desktop-release

DevOps & Security

Perform a regular desktop release from the dev branch. Gather changes since the last desktop tag, update the changelog, choose the desktop release mode in release-plan.json, bump the version, and prepare the release PR.

QUICK START

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Desktop Regular Release

Perform a regular desktop release from the dev branch.

This workflow is now file-driven:

apps/desktop/changelog/next.md is the human-edited changelog draft.
apps/desktop/release-plan.json is the human-edited release intent.
pnpm --dir apps/desktop bump applies both inputs, writes apps/desktop/release.json, resets apps/desktop/release-plan.json, bumps the version, creates release/desktop/{NEW_VERSION}, pushes it, and opens the PR.

Important notes:

mainHash is still regenerated automatically, but it is not the OTA compatibility switch anymore. Do not use it as the release decision point.
runtimeVersion in apps/desktop/package.json is the desktop OTA compatibility key. apps/desktop/scripts/apply-release-config.impl.ts writes it during bump.
This skill covers the normal build and ota desktop release flow.
Do not recommend or write any other mode. The current implementation only supports build and ota.

Pre-flight checks

Confirm the current branch is dev. If not, abort with a warning.
Run git pull --rebase in the repo root to ensure the local branch is up to date.
Read:
- apps/desktop/package.json
- apps/desktop/release-plan.json
- apps/desktop/release.json
- apps/desktop/bump.config.ts
Record the current:
- version
- runtimeVersion
- release-plan.json contents
Note that pnpm --dir apps/desktop bump will push a branch and open a PR. Do not run it without explicit user approval.

Step 1: Gather changes since last desktop release

Find the last desktop release tag:

git tag --sort=-creatordate | grep '^desktop/v' | head -1

Get all commits since that tag on the current branch:
```
git log <last-tag>..HEAD --oneline --no-merges
```
Categorize commits into:
- Shiny new things
- Improvements
- No longer broken
- Thanks

Step 2: Update changelog draft

Read apps/desktop/changelog/next.md.
Draft the changelog content from the categorized commits.
Present the draft to the user.
Wait for user confirmation or edits before writing.
Write the final content to apps/desktop/changelog/next.md using the existing template structure.
Keep NEXT_VERSION as the placeholder. apps/desktop/scripts/apply-changelog.ts replaces it during bump.

Step 3: Choose the desktop release mode

This replaces the old mainHash decision.

Inspect runtime-affecting changes since the last desktop tag:

git diff <last-tag>..HEAD --name-only -- \
  apps/desktop/layer/main/ \
  apps/desktop/layer/preload/ \
  apps/desktop/forge.config.cts \
  apps/desktop/resources/ \
  apps/desktop/scripts/ \
  apps/desktop/package.json

Use this decision table:

build Use this when the release requires a new binary. Typical triggers:
- main process changes
- preload or IPC changes
- updater flow changes
- Electron / Forge / packaging / signing changes
- native resource changes
- dependency or package changes that affect runtime behavior
ota Use this when the release is renderer-compatible with an already-installed binary. Typical triggers:
- renderer UI changes
- web behavior changes
- shared frontend logic changes that do not require a new desktop binary
For ota, you must choose:
- runtimeVersion: the newest installed desktop binary version that this renderer update is compatible with
- channel: usually stable
If you are unsure whether a change is binary-compatible, prefer build.

Present the analysis to the user with:

changed runtime-affecting files
summary of what changed
recommended mode: build or ota
recommended release-plan.json
explicit request for confirmation

Step 4: Update release inputs

Edit apps/desktop/changelog/next.md.
Edit apps/desktop/release-plan.json.
Do not edit apps/desktop/release.json directly. It is generated during bump.
Because nbump requires a clean working tree, commit the release inputs before bump.

Stage the inputs:

git add apps/desktop/changelog/next.md apps/desktop/release-plan.json

Commit them on dev:

git commit -m "docs(desktop): prepare release inputs"

If there are no changes to commit, continue.

Step 5: Run the bump

Do not execute this step until the user explicitly approves pushing code.

Run:

pnpm --dir apps/desktop bump

This command currently does all of the following:

pulls latest changes
applies the changelog
regenerates mainHash
runs apps/desktop/scripts/apply-release-config.ts ${NEW_VERSION}
writes apps/desktop/release.json
updates apps/desktop/package.json runtimeVersion
resets apps/desktop/release-plan.json back to the default build template
commits release(desktop): release v{NEW_VERSION}
creates release/desktop/{NEW_VERSION}
pushes the branch
creates a PR to main

Step 6: Verify the generated release state

After bump completes, verify:

Current branch is release/desktop/{NEW_VERSION}.
apps/desktop/package.json has the expected:
- version
- runtimeVersion
apps/desktop/release.json matches the intended mode and release settings.
apps/desktop/release-plan.json was reset to the default template.
The PR was created successfully.

Also note what will happen after merge:

merging the PR to main triggers .github/workflows/tag.yml
tag.yml creates desktop/v{NEW_VERSION}
tag.yml dispatches .github/workflows/build-desktop.yml
build-desktop.yml publishes the desktop release draft

Expected release artifacts by mode:

build publishes binary artifacts and desktop binary metadata (ota-release.json)
ota publishes binary artifacts, desktop binary metadata, and renderer OTA assets such as:
- apps/desktop/dist/manifest.yml
- apps/desktop/dist/*.tar.gz
- apps/desktop/dist/ota-release.json
- apps/desktop/dist.tar.zst

Step 7: Report back to the user

Summarize:

new version: v{NEW_VERSION}
release mode: build or ota
runtimeVersion
renderer OTA included: yes or no
release branch
PR URL
short changelog highlights

When mentioning mainHash, only describe it as "regenerated automatically", never as the release decision mechanism.

Reference

Bump config: apps/desktop/bump.config.ts
Changelog dir: apps/desktop/changelog/
Changelog template: apps/desktop/changelog/next.template.md
Changelog apply script: apps/desktop/scripts/apply-changelog.ts
Release plan input: apps/desktop/release-plan.json
Generated release config: apps/desktop/release.json
Release config apply script: apps/desktop/scripts/apply-release-config.impl.ts
Desktop release config resolver: .github/scripts/resolve-desktop-release-config.mjs
Desktop OTA metadata builder: .github/scripts/build-ota-release.mjs
Desktop build workflow: .github/workflows/build-desktop.yml
Tag orchestrator: .github/workflows/tag.yml
Desktop hot updater: apps/desktop/layer/main/src/updater/hot-updater.ts