gstack/docs/releases.md

# Releases and update channels

gstack stamps a version at every merge to main, about a dozen a day. Since
late October 2026 there is also a tagged release, cut twice a week, and
team-mode installs follow it instead of every merge.

## What a release is

Every Monday and Thursday at 14:00 UTC (07:00 Pacific, 06:00 in winter) the
**Stable release** workflow (`.github/workflows/weekly-release.yml`, which
runs `scripts/release-cut.ts`; the file kept its old name so its run history
and the `gh workflow run` commands below stay valid) takes the newest green
commit on main and:

1. tags it `v<VERSION>` (the VERSION file at that commit, an annotated tag);
2. publishes a GitHub Release whose notes are one line per CHANGELOG version
   since the previous release, with a compare link and a link to the full
   CHANGELOG at that tag;
3. fast-forwards the `stable` branch to it.

A tag and its release never change. `stable` is a moving pointer: always a
commit on main's first-parent history, moved only by this workflow, only
forward, and at most once every 72 hours except for a security or regression
fix (below).

**Green** means, on that exact commit: the `free-tests` check run succeeded
(the status main requires), the commit was gated (below), every check run on
it has completed and none failed, and `refs/notes/gstack-trains` holds no
active freeze. A cancelled check run counts as red. A commit with a check run
still going is skipped and the next older one is considered, back through 7
days or 200 first-parent commits. The workflow runs no tests and no paid evals
of its own; it only reads what the trains and the backstop already recorded.
With nothing green in the window it fails and lists why each commit was
skipped.

**Gated** means one of two pieces of evidence. The first is the
`main-backstop` check run: the Main backstop gate workflow publishes it on
each push to main from a job of its own, success when a green train record
covers the tree or the backstop gated it green, neutral when main moved past
the push before it was gated (superseded) or a freeze's own backstop run owns
it (deferred), failure when it froze the queue or could not finish. The second
is a train record in `refs/notes/gstack-trains` (kind `train`, state
`green`, `merging` or `merged`) whose `merged[]` lists the commit's sha or
its tree: those entries are the main commits `gstack-ship-queue verify
--train` confirmed, so a commit a green train merged is gated even when trains
merged faster than the backstop could settle and its own backstop run ended
neutral or never ran. The `CANDIDATE` line says which: `gated by
main-backstop` or `gated by train <nonce>`. Train evidence relaxes nothing
else: a red backstop run, a failed or missing `free-tests` run, any other red
check run or a run still going keeps the commit out, and a record in any other
state (`red`, `superseded`, `free-green`, …) is not evidence. A commit with
neither a successful backstop run nor a train record is not released: a
dependabot push, a policy without a train block, or a tree that was never
gated.

Another repository runs the same script with its own names:
`--required-check <name>` (default `free-tests`), `--backstop-check <name>`
(default `main-backstop`) and `--notes-ref <ref>` (default
`refs/notes/gstack-trains`). `weekly-release.yml` passes none of them.

A cut that stopped half-way (tag and `stable` pushed, release not created) is
finished by the next run, by cron or by hand: `stable` itself stays a
candidate until its release exists, and its notes compare against the release
tag before it.

## The 72-hour floor

`stable` moves at most once every 72 hours (Garry, 2026-10-27). Every cut,
scheduled or by hand, with or without `ref`, checks when `stable` last moved:
the creation time of the annotated `v<VERSION>` tag (VERSION read at `stable`)
pointing at `stable`, or the publish time of that tag's GitHub Release when it
is later (a cut whose `stable` push was retried after the tag was pushed is
dated by its release). Any other tag on that commit is ignored, so a hand-made
extra tag can neither date the move nor stall later cuts.
A cut inside the floor changes nothing and prints, as its first two lines:

```
REFUSED_FLOOR: stable moved to v1.91.300.0 at 2026-11-02T14:04:51Z, 47.2 h ago; a hand-run cut needs 72 h; a security fix passes with --security "<GHSA-…|CVE-…|#n>: why" --ref <fix sha>, a regression fix with --regression "#n: worked in v<X>: why" --ref <fix sha>
NEXT_ALLOWED: 2026-11-05T14:04:51Z for a hand-run cut; 2026-11-05T11:04:51Z for a scheduled run
```

followed by the plan it would have run. Monday to Thursday is exactly 72
hours, so scheduled runs, and only scheduled runs (`GITHUB_EVENT_NAME=schedule`,
which no dispatch input can set), get a 3-hour grace for GitHub's late cron
starts: a Thursday run 69 hours after a late Monday cut still cuts. Two
regular moves are therefore never less than 69 hours apart, and a hand-run cut
always needs the full 72. Thursday to Monday is 96 hours.

