VCPChat Project Entry Points

This document is the source of truth for how the repository is started, repaired, tested, and packaged. Older scripts remain available for compatibility, but they are not all release entry points.

Recommended Paths

Audience	Entry point	Purpose	Release status
End user, source checkout	launchers/VCPChat-Launcher.vbs (Windows), launchers/VCPChat-Launcher.command (macOS), launchers/VCPChat-Launcher.sh (Linux)	Open the graphical setup/recovery flow for the current checkout	Supported source launcher
End user, portable bootstrap	npm run installer:portable → root VCPChat-Setup.exe	Double-click from the project root; it checks/prepares the VCPChat source and starts the app	Supported Windows delivery; no system installation
Developer	npm run vcpchat	Diagnose, optionally repair with explicit consent, then launch	Supported CLI
Developer, direct debugging	npm start	Run Electron directly and keep the existing debugging behavior	Compatibility/debug only
CI/package validation	npm run check:release-surface	Validate required entrypoints, manifests, locks, and artifact naming	Required gate

Artifact Ownership

• apps/bootstrap-installer/ owns the standalone Tauri Setup application. Windows delivery is the root-level portable VCPChat-Setup.exe; no NSIS/MSI installer is part of the release surface.
• main.js, renderer.js, and the root Electron package own the desktop app.
• scripts/vcpchat.mjs owns the consent-aware managed CLI state machine.
• scripts/vcpchat-dev-launcher.mjs owns the lower-level managed Electron handoff.
• bootstrap/ owns the legacy Recovery UI. It is retained for development and recovery compatibility, not presented as the production installer.
• start.bat, 启动Vchat.vbs, 启动全部.vbs, start-desktop.vbs, and start-rag-observer.vbs remain compatibility/debug entries. They must not be used as release evidence.

Build Outputs

Output	Command	Location	Verification
Tauri portable bootstrap	npm run installer:portable	VCPChat-Setup.exe at repository root	npm run check:release-surface
Electron unpacked package	npm run pack	dist/	npm run test:packed-install
Offline Web Awesome closure	npm run pack:check	vendor/webawesome-runtime/	npm run pack:check

Build directories, node_modules, user data, logs, runtime databases, and local state are not release inputs and must not be committed as product evidence.

Windows Test Order

1. Run launchers/VCPChat-Launcher.vbs from a clean source checkout.
2. Click the setup flow's prepare action and wait for Doctor, dependency repair, native rebuild, and final Doctor.
3. Verify the setup window exits only after operation-scoped renderer-ready.
4. Verify the root-level VCPChat-Setup.exe launches without an installation step.
5. Record remaining warnings separately from blocking failures.

Compatibility Policy

The legacy direct launchers are intentionally not deleted in this milestone. They are kept so existing developer workflows and desktop shortcuts do not break. New documentation and release evidence must point to the managed launcher or the standalone Setup artifact instead.