Release validation

September 23, 2026 ยท View on GitHub

CI proves that the runtime builds, the launcher starts, and native packages pass their smoke contract on macOS, Windows, and Linux. It does not prove an authenticated ChatGPT session, a live MCP connector, or a complete Codex turn. A release candidate is not ready until those account-bound flows are exercised manually on the platforms below.

Preview releases and updater visibility

Use GitHub's Set as a pre-release flag for public test builds. They remain downloadable from Releases but are excluded from /releases/latest, the endpoint used by both existing launchers and the installer. A draft is private; a pre-release is the public testing option. No separate launcher update channel or custom release-body flag is required.

After validation, uncheck Set as a pre-release and select Set as latest release, or publish a newer stable release. Launchers discover it on their next startup update check, provided its version is newer