A refused hand cut exits 1 with an error annotation. A refused scheduled run
exits 0 with a notice annotation and the same lines in the step summary: that
is the policy working (a security or regression cut on Wednesday restarts the
floor and holds Thursday, and Monday's cut carries everything), not a fault. A dry run prints the plan and
the floor verdict (`FLOOR:` line) and exits 0.

Two cases are not held. The first cut, before `stable` exists, has nothing to
measure. Finishing a half-done cut (`stable` already at the candidate, release
missing) is not a new move, and a run without `ref` finishes that cut before
it considers anything newer.

The floor fails closed when it cannot date the move. Three cases are
`FLOOR_UNKNOWN`, red on every trigger, and only a verified security cut gets
past them (a regression cut passes a dated floor only). They are a `stable` that no annotated `v<VERSION>` tag dates
(only this tool moves `stable` and it tags first, so that state means someone
moved it by hand), a release that cannot be read (a GitHub API error is not
"no release"), and a `ref` cut while `stable`'s own release is still
unpublished (its tag may be days older than the push). A tag dated in the
future holds the floor from now, not from that date. The floor binds the
release tool, not a writer pushing `stable` directly; that would take a branch
ruleset limiting `stable` to the Actions bot.

Breakage that is not a regression of an earlier stable release (a new
feature that misbehaves, say) waits for the floor; an affected install can
follow main meanwhile (`gstack-config set update_channel main`) and the next
scheduled cut brings it back.

## Security releases

A security fix is one of the two exceptions to the floor (the other is a
regression fix, below); a cut carries one exception, never both. Run the workflow by hand
with `ref` set to the fix commit on main and `security` set to a reason that
names what it fixes:

```bash
gh workflow run weekly-release.yml -f ref=<full sha of the fix> -f security="GHSA-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx: tar path traversal" -f dry_run=false
```

The reason must name a `GHSA-…`, a `CVE-…` or an issue or pull request
`#<n>`, and the tool checks that it is tied to the commits being released
(`stable`..`ref`). One of these must hold:

1. a commit message in that span names the same GHSA or CVE;
2. issue or pull request `#<n>` carries the `security` label and a commit in
   the span references `#<n>` (the squash subject `(#<n>)` does);
3. the GitHub Advisory Database entry for the GHSA or CVE (the data OSV
   imports) lists an npm package whose own entry changes in the span's
   `package.json` or `bun.lock` (a dependency line or a lockfile package key,
   never a name listed inside another package's entry): a dependency bump that
   fixes a known advisory. The direction of the bump and the patched range are
   not checked.

**Verified:** the identifier exists in the reason, the label exists on the
issue, and the link between the identifier and a released commit or bumped
package. **Attested, not verified:** that the change actually fixes the
vulnerability, how severe it is, and that it cannot wait; the `security`
label itself is applied by a person with triage access. A reason the tool
cannot tie to the span is `REFUSED_SECURITY` with what it checked, red on
every trigger, as is `security` without `ref`: a security cut releases up to
the fix, never whatever happens to be newest. Every version between `stable`
and the fix still ships with it (there are no cherry-picks); the plan's
`RIDING_ALONG:` line counts them.

The reason is public. It goes, as one line of at most 300 characters (control
characters become spaces and backticks become apostrophes), into the tag
message and the release notes: ``**Security release:** `<reason>` (verified: <evidence>)``. For an
embargoed fix, use path 2 with a neutral commit subject and a labelled issue
whose title says no more than the fix does, and keep advisory details out of
the reason until disclosure.
A security cut that stopped half-way after moving `stable` is finished by
the next run with the reason and evidence its tag recorded, without checking
them again. A tag that records a security cut but never moved `stable` gets
no such pass: the cut is refused (`REFUSED_SECURITY`) until it runs again
with `security`, `ref` and the reason its tag recorded, and verifies. The floor then counts from the security
release, and the next regular cut's notes list only the versions after it.

