Release checklist

July 12, 2026 · View on GitHub

CI proves the software stack (Tiers 1–3); this checklist covers what only real hardware can prove. A human runs it before promoting a build to a stable (non-DEV) release. Check off with the image name and date.

Hardware matrix

Flash the release candidate and verify on at least one Pi 4 and one Pi 5:

  • First boot completes; filesystem expanded; services active within 2 minutes of boot (systemctl --user status ovos.service)
  • Wake word triggers from ~1 m; full round-trip (question → spoken answer) works
  • Audio out via headphone jack and HDMI and a USB device
  • At least one I²C HAT detected end-to-end (/etc/OpenVoiceOS/i2c_platform populated, mic + speaker work)
  • USB audio hot-plug switches the default output
  • Wi-Fi joins a network (raspi-config); raspOVOS.local resolves
  • Reboot: everything comes back without intervention
  • ovos-update runs clean on the flashed image
  • Flash via Raspberry Pi Imager (not just dd) boots

Release hygiene

  • Tier 3 green on the exact artifact being promoted
  • build-manifest.json attached to the release and sane (constraints URL, git SHA, package count)
  • sha256sums published alongside the images
  • CHANGELOG Unreleased section moved into the release
  • Known issues listed in the release notes

Regressions found

File each as an issue with the release-blocker label, linking the serial log or journal snippet. A blocker means the candidate is not promoted.