foreground" Value="#9aa0a6" />
     <Setter Property="FontSize" Value="12" />
   </Style>
+  <Style Selector="TextBox.error-dump">
+    <Setter Property="FontFamily" Value="Cascadia Mono, Consolas, Ubuntu Mono, monospace" />
+    <Setter Property="FontSize" Value="12" />
+    <Setter Property="Background" Value="#0E1620" />
+    <Setter Property="Foreground" Value="#E8F4FC" />
+  </Style>
   <Style Selector="TextBlock.warning">
     <Setter Property="Foreground" Value="#ff4d6d" />
     <Setter Property="FontWeight" Value="SemiBold" />

src/MaksIT.UScheduler.UI/ViewModels/ErrorReportViewModel.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+using CommunityToolkit.Mvvm.ComponentModel;
+
+
+namespace MaksIT.UScheduler.UI.ViewModels;
+
+
+public sealed partial class ErrorReportViewModel : ObservableObject {
+  public ErrorReportViewModel(string report) {
+    Report = report ?? "";
+  }
+
+  public string Report { get; }
+
+  [ObservableProperty]
+  private string copyStatus = "";
+
+  public void MarkCopied() =>
+    CopyStatus = "Copied";
+}

src/MaksIT.UScheduler.UI/Windows/ErrorWindow.axaml

@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+<Window xmlns="https://github.com/avaloniaui"
+        xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
+        xmlns:vm="using:MaksIT.UScheduler.UI.ViewModels"
+        x:Class="MaksIT.UScheduler.UI.Windows.ErrorWindow"
+        x:DataType="vm:ErrorReportViewModel"
+        Width="720"
+        Height="520"
+        MinWidth="480"
+        MinHeight="360"
+        CanResize="True"
+        ShowInTaskbar="True"
+        Topmost="True"
+        WindowStartupLocation="CenterOwner"
+        Icon="/Assets/icon.ico"
+        Title="UScheduler">
+  <DockPanel Margin="16">
+    <StackPanel DockPanel.Dock="Bottom"
+                Orientation="Horizontal"
+                HorizontalAlignment="Right"
+                Spacing="8"
+                Margin="0,12,0,0">
+      <TextBlock Text="{Binding CopyStatus}"
+                 Classes="hint"
+                 VerticalAlignment="Center"
+                 Margin="0,0,8,0" />
+      <Button Content="Copy"
+              Click="OnCopyClick" />
+      <Button Content="Close"
+              Padding="16,8"
+              Click="OnCloseClick"
+              IsDefault="True"
+              IsCancel="True" />
+    </StackPanel>
+    <TextBlock DockPanel.Dock="Top"
+               Text="Something went wrong. The details below are also saved to a crash log."
+               Classes="hint"
+               TextWrapping="Wrap"
+               Margin="0,0,0,12" />
+    <TextBox Text="{Binding Report}"
+             Classes="error-dump"
+             IsReadOnly="True"
+             AcceptsReturn="True"
+             TextWrapping="NoWrap"
+             ScrollViewer.HorizontalScrollBarVisibility="Auto"
+             ScrollViewer.VerticalScrollBarVisibility="Auto" />
+  </DockPanel>
+</Window>

src/MaksIT.UScheduler.UI/Windows/ErrorWindow.axaml.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+using Avalonia.Controls;
+using Avalonia.Input.Platform;
+using Avalonia.Interactivity;
+using MaksIT.UScheduler.UI.ViewModels;
+
+
+namespace MaksIT.UScheduler.UI.Windows;
+
+
+public partial class ErrorWindow : Window {
+  public ErrorWindow() {
+    InitializeComponent();
+  }
+
+  private async void OnCopyClick(object? sender, RoutedEventArgs e) {
+    if (DataContext is not ErrorReportViewModel vm)
+      return;
+    var clipboard = Clipboard;
+    if (clipboard is null)
+      return;
+    try {
+      await clipboard.SetTextAsync(vm.Report);
+      vm.MarkCopied();
+    }
+    catch {
+    }
+  }
+
+  private void OnCloseClick(object? sender, RoutedEventArgs e) =>
+    Close();
+}

src/MaksIT.UScheduler/MaksIT.UScheduler.csproj

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
   <PropertyGroup>
     <TargetFramework>net10.0</TargetFramework>
     <RootNamespace>$(MSBuildProjectName.Replace(" ", "_"))</RootNamespace>
-    <Version>1.2.0</Version>
+    <Version>1.3.0</Version>
     <Nullable>enable</Nullable>
     <ImplicitUsings>enable</ImplicitUsings>
     <UserSecretsId>dotnet-UScheduler-040d8105-9e07-4024-a632-cbe091387b66</UserSecretsId>

utils/plugins/Desktop/DesktopPackSupport.psm1

@@ -323,8 +323,33 @@ function New-WixPackageXml {
     $desktopProp = $xml.CreateElement('Property', $ns)
     $null = $desktopProp.SetAttribute('Id', 'INSTALLDESKTOPSHORTCUT')
     $null = $desktopProp.SetAttribute('Value', '0')
+    $null = $desktopProp.SetAttribute('Secure', 'yes')
     $null = $package.AppendChild($desktopProp)
 
