Fix: manualCheck now checks modpack_installations + cron cache

Detection priority in manualCheck():
1. Egg variables
2. modpack_installations table (NEW)
3. DaemonFileRepository file scan
4. Cached cron data from modpackchecker_servers (NEW)

Also returns current_version and update_available in response
so the console widget can show version comparison.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

docs/code-bridge/archive/MSG-2026-04-12-manualcheck-missing-installer.md

@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+# Chronicler Dispatch — manualCheck doesn't check modpack_installations
+
+**Date:** 2026-04-12
+**From:** Chronicler #84 — The Meridian
+**To:** Code
+
+---
+
+## Root Cause
+
+The console widget calls `manualCheck()` in `ModpackAPIController.php`. That method only checks:
+1. Egg variables
+2. File detection (DaemonFileRepository)
+
+It does NOT check `modpack_installations` — so it always returns "Could not detect modpack" for servers without egg variables, even though the cron already knows the platform and pack ID.
+
+## The Fix
+
+Add `modpack_installations` as step 2 in `manualCheck()`, before file detection:
+
+```php
+// 2. Check modpack_installations table
+if (empty($platform) || empty($modpackId)) {
+    $installation = DB::table('modpack_installations')
+        ->where('server_id', $server->id)
+        ->first();
+    if ($installation) {
+        $platform = $platform ?: $installation->provider;
+        $modpackId = $modpackId ?: (string) $installation->modpack_id;
+    }
+}
+
+// 3. Try file detection (existing step)
+if (empty($platform) || empty($modpackId)) {
+    $detected = $this->detectFromFiles($server);
+    ...
+}
+```
+
+Also — the widget only shows `latest_version` but not `current_version`. Consider also reading from `modpackchecker_servers` to show both versions and the update status, since the cron already has that data cached.
+
+*— Chronicler #84, The Meridian*
+**Fire + Frost + Foundation** 💙🔥❄️

services/modpack-version-checker/blueprint-extension/app/Http/Controllers/ModpackAPIController.php

@@ -92,14 +92,36 @@ class ModpackAPIController extends Controller
             };
         }
 
-        // 2. If no egg variables, try file detection
+        // 2. Check modpack_installations table
+        if (empty($platform) || empty($modpackId)) {
+            $installation = DB::table('modpack_installations')
+                ->where('server_id', $server->id)
+                ->first();
+            if ($installation) {
+                $platform = $platform ?: ($installation->provider ?? null);
+                $modpackId = $modpackId ?: (string) ($installation->modpack_id ?? '');
+            }
+        }
+
+        // 3. If still nothing, try file detection
         if (empty($platform) || empty($modpackId)) {
             $detected = $this->detectFromFiles($server);
             $platform = $platform ?: ($detected['platform'] ?? null);
             $modpackId = $modpackId ?: ($detected['modpack_id'] ?? null);
         }
 
-        // 3. If still nothing, return helpful error
+        // 4. If still nothing, check cached cron data
+        if (empty($platform) || empty($modpackId)) {
+            $cached = DB::table('modpackchecker_servers')
+                ->where('server_uuid', $server->uuid)
+                ->first();
+            if ($cached && !empty($cached->platform) && !empty($cached->modpack_id)) {
+                $platform = $cached->platform;
+                $modpackId = $cached->modpack_id;
+            }
+        }
+
+        // 5. If still nothing, return helpful error
         if (empty($platform) || empty($modpackId)) {
             return response()->json([
                 'success' => false,
@@ -109,16 +131,24 @@ class ModpackAPIController extends Controller
             ]);
         }
 
-        // 4. Check the appropriate API using the unified Service
+        // 6. Check the appropriate API using the unified Service
         try {
             $versionData = $this->apiService->fetchLatestVersion($platform, $modpackId);
 
+            // Get cached current_version for comparison
+            $cached = DB::table('modpackchecker_servers')
+                ->where('server_uuid', $server->uuid)
+                ->first();
+            $currentVersion = $cached->current_version ?? null;
+
             return response()->json([
                 'success' => true,
                 'platform' => $platform,
                 'modpack_id' => $modpackId,
                 'modpack_name' => $versionData['name'],
+                'current_version' => $currentVersion,
                 'latest_version' => $versionData['version'],
+                'update_available' => $currentVersion && $currentVersion !== $versionData['version'],
                 'status' => 'checked',
             ]);
         } catch (\Exception $e) {