ClickOnce thinks there's an update available after Windows Update KB5029649, even when there's none

Hello StackOverflow community,

I'm experiencing an unusual issue with our ClickOnce deployed VB.NET applications. Despite not having published any recent updates, some of our users are prompted to update the application. When they proceed, it behaves as if it's a fresh installation, wiping out all previous user configurations. Additionally, upon reopening the app, the update prompt returns.

The peculiarity seems to have started after the Windows update KB5029649. However, this issue isn't consistent across all machines with this update, making it even more puzzling.

Here's what I've observed and tried so far:

• Cleaning the ClickOnce cache via rundll32 dfshim CleanOnlineAppCache provides a temporary fix, but the problem re-emerges after a few days for some users.
• We've checked manifest files and ensured no accidental changes or commits are causing this.
• Some machines with the exact same Windows update (KB5029649) do not face this issue at all, suggesting other potential variables at play.

I would greatly appreciate any insights or suggestions on what might be causing this or how to further diagnose the problem.

Thank you in advance for your help!

After much investigation, it seems I've found the root cause of the issue. I'm sharing this in case there's anyone else still struggling with this.

It appears the issue was due to a problem with the Windows update KB5028244.

According to their official update, a temporary solution is to uninstall and then reinstall the application. However, they will address the issue via a Known Issue Rollback (KIR).