+    # Present when a previous install wrote the desktop shortcut marker.
+    # Burn also searches HKCU as the user and passes DESKTOPSHORTCUTFOUND,
+    # because a per-machine execute sequence runs as SYSTEM.
+    $foundProp = $xml.CreateElement('Property', $ns)
+    $null = $foundProp.SetAttribute('Id', 'DESKTOPSHORTCUTFOUND')
+    $null = $foundProp.SetAttribute('Secure', 'yes')
+    $foundSearch = $xml.CreateElement('RegistrySearch', $ns)
+    $null = $foundSearch.SetAttribute('Id', 'DesktopShortcutFoundSearch')
+    $null = $foundSearch.SetAttribute('Root', 'HKCU')
+    $null = $foundSearch.SetAttribute('Key', "Software\$Manufacturer\$AppName")
+    $null = $foundSearch.SetAttribute('Name', 'desktop')
+    $null = $foundSearch.SetAttribute('Type', 'raw')
+    $null = $foundProp.AppendChild($foundSearch)
+    $null = $package.AppendChild($foundProp)
+
+    # Checkbox off on reinstall must not drop an icon that is already there.
+    # Major upgrade removes the previous shortcut; this installs that one again.
+    $keepShortcut = $xml.CreateElement('SetProperty', $ns)
+    $null = $keepShortcut.SetAttribute('Id', 'INSTALLDESKTOPSHORTCUT')
+    $null = $keepShortcut.SetAttribute('Value', '1')
+    $null = $keepShortcut.SetAttribute('Before', 'CostFinalize')
+    $null = $keepShortcut.SetAttribute('Condition', 'DESKTOPSHORTCUTFOUND = "1"')
+    $null = $package.AppendChild($keepShortcut)
+
     $productFolder = Get-DesktopInstallFolderName `
         -AppName $AppName `
         -Manufacturer $Manufacturer `
@@ -449,7 +474,8 @@ function New-WixPackageXml {
     $desktop = $xml.CreateElement('Component', $ns)
     $null = $desktop.SetAttribute('Id', 'DesktopShortcut')
     $null = $desktop.SetAttribute('Directory', 'DesktopFolder')
-    $null = $desktop.SetAttribute('Guid', '*')
+    $shortcutGuid = Get-DesktopShortcutComponentGuid -Manufacturer $Manufacturer -AppName $AppName
+    $null = $desktop.SetAttribute('Guid', $shortcutGuid.ToString('D'))
     $null = $desktop.SetAttribute('Condition', 'INSTALLDESKTOPSHORTCUT = 1')
     $desktopShortcut = $xml.CreateElement('Shortcut', $ns)
     $null = $desktopShortcut.SetAttribute('Id', 'AppDesktopShortcut')
@@ -461,6 +487,26 @@ function New-WixPackageXml {
     }
 
     $null = $desktop.AppendChild($desktopShortcut)
+    # Same file name is replaced. A second ".lnk" (and the "(2)" copy) is removed
+    # before CreateShortcuts so a checked box does not leave two desktop icons.
+    $cleanupNames = [System.Collections.Generic.List[string]]::new()
+    $cleanupNames.Add($productFolder)
+    if (-not $cleanupNames.Contains($AppName)) {
+        $cleanupNames.Add($AppName)
+    }
+
+    $cleanupIndex = 0
+    foreach ($shortcutName in $cleanupNames) {
+        foreach ($suffix in @('', ' (2)')) {
+            $cleanupIndex++
+            $removeLnk = $xml.CreateElement('RemoveFile', $ns)
+            $null = $removeLnk.SetAttribute('Id', "DesktopShortcutCleanup$cleanupIndex")
+            $null = $removeLnk.SetAttribute('Name', "$shortcutName$suffix.lnk")
+            $null = $removeLnk.SetAttribute('On', 'install')
+            $null = $desktop.AppendChild($removeLnk)
+        }
+    }
+
     $desktopReg = $xml.CreateElement('RegistryValue', $ns)
     $null = $desktopReg.SetAttribute('Root', 'HKCU')
     $null = $desktopReg.SetAttribute('Key', "Software\$Manufacturer\$AppName")
@@ -874,6 +920,27 @@ function Assert-FlatpakAppId {
     }
 }
 
