SecureDrop 2.13.0 is scheduled to be released on Dec. 4, 2025.

Starting with this release, the securedrop-admin tool — used on Admin and Journalist Workstations to install and manage your SecureDrop instance — is now provided as a Debian package installed on Tails using APT, instead of being run directly from a cloned version of the SecureDrop Git repository.

This removes a deployment dependency on GitHub and improves overall security by using the Tails OS package manager, as well as preparing for future availability of the securedrop-admin utility on Qubes OS.

This release includes some key changes to be aware of:

• The securedrop-admin utility is installed in the default path and can be run as securedrop-admin <command> in a terminal window.
• Configuration and backup files will now be stored in ~/.config/securedrop-admin.
• The GUI updater is no longer required.

The migration process to package-based deployments will be performed via the GUI updater as normal. After the migration, future updates will happen in the background, and the updater will no longer be necessary. The migration will not delete existing server backup or configuration files, but we recommend backing up your Admin Workstation before starting the migration update.

More details will be provided in the release announcement once it is available.