## Regression releases

A regression fix is the other exception (Garry, 2026-10-28: "Regression"). A
regression is a fix for behavior that worked in an earlier stable release and
is broken on the current one. A maintainer declares it by putting the
`regression` label on the issue or pull request (labelling needs triage
access; create the label once if the repository lacks it), and the person
running the cut names it in the `regression` input, with `ref` set to the
fix commit on main:

```bash
gh workflow run weekly-release.yml -f ref=<full sha of the fix> -f regression="#3601: worked in v1.91.300.0: the update check stopped running" -f dry_run=false
```

The reason must name exactly one release `v<X>` and at least one `#<n>`.
All of these must hold, or the cut is `REFUSED_REGRESSION` with what it
checked:

1. `v<X>` is an annotated release tag strictly behind the current `stable`
   whose GitHub Release is published (not a draft): an earlier stable release
   team installs actually ran, which a tag left behind by a half-done cut is
   not. The current stable
   itself does not count, since a fix for something it still does right needs
   no exception.
2. `#<n>` carries the `regression` label (a `security` label does not count,
   nor the reverse) and a commit in `stable`..`ref` references it (the squash
   subject `(#<n>)` does).

**Verified:** the release tag, its place behind `stable` and its published
release, the label, and
that the labelled issue or PR is in the released span. **Attested, not
verified:** that the behavior really worked in `v<X>` and that this change
restores it; the label and the public reason carry that claim.

Everything else matches a security cut. `ref` is required, `regression` and
`security` together are refused, every version between `stable` and the fix
rides along (`RIDING_ALONG:`), and the sanitized reason and evidence go into
the tag message (`Regression:` / `Verified:`) and the notes
(``**Regression release:** `<reason>` (verified: <evidence>)``). A half-done
regression cut finishes from its tag's record, and a regression tag that never
moved `stable` is refused until it runs again with `regression` and the reason
its tag recorded, and verifies.
Unlike a security cut, a regression cut does not pass `FLOOR_UNKNOWN`. The
floor counts from the regression release, so the next scheduled cut may be
held.

## Channels

| Channel | Follows | Who |
|---|---|---|
| `stable` | `refs/heads/stable`: the twice-weekly release (at most once per 72 hours), plus any security or regression cut off-cycle | team mode (`./setup --team`) by default |
| `main` | every merge to main | plain `./setup`, contributors, Capy crew machines |

The config key is `update_channel` (`bin/gstack-config`):

```bash
gstack-config get update_channel          # auto (default) | stable | main
gstack-config set update_channel main     # a team install that wants every merge
gstack-config set update_channel stable   # a solo install that wants stable releases
gstack-config unset update_channel        # back to auto
```

`auto` resolves to `stable` when `team_mode` is true and to `main` otherwise,
so existing team installs moved to stable releases with nothing to migrate and
contributor installs did not move at all. `GSTACK_UPDATE_CHANNEL=stable|main`
overrides the key for one command. The resolution lives in one helper,
`bin/gstack-update-channel.sh`, used by:

- `bin/gstack-session-update`, the team-mode session-start hook: it fetches
  the channel ref and fast-forwards to it. Its log
  (`<state root>/analytics/session-update.log`) carries `CHANNEL stable target=<sha>`
  when it follows a release.
- `bin/gstack-update-check`, the "update available" line in every skill
  preamble: it reads `<channel>/VERSION` and compares with `refs/heads/<channel>`,
  so a stable install is not told every hour that main moved.
- `bin/gstack-upgrade` and `/gstack-upgrade`: they fast-forward to the channel
  ref (`UPSTREAM_REF=origin/stable` in the skill's output) and say which channel
  they followed.

Two edge cases are handled on purpose:

- **Before the first release exists** origin has no `stable`. Every caller then
  follows main and says so (`CHANNEL_FALLBACK stable->main` in the hook log,
  `channel stable has no release on origin yet` from `gstack-upgrade`).
- **An install already past the release** (it followed main until now, or a
  hotfix was cut below it) stays where it is until stable passes it. The
  updater never moves a checkout backwards. A depth-1 clone cannot see that an
  older release is its ancestor, so the VERSIONs decide: main stamps a higher
  version at every merge and stable is always a main commit.

The local branch stays `main` either way. A stable install is a `main`
checkout parked at the last released commit, which is why fast-forward-only
still holds and nothing about version stamping changed.

