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RELEASE CHECKLIST — rmenu

Status: active Applies to: Windows x64 zip releases and installer preparation Current release target: 0.3.0

1. Release principles

rmenu core v1 is frozen. Release work must not add product behavior to the core unless it is already planned as a generic platform primitive.

The 0.3.0 release scope is the daemon/rmods/resident-helper wave: warm daemon launch, persistent data root, native companions, /rmods, rpack, resident helpers, validated registry rpacks, installer packaging, and updater foundation. Fully automatic/background updates remain out of scope.

A release is ready when:

  • validation commands pass;
  • release artifact contents are deterministic;
  • module examples are packaged safely;
  • checksums are generated;
  • install/update docs are current;
  • changelog/release notes are current;
  • manual smoke checks are repeated or explicitly accepted from the latest validation pass.

2. Preferred maintainer release flow

Primary local release command:

.\scripts\release-local.ps1

The script interactively:

  1. reads and displays the current Cargo.toml version;
  2. asks for the target release version;
  3. updates Cargo.toml if the target version differs;
  4. asks for a multiline commit message terminated by END;
  5. runs validation;
  6. creates the Windows x64 zip and SHA256 checksums;
  7. stages exact changed files, excluding dist/ and target/;
  8. commits with the provided message;
  9. pushes the current branch;
  10. creates the GitHub Release and remote tag with gh release create;
  11. fetches tags back from origin.

Package-only dry run for local artifact validation:

.\scripts\release-local.ps1 -Version 0.2.0 -PackageOnly

Notes:

  • The script does not use git add . or git add -A; it stages exact changed paths after showing them for confirmation.
  • The script creates the GitHub Release directly with gh; the GitHub Actions workflow remains a manual reproducible fallback and is not triggered by release tags.
  • Pass -IncludeInstaller to include rmenu-setup-v<VERSION>.exe and its SHA256 in the release assets.
  • The script requires gh auth login before publishing.
  • dist/ artifacts are uploaded to the GitHub Release, not committed.

3. Pre-release checklist

Repository state

  • Confirm branch and worktree state:
git status --short
  • Confirm version in Cargo.toml.
  • For 0.3.0, leave the version bump to scripts/release-local.ps1 or the final release task; do not bump during planning-only work.
  • Confirm CHANGELOG.md has an entry for the release.
  • Confirm CORE_FREEZE_V1.md still reflects the current core policy.
  • Confirm INSTALL.md and README.md links are current.

Automated validation

Run from the repository root:

cargo fmt
cargo test
cargo check
cargo build --release

Expected:

  • cargo fmt completes.
  • cargo test passes.
  • cargo check passes.
  • cargo build --release produces:
    • target\release\rmenu.exe
    • target\release\rmenu-daemon.exe
    • target\release\rmenu-module-host.exe
    • target\release\rmenu-updater.exe

Release diagnostics

Run from the repository root after release build:

.\target\release\rmenu.exe --metrics
.\target\release\rmenu.exe --modules-debug
.\target\release\rmenu.exe --debug-ranking blender
.\target\release\rmenu.exe --reindex --metrics

Expected:

  • metrics command exits successfully;
  • modules debug command exits successfully;
  • ranking debug command exits successfully;
  • reindex metrics command exits successfully.

Manual smoke checks

These flows have already been validated by the user during core closure and should be repeated before public release when practical:

  • launcher opens;
  • search works;
  • Enter launches the selected item;
  • Esc cancels/closes;
  • stdin mode returns the selected item;
  • running from repository root with modules works:
    • calculator module works;
    • local scripts scoped mode works;
    • shortcuts module works if configured;
  • running from an empty working directory without external modules works;
  • builtin-only --modules-debug reports external_descriptors: 0 and running_hosts: 0.

Example stdin check:

"uno`ndos`ntres" | .\target\release\rmenu.exe

4. Windows x64 artifact specification

Release zip name:

rmenu-v<VERSION>-windows-x64.zip

Recommended artifact layout:

rmenu-v<VERSION>-windows-x64/
├── rmenu.exe
├── rmenu-daemon.exe
├── rmenu-module-host.exe
├── rmenu-updater.exe
├── config_example.ini
├── README.md
├── INSTALL.md
├── CHANGELOG.md
├── CORE_FREEZE_V1.md
├── MODULES_QUICKSTART.md
├── MODULES_AUTHORING_GUIDE.md
├── MODULES_OPERATIONS_GUIDE.md
├── MODULES_API_SPEC_V1.md
├── RMOD_SPEC_V1.md
├── MANIFEST_SPEC_V1.md
├── CTX_ACTIONS_SPEC_V1.md
├── PROVIDER_EXECUTION_POLICY.md
├── ERROR_ISOLATION_POLICY.md
├── MODULES_CAPABILITIES_MATRIX.md
├── module-examples/
│   ├── calculator.rmod
│   ├── local-scripts.rmod
│   └── shortcuts.example.rmod
├── docs/
│   ├── companion-and-rmods-workflow.md
│   ├── rmods-registry.md
│   └── update-workflow.md
└── checksums.txt

