Windows Release Checklist

May 9, 2026 ยท View on GitHub

Use this checklist for the first public preview and later Windows prereleases.

Current Preview Target

  • Tag: v0.25.0-preview.1
  • Installer: CodexBar-Windows-0.25-win-x64.installer.exe
  • Installer checksum: CodexBar-Windows-0.25-win-x64.installer.exe.sha256
  • Portable package: CodexBar-Windows-0.25-win-x64.zip
  • Portable checksum: CodexBar-Windows-0.25-win-x64.zip.sha256
  • Release type: GitHub Release marked as a prerelease

Before Tagging

  1. Confirm README.md describes CodexBar for Windows, links to the original macOS project, and says the preview supports Codex, Claude, Cursor, and Gemini.
  2. Confirm provider setup docs exist for Codex, Claude, Cursor, and Gemini under docs/windows-*.md.
  3. Run the Windows test suite:
dotnet test src\windows\CodexBar.Windows.sln --configuration Release --verbosity minimal
  1. Build the portable package:
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\Scripts\package-windows.ps1 -DotNet dotnet
  1. Build the installer when Inno Setup 6 is available:
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\Scripts\package-windows-installer.ps1 -DotNet dotnet -SkipPortablePackage
  1. Review Windows signing. For signed releases, confirm CODEXBAR_SIGNING_CERTIFICATE_BASE64 and CODEXBAR_SIGNING_CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD are configured in GitHub repository secrets.
  2. Smoke launch the portable app from a clean folder and confirm the tray icon, taskbar dock, settings window, and enabled providers open without crashing.

Tag And Publish

  1. Tag the release commit:
git tag v0.25.0-preview.1
git push origin v0.25.0-preview.1
  1. Wait for the Windows GitHub Actions workflow to finish.
  2. Confirm the GitHub Release exists and is marked prerelease.
  3. Confirm the release contains all Windows assets:
    • CodexBar-Windows-0.25-win-x64.installer.exe
    • CodexBar-Windows-0.25-win-x64.installer.exe.sha256
    • CodexBar-Windows-0.25-win-x64.zip
    • CodexBar-Windows-0.25-win-x64.zip.sha256
  4. If signing secrets were configured, download the installer and portable zip, then run Get-AuthenticodeSignature on CodexBar.WinApp.exe and the installer to confirm both signatures are Valid.

Release Notes

Include these points in the first preview release notes:

  • Windows 11 tray app inspired by Peter Steinberger's original CodexBar.
  • Supports Codex and Claude as the primary preview providers.
  • Includes preview support for Cursor manual cookies and Gemini CLI OAuth.
  • Includes a translucent tray popover and optional taskbar dock.
  • Installer is the recommended path; portable zip remains available for no-install testing.
  • Settings includes automatic update checks, Check for Updates..., and Open Release for the latest GitHub Release.
  • Provider credentials stay on the user's Windows profile. Any future telemetry must be opt-in and documented before release.

After Publishing

  1. Download the installer and release zip from GitHub on a Windows 11 machine.
  2. Verify the checksums:
Get-FileHash -Algorithm SHA256 .\CodexBar-Windows-0.25-win-x64.installer.exe
Get-Content .\CodexBar-Windows-0.25-win-x64.installer.exe.sha256
Get-FileHash -Algorithm SHA256 .\CodexBar-Windows-0.25-win-x64.zip
Get-Content .\CodexBar-Windows-0.25-win-x64.zip.sha256
  1. Run the installer and confirm CodexBar starts.
  2. Unzip the portable package and run CodexBar.WinApp.exe.
  3. Open a smoke-test issue if any provider fails with normal local credentials.