# docs/operations/release.md · stienswout/t3code

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Repository: [stienswout/t3code](https://git.cafe/stienswout/t3code)

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````
# Release Checklist

This document covers the unified release workflow for stable and nightly desktop releases.

## What the workflow does

- Workflow: `.github/workflows/release.yml`
- Triggers:
  - push tag matching `v*.*.*` for stable releases
  - scheduled nightly check every three hours
  - manual `workflow_dispatch` for either channel
- Runs quality gates first: lint, typecheck, test.
- Reads the shared production T3 Connect relay URL and Clerk client configuration before packaging clients.
- Builds four artifacts in parallel for both channels:
  - macOS `arm64` DMG
  - macOS `x64` DMG
  - Linux `x64` AppImage
  - Windows `x64` NSIS installer
- Publishes one GitHub Release with all produced files.
  - Stable tags with a suffix after `X.Y.Z` (for example `1.2.3-alpha.1`) are published as GitHub prereleases.
  - Only plain stable `X.Y.Z` releases are marked as the repository's latest release.
  - Nightly runs are always GitHub prereleases and never marked latest.
  - Automatically generated release notes are pinned to the previous tag in the same channel, so stable compares to the previous stable tag and nightly compares to the previous nightly tag.
- Includes Electron auto-update metadata (for example `latest*.yml`, `nightly*.yml`, and `*.blockmap`) in release assets.
- Publishes the CLI package (`apps/server`, npm package `t3`) with OIDC trusted publishing from the same workflow file:
  - stable releases publish npm dist-tag `latest`
  - nightly releases publish npm dist-tag `nightly`
- Deploys the hosted web app to Vercel only after a release is published:
  - stable releases are aliased to the `latest` hosted app channel
  - nightly releases are aliased to the `nightly` hosted app channel
- Signing is optional and auto-detected per platform from secrets.

## T3 Connect relay deployment

The relay is a shared control plane versioned separately from client releases. Stable and nightly
client builds must point at the same relay so users see the same linked environments when switching
release channels.

`.github/workflows/deploy-relay.yml` deploys Alchemy stage `prod` on every push to `main`. The
release workflow reads the relay URL and Clerk client configuration from the existing `production`
GitHub Actions environment before building desktop, CLI, or hosted web artifacts.

Required repository variables shared by relay deployments:

- `CLOUDFLARE_ACCOUNT_ID`
- `PLANETSCALE_ORGANIZATION`
- `AXIOM_ORG_ID`

Required repository secrets shared by relay deployments:

- `CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN`
- `PLANETSCALE_API_TOKEN_ID`
- `PLANETSCALE_API_TOKEN`
- `AXIOM_TOKEN`

Required `production` environment variables:

- `RELAY_API_ZONE_NAME`
- `RELAY_TUNNEL_ZONE_NAME`
- `CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY`
- `CLERK_JWT_AUDIENCE`
- `CLERK_JWT_TEMPLATE`
- `CLERK_CLI_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID`
- `APNS_ENVIRONMENT`
- `APNS_TEAM_ID`
- `APNS_KEY_ID`
- `APNS_BUNDLE_ID`

Optional `production` environment variables:

- `RELAY_DOMAIN` when overriding the derived `relay.<RELAY_API_ZONE_NAME>` domain

Required `production` environment secrets:

- `CLERK_SECRET_KEY`
- `APNS_PRIVATE_KEY`

The account-scoped repository credentials are consumed by Alchemy while provisioning relay stages; they
are not bound into the relay Worker. The production deployment uses an Axiom personal access token,
so `AXIOM_ORG_ID` must accompany `AXIOM_TOKEN`. The `prod` stage owns the retained PlanetScale
database. Local personal stages provision isolated branches from it and are never deployed by CI.
Production adopts the configured relay API and tunnel DNS zones as retained Cloudflare resources.
Personal stages reference the production-owned zones.

Developers deploy personal stages locally rather than through pull-request automation:

```sh
vp run --filter t3code-relay deploy -- --stage "$USER" --env-file .env.local
```

## Hosted web app release deployment

The hosted app is intentionally not deployed by Vercel's Git integration. The
web project disables automatic Git deployments in `apps/web/vercel.ts` via
`git.deploymentEnabled: false`, and `.github/workflows/release.yml` deploys the
web app with Vercel CLI after the GitHub Release succeeds.

Required GitHub Actions secrets:

- `VERCEL_TOKEN`
- `VERCEL_ORG_ID`
- `VERCEL_PROJECT_ID`

Optional GitHub Actions variables:

- `VERCEL_TEAM_SLUG`: overrides the Vercel CLI scope when the team slug is preferred over the `VERCEL_ORG_ID` secret.
- `T3CODE_WEB_ROUTER_URL`: defaults to `https://app.t3.codes`.
- `T3CODE_WEB_LATEST_DOMAIN`: defaults to `latest.app.t3.codes`.
- `T3CODE_WEB_NIGHTLY_DOMAIN`: defaults to `nightly.app.t3.codes`.

