docs/adr/0064-balanced-auto-release.md

ADR 0064: Restore automatic patch releases on balanced runners

Date: 2026-10-24 Status: Proposed Amends: ADR 0063, release triggers.

ADR 0063 removed the automatic patch-release lane. It is needed again, but GitHub-hosted and Blacksmith minutes are each capped at 3000 a month.

release.yml runs on pushes to main as well as manual dispatch on an existing stable tag. Pushes that only touch Markdown, docs/, website/, .impeccable/ or issue templates, commits containing [skip release] and Release commits start no release.
A push builds the next unused patch version (scripts/release-version.mjs), creates its tag through the API only after all four installer jobs pass, then publishes. An existing tag must point at the same commit.
One release runs at a time and an in-progress publish is never cancelled; a newer push replaces any queued run.
Minutes are balanced: checks, Linux packaging and publishing run on GitHub's ubuntu-latest (1x rate); Windows and both macOS jobs stay on Blacksmith, where GitHub would bill 2x and 10x. npm test runs once, on Linux; other platforms build, startup-check and package.
Platform, architecture, pin, signing, updater-integrity and artifact checks are unchanged.

Every eligible merge to main costs one release build. Use [skip release] for changes that should not ship.