## Cutting a release by hand (hotfixes)

A hotfix is an ordinary PR: it merges to main through a train and gets its
version like any other change. To put it on stable before the next scheduled
cut, run the workflow by hand with the merge commit's SHA, once the 72-hour
floor allows it (a security or regression fix uses its input instead):

```bash
gh workflow run weekly-release.yml -f ref=<full sha on main> -f dry_run=false
```

or open Actions, pick **Stable release** and press Run workflow, on main (the cut job runs
only from `refs/heads/main`, with main's tooling; `ref` must be the full
40-hex SHA). The same green checks apply. The commit is tagged with its VERSION, the release notes say "hotfix release"
and list every version since the previous release (everything merged in
between ships with it), and stable fast-forwards. Team installs pick it up at
their next hourly check.

There is no release branch and no cherry-picking: stable only ever names main
commits. If main carries a change that must not ship yet, revert it on main
first, then promote.

## Dry runs

Run the workflow with `dry_run=true` (the default for a manual run) to see the
plan without changing anything: the candidate, its VERSION and tag, the stable
move, how many version lines the notes would carry, every skipped commit with
its reason, the floor verdict, and the exact commands a real cut would run. The scheduled
runs are never dry runs.

```bash
gh workflow run weekly-release.yml -f dry_run=true
gh run watch
```

The step summary carries the same plan plus the full release notes.

A pull request that touches `.github/workflows/weekly-release.yml` or
`scripts/release-cut.ts` runs the same dry run against main as its own job
(`Dry run against main`, read-only token), so a change to the release tooling
is exercised against real check runs before it merges.

## Outcomes

| Line | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `CANDIDATE: <sha> (<date>) gated by main-backstop|train <nonce>` | the commit that will be (or was) released, and which evidence gated it (`[hotfix: --ref]` before `gated by` on a `--ref` cut) |
| `NOTHING_NEW: origin/main <sha> is already released as v<X>` | nothing merged since the last release; exit 0 |
| `NO_GREEN_COMMIT: ...` with `SKIPPED:` lines | nothing in the window passed the gate; exit 1 (a dry run exits 0: the skips are its answer) |
| `REFUSED: non-fast-forward: ...` | the candidate is behind stable; stable only moves forward |
| `REFUSED: queue frozen since train ...` | the main backstop froze the queue; clear it first (docs/ship-policy.md) |
| `REFUSED: tag v<X> already names <other sha>` | a version was stamped twice; needs a look before anything is cut |
| `REFUSED_FLOOR: stable moved to v<X> at <time>, <h> h ago; ...` | inside the 72-hour floor; nothing changed. Exit 1 by hand, 0 on the schedule or a dry run |
| `NEXT_ALLOWED: <time> for a hand-run cut; <time> for a scheduled run` | follows every `REFUSED_FLOOR` (and `FLOOR_UNKNOWN`, where it says why there is no time) |
| `FLOOR_UNKNOWN: ...` | stable's last move cannot be dated (no annotated `v<VERSION>` tag, an unreadable release, or an unpublished release under a `ref` cut); exit 1 on every trigger |
| `REFUSED_SECURITY: ...` | `security` without `ref`, a reason the tool cannot tie to the released commits, a security tag that never moved stable run without `security`, or a rerun whose reason differs from the one its unmoved tag recorded; exit 1 on every trigger (the workflow stops `security` without `ref` before the script runs) |
| `REFUSED_REGRESSION: ...` | `regression` without `ref` or beside `security`, a reason without one earlier stable `v<X>` and a regression-labelled `#<n>` in the span, a regression tag that never moved stable run without `regression`, or a rerun whose reason differs from the one its unmoved tag recorded; exit 1 on every trigger (the workflow stops `regression` without `ref` before the script runs) |
| `FLOOR: clear|refused|unknown|none|not applied|bypassed by the security|regression exception (...)` | the floor verdict, in every plan |
| ``SECURITY: `<reason>` (verified: <evidence>)`` or ``REGRESSION: `<reason>` (verified: <evidence>)``, `RIDING_ALONG: <n> other versions ship with the fix` | an exception cut's plan |
| `TAG:`, `STABLE:`, `RELEASE:` | what the cut did; a re-run reports each step as already done and finishes a step an earlier run did not reach |