Required Vercel domains:

- `app.t3.codes`: the router domain users open, updated by stable releases.
- `latest.app.t3.codes`: channel alias updated by stable releases.
- `nightly.app.t3.codes`: channel alias updated by nightly releases.

The router domain uses `apps/web/vercel.ts` routes. Users opt into a channel by
visiting `/__t3code/channel?channel=latest` or
`/__t3code/channel?channel=nightly`; the router stores the
`t3code_web_channel` cookie and rewrites future requests on `app.t3.codes` to
the matching channel alias.

The release deploy job rewrites release package versions before upload so the
hosted app's About panel renders the release version. Stable deploys alias the
same deployment to both the `latest` channel and the router domain so the router
rules stay current. Nightly deploys only alias the `nightly` channel. The job
also passes `VITE_HOSTED_APP_CHANNEL=latest|nightly`, which renders the hosted
update track selector in the About panel. Changing the selector navigates
through `/__t3code/channel` on the router domain so the user's channel cookie is
updated before redirecting to the hosted app root.

One-time Vercel dashboard setup:

1. Confirm the web project root directory remains `apps/web`.
2. Add the three domains above to the web project.
3. Disable automatic Git deployments in the dashboard if desired; the committed
   `vercel.ts` setting is the source-of-truth, but disconnecting Git in the
   dashboard is also safe.
4. Run one stable release deployment, or manually alias the current stable
   deployment, so `app.t3.codes` points at a deployment containing the router
   rules in `apps/web/vercel.ts`. Future stable releases keep this alias current.

## Nightly builds

- Workflow: `.github/workflows/release.yml`
- Triggers:
  - scheduled check every three hours
  - manual `workflow_dispatch` with `channel=nightly`
- Runs the same desktop quality gates and artifact matrix as the tagged release flow.
- Publishes a GitHub prerelease only:
  - tag format: `nightly-vX.Y.Z-nightly.YYYYMMDD.<run_number>`
  - release name includes the short commit SHA
  - `make_latest` is always `false`
- Uses the next stable patch version as the nightly base. For example, `0.0.17` produces nightlies on `0.0.18-nightly.*`.
- Publishes Electron auto-update metadata to the dedicated `nightly` updater channel, so desktop users can opt into that track independently from stable.
- Publishes the CLI package (`apps/server`, npm package `t3`) to the `nightly` npm dist-tag using the same nightly version.
- Does not commit version bumps back to `main`.

## Desktop auto-update notes

- Runtime updater: `electron-updater` in `apps/desktop/src/main.ts`.
- Update UX:
  - Background checks run on startup delay + interval.
  - No automatic download or install.
  - The desktop UI shows a rocket update button when an update is available; click once to download, click again after download to restart/install.
- Provider: GitHub Releases (`provider: github`) configured at build time.
- Repository slug source:
  - `T3CODE_DESKTOP_UPDATE_REPOSITORY` (format `owner/repo`), if set.
  - otherwise `GITHUB_REPOSITORY` from GitHub Actions.
- Temporary private-repo auth workaround:
  - set `T3CODE_DESKTOP_UPDATE_GITHUB_TOKEN` (or `GH_TOKEN`) in the desktop app runtime environment.
  - the app forwards it as an `Authorization: Bearer <token>` request header for updater HTTP calls.
- Required release assets for updater:
  - platform installers (`.exe`, `.dmg`, `.AppImage`, plus macOS `.zip` for Squirrel.Mac update payloads)
  - channel metadata: `latest*.yml` for stable releases, `nightly*.yml` for nightly releases
  - `*.blockmap` files (used for differential downloads)
- macOS metadata note:
  - `electron-updater` reads `latest-mac.yml` on stable and `nightly-mac.yml` on nightly, for both Intel and Apple Silicon.
  - The workflow merges the per-arch mac manifests into one channel-specific mac manifest before publishing the GitHub Release.

## 0) npm OIDC trusted publishing setup (CLI)

The workflow publishes the CLI with `npm publish` from `apps/server` after bumping
the package version to the release tag version.

Checklist:

1. Confirm npm org/user owns package `t3` (or rename package first if needed).
2. In npm package settings, configure Trusted Publisher:
   - Provider: GitHub Actions
   - Repository: this repo
   - Workflow file: `.github/workflows/release.yml`
   - Environment (if used): match your npm trusted publishing config
3. Ensure npm account and org policies allow trusted publishing for the package.
4. Create release tag `vX.Y.Z` and push; workflow will:
   - set `apps/server/package.json` version to `X.Y.Z`
   - build web + server
   - run `npm publish --access public --tag latest`
5. Nightly runs from the same workflow file publish with `npm publish --access public --tag nightly`.

