Fast validation
Nightly builds are for current integration work. They are useful for smoke tests, UI checks, and early verification before a change is promoted.
Release operations
Nightly, beta, and release-candidate channels.
Digital Gun Vault uses a staged channel model so Windows and macOS desktop builds can move from fast integration checks to tester validation before they become public release candidates.
Main
Nightly
Beta
Release
Tester candidates
Beta builds are promoted from daily/Nightly after basic checks pass. Use beta artifacts when a build is ready for focused tester feedback. Each beta handoff records the source daily commit, beta build number, artifact names, checksums, release notes, and test vault guidance in Linear.
Release-candidate branch
Release-candidate builds are promoted from beta after acceptance. Production artifacts are finalized after release promotes to main, with checksums and release notes for the current Windows and macOS validation builds.
Promotion workflow
Repository workflows promote channels with fast-forward merges only. Promotion also starts the matching channel build so artifacts appear in GitHub Actions after the branch advances.
Release checklist
Promotion path
- Merge feature work into daily.
- Confirm Windows and macOS daily/Nightly artifacts build, verify checksums, and launch.
- Promote daily to beta.
- Record the source daily commit, beta build numbers, artifact names, checksums, and test vault guidance in Linear.
- Run tester acceptance against beta artifacts.
- Promote beta to release for release-candidate validation.
- Promote release to main as the production source of truth.
- Tag the public release commit from main and attach distribution artifacts when signing and launch approvals are ready.
Build coverage
Desktop artifacts
The Windows repository builds, tests, and packages on the Win11-ARM self-hosted runner. The macOS repository builds and zips the app bundle on a macOS runner. Channel artifacts are available from each repository's GitHub Actions run and include portable checksum files. When update publishing is enabled, the same build also uploads Azure packages and platform fragments used by the in-app updater. Beta and release candidate artifacts also include release notes and handoff guidance.
Source document
Shared release policy
The canonical release-channel policy lives in the shared repository so app and website documentation stay aligned as workflows evolve. Public release candidates also use a shared release metadata record so download links, update manifest fragments, checksums, and release notes point at the exact artifacts.
Open shared policy