---
title: "GitHub Proxy Guide"
description: "Bypass GitHub API rate limits using proxy fallbacks for release metadata."
---

Apps using the `forge` strategy with GitHub repositories fetch release metadata from the GitHub API. GitHub enforces rate limits on unauthenticated requests, which can block update checks when you run them frequently or from a shared IP.

fp-appimage-updater solves this by trying one or more proxy base URLs for the release metadata lookup. The actual AppImage download always goes directly from GitHub — only the metadata request is proxied.

<Note>
  Only GitHub release API metadata goes through the proxy. The AppImage download URL is always fetched directly from GitHub.
</Note>

## Enable globally

Add the following to your `config.yml` to enable proxy fallback for all `forge` apps:

```yaml
github_proxy: true
github_proxy_prefix: "all"  # try all built-in proxies in order
```

To use specific proxy URLs instead of the built-in list:

```yaml
github_proxy: true
github_proxy_prefix:
  - "https://gh-proxy.com/"
  - "https://corsproxy.io/?"
  - "https://api.allorigins.win/raw?url="
```

fp-appimage-updater tries each proxy in order and stops at the first successful response. Using `"all"` tries every compatible proxy built into the app.

## Override per app

You can set proxy options on individual app recipes to override the global config:

```yaml
name: hydra-launcher
github_proxy: true
github_proxy_prefix: "https://gh-proxy.com/"
strategy:
  strategy: forge
  repository: https://github.com/hydralauncher/hydra
  asset_match: "hydralauncher-*.AppImage"
```

<Tip>
  When fp-appimage-updater hits a rate limit, it records the retry window and skips that app on the next run. To disable this cooldown behavior and always retry, set `respect_rate_limits: false` in your `config.yml` or in the individual app recipe.
</Tip>