## 1) Dry-run release without signing

Use this first to validate the release pipeline.

1. Confirm no signing secrets are required for this test.
2. Create a test tag:
   - `git tag v0.0.0-test.1`
   - `git push origin v0.0.0-test.1`
3. Wait for `.github/workflows/release.yml` to finish.
4. Verify the GitHub Release contains all platform artifacts.
5. Download each artifact and sanity-check installation on each OS.

## 2) Apple signing + notarization setup (macOS)

Required secrets used by the workflow:

- `CSC_LINK`
- `CSC_KEY_PASSWORD`
- `APPLE_API_KEY`
- `APPLE_API_KEY_ID`
- `APPLE_API_ISSUER`
- `MACOS_PROVISIONING_PROFILE` (base64-encoded provisioning profile with Associated Domains)

Required repository variables:

- `APPLE_TEAM_ID`

Optional repository variables:

- `CLERK_PASSKEY_RP_DOMAINS`: comma-separated RP-domain override. By default, the build derives the
  domain from the production Clerk publishable key.

Checklist:

1. Apple Developer account access:
   - Team has rights to create Developer ID certificates.
2. Create an explicit App ID for `com.t3tools.t3code` and enable Associated Domains.
3. Create a `Developer ID Application` certificate and a compatible provisioning profile for that
   App ID with Associated Domains enabled.
4. Export the certificate + private key as `.p12` from Keychain.
5. Base64-encode the `.p12` and store as `CSC_LINK`.
6. Base64-encode the provisioning profile and store it as `MACOS_PROVISIONING_PROFILE`.
7. Store the `.p12` export password as `CSC_KEY_PASSWORD`, and set `APPLE_TEAM_ID` to the
   10-character Apple Developer Team ID.
8. In App Store Connect, create an API key (Team key).
9. Add API key values:
   - `APPLE_API_KEY`: contents of the downloaded `.p8`
   - `APPLE_API_KEY_ID`: Key ID
   - `APPLE_API_ISSUER`: Issuer ID
10. Complete the Clerk Native API and AASA setup in [T3 Connect Clerk Setup](../cloud/t3-connect-clerk.md#desktop-passkeys).
11. Re-run a tag release and confirm macOS artifacts are signed/notarized and contain the expected
    `com.apple.developer.associated-domains` entitlement.

Notes:

- `APPLE_API_KEY` is stored as raw key text in secrets.
- The workflow writes it to a temporary `AuthKey_<id>.p8` file at runtime.
- The workflow decodes `MACOS_PROVISIONING_PROFILE`, validates it with `security cms`, and passes it
  to the desktop packager.

## 3) Azure Trusted Signing setup (Windows)

Required secrets used by the workflow:

- `AZURE_TENANT_ID`
- `AZURE_CLIENT_ID`
- `AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET`
- `AZURE_TRUSTED_SIGNING_ENDPOINT`
- `AZURE_TRUSTED_SIGNING_ACCOUNT_NAME`
- `AZURE_TRUSTED_SIGNING_CERTIFICATE_PROFILE_NAME`
- `AZURE_TRUSTED_SIGNING_PUBLISHER_NAME`

Checklist:

1. Create Azure Trusted Signing account and certificate profile.
2. Record ATS values:
   - Endpoint
   - Account name
   - Certificate profile name
   - Publisher name
3. Create/choose an Entra app registration (service principal).
4. Grant service principal permissions required by Trusted Signing.
5. Create a client secret for the service principal.
6. Add Azure secrets listed above in GitHub Actions secrets.
7. Re-run a tag release and confirm Windows installer is signed.

## 4) Ongoing release checklist

1. Ensure `main` is green in CI.
2. Bump app version as needed.
3. Create release tag: `vX.Y.Z`.
4. Push tag.
5. Verify workflow steps:
   - preflight passes
   - all matrix builds pass
   - release job uploads expected files
6. Smoke test downloaded artifacts.

## 5) Troubleshooting

- macOS build unsigned when expected signed:
  - Check all Apple secrets plus `APPLE_TEAM_ID` are populated and non-empty.
  - Confirm the provisioning profile belongs to `APPLE_TEAM_ID.com.t3tools.t3code` and includes
    Associated Domains.
- Windows build unsigned when expected signed:
  - Check all Azure ATS and auth secrets are populated and non-empty.
- Build fails with signing error:
  - Retry with secrets removed to confirm unsigned path still works.
  - Re-check certificate/profile names and tenant/client credentials.

````