+function Get-DesktopShortcutComponentGuid {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [string]$Manufacturer,
+
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [string]$AppName
+    )
+
+    $identity = "maksit-desktop-shortcut|$Manufacturer|$AppName"
+    $md5 = [System.Security.Cryptography.MD5]::Create()
+    try {
+        $hash = $md5.ComputeHash([System.Text.Encoding]::UTF8.GetBytes($identity))
+    }
+    finally {
+        $md5.Dispose()
+    }
+
+    return [guid]::new($hash)
+}
+
 function Get-DerivedBundleUpgradeCode {
     param(
         [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
@@ -1196,15 +1263,18 @@ function New-WixBundleXml {
         $folderRoot + $Manufacturer + '\' + $productFolder
     }
     $escapedFolder = [System.Security.SecurityElement]::Escape($folderPath)
+    $escapedShortcutKey = [System.Security.SecurityElement]::Escape("Software\$Manufacturer\$AppName")
 
     # WiX v7 Bundle has no Scope attribute (WIX0004). MSI Package/@Scope plus
     # InstallFolder tokens decide per-machine vs per-user; Burn infers bundle scope.
     return @"
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
-<Wix xmlns="http://wixtoolset.org/schemas/v4/wxs" xmlns:bal="http://wixtoolset.org/schemas/v4/wxs/bal">
+<Wix xmlns="http://wixtoolset.org/schemas/v4/wxs" xmlns:bal="http://wixtoolset.org/schemas/v4/wxs/bal" xmlns:util="http://wixtoolset.org/schemas/v4/wxs/util">
   <Bundle Name="$escapedName" Manufacturer="$escapedMfr" Version="$ProductVersion" UpgradeCode="$($bundleUpgrade.ToString('D'))"$iconAttr>
     <Variable Name="InstallFolder" Type="formatted" Value="$escapedFolder" bal:Overridable="yes" />
     <Variable Name="InstallDesktopShortcut" Type="numeric" Value="0" bal:Overridable="yes" />
+    <Variable Name="DesktopShortcutFound" Type="string" Value="" bal:Overridable="yes" />
+    <util:RegistrySearch Id="DesktopShortcutFoundSearch" Variable="DesktopShortcutFound" Root="HKCU" Key="$escapedShortcutKey" Value="desktop" Result="exists" />
     <BootstrapperApplication>
       <bal:WixStandardBootstrapperApplication Theme="$theme" LicenseUrl=""$logoAttrs />
     </BootstrapperApplication>
@@ -1212,6 +1282,7 @@ function New-WixBundleXml {
       <MsiPackage SourceFile="$escapedMsi" Compressed="yes" Vital="yes">
         <MsiProperty Name="INSTALLFOLDER" Value="[InstallFolder]" />
         <MsiProperty Name="INSTALLDESKTOPSHORTCUT" Value="[InstallDesktopShortcut]" />
+        <MsiProperty Name="DESKTOPSHORTCUTFOUND" Value="[DesktopShortcutFound]" />
       </MsiPackage>
     </Chain>
   </Bundle>

utils/plugins/Desktop/WindowsInstaller.psm1

@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@
     per-machine installs go to `C:\Program Files`, not Program Files (x86).
     Requires the WiX CLI (`dotnet tool install -g wix`). WiX v7: accept the
     OSMF EULA (`wix eula accept wix7` or `-acceptEula wix7`) and
-    `wix extension add -g WixToolset.BootstrapperApplications.wixext`.
+    `wix extension add -g WixToolset.BootstrapperApplications.wixext` and
+    `wix extension add -g WixToolset.Util.wixext`.
     Reopen the shell so `%USERPROFILE%\.dotnet\tools` is on PATH.
 #>
 
@@ -40,7 +41,7 @@ function Test-WixMissingException {
 }
 
 function Get-WixMissingInstallMessage {
-    return "WiX CLI ('wix') is not on PATH. Install with: dotnet tool install -g wix. For WiX v7 also run: wix eula accept wix7; wix extension add -g WixToolset.BootstrapperApplications.wixext. Reopen the terminal so %USERPROFILE%\.dotnet\tools is on PATH."
+    return "WiX CLI ('wix') is not on PATH. Install with: dotnet tool install -g wix. For WiX v7 also run: wix eula accept wix7; wix extension add -g WixToolset.BootstrapperApplications.wixext; wix extension add -g WixToolset.Util.wixext. Reopen the terminal so %USERPROFILE%\.dotnet\tools is on PATH."
 }
 
 function Get-WixCliVersionText {
@@ -280,7 +281,7 @@ function Invoke-Plugin {
 
     Write-Log -Level "STEP" -Message "Building Windows installer exe ($wixArch)..."
     try {
-        Invoke-ExternalCommand -Name wix -ArgumentList (@('build') + $eulaArgs + $archArgs + @($bundleWxsPath, '-ext', $bundleExt, '-o', $exePath)) | Out-Null
+        Invoke-ExternalCommand -Name wix -ArgumentList (@('build') + $eulaArgs + $archArgs + @($bundleWxsPath, '-ext', $bundleExt, '-ext', 'WixToolset.Util.wixext', '-o', $exePath)) | Out-Null
     }
     catch {
         if (Test-WixMissingException -ErrorRecord $_) {