Installer artifact name when enabled:

rmenu-setup-v<VERSION>.exe

Installer expectations:

  • installs app binaries under C:\Program Files\rMenu by default;
  • asks for the reusable data folder, defaulting to C:\rMenuData;
  • stores the chosen data folder in HKCU\Software\SynrgStudio\rMenu\DataDir for future upgrades;
  • preserves the chosen data folder during install, upgrade, and uninstall;
  • registers rmenu-daemon.exe at user startup by default, unless the user unchecks the task;
  • launches rmenu-daemon.exe after install by default, unless the user unchecks the task;
  • Start Menu shortcuts use the rMenu app icon;
  • daemon shows a system tray icon with Open and Quit actions;
  • installs rmenu-updater.exe next to rmenu.exe;
  • removes app binaries/startup entry on uninstall without deleting the data root.

Notes:

  • The zip should not contain active external modules in modules/ by default.
  • Module examples should live under module-examples/ in the release artifact.
  • Users can copy selected examples into a modules/ directory next to rmenu.exe when they want to enable them.
  • shortcuts.rmod from a developer machine must not be shipped as an active default module because it may contain local app paths.
  • Use shortcuts.example.rmod with generic targets such as notepad.exe and wt.exe.

5. Installer artifact checks

When building the installer locally:

.\installer\build-installer.ps1 -Version 0.3.0 -SkipBuild -Force

When validating all artifacts locally without publishing:

.\scripts\release-local.ps1 -Version 0.3.0 -PackageOnly -SkipValidation -IncludeInstaller

Updater smoke validation:

# Use file:// fixtures and --dry-run; do not execute a real installer during automated validation.
.\target\debug\rmenu-updater.exe install --version 9.9.9 --release-url https://example.test/release --installer-url file://C:/tmp/rmenu-setup-v9.9.9.exe --checksums-url file://C:/tmp/SHA256SUMS.txt --data-dir C:\Temp\rmenu-updater-smoke --dry-run

Expected dist\SHA256SUMS.txt entries:

rmenu-v<VERSION>-windows-x64.zip
installers/rmenu-setup-v<VERSION>.exe

6. Checksums

Generate SHA256 checksums for the zip, installer, and key binaries.

PowerShell example:

Get-FileHash .\target\release\rmenu.exe -Algorithm SHA256
Get-FileHash .\target\release\rmenu-daemon.exe -Algorithm SHA256
Get-FileHash .\target\release\rmenu-module-host.exe -Algorithm SHA256
Get-FileHash .\dist\rmenu-v<VERSION>-windows-x64.zip -Algorithm SHA256
Get-FileHash .\dist\installers\rmenu-setup-v<VERSION>.exe -Algorithm SHA256

The local release script and GitHub Actions workflow both generate checksums automatically.

7. GitHub Actions validation

The GitHub Actions workflow is a manual fallback only:

GitHub -> Actions -> Release -> Run workflow

It is not triggered by release tags. The local release script is the publishing path and uploads the zip/checksums directly with gh release create.

GitHub validation checks:

  • workflow runs on windows-latest when manually dispatched;
  • artifacts upload successfully;
  • generated zip and checksums match the documented artifact layout.

8. Release publication checklist

Preferred publication path:

.\scripts\release-local.ps1

The script handles commit, branch push, remote tag/release creation, and asset upload after confirmation.

Manual fallback:

  • Ensure changelog entry is final.
  • Commit and push release changes.
  • Run .\scripts\release-local.ps1 to create the release and upload local assets.
  • Optionally run GitHub Actions manually as a reproducibility check.
  • Confirm GitHub Release includes:
    • rmenu-v<VERSION>-windows-x64.zip;
    • rmenu-setup-v<VERSION>.exe when installer is accepted;
    • SHA256SUMS.txt;
    • release notes.
  • Download artifact from GitHub Release.
  • Verify checksum.
  • Smoke test downloaded artifact.

Do not tag or push unless explicitly intended by the maintainer.

8. Post-release checklist

  • Confirm release page links work.
  • Confirm install docs match artifact layout.
  • Confirm no local-user module config or paths were shipped as active defaults.
  • Record release result in CHANGELOG.md or follow-up notes if needed.
  • Start next roadmap item only after release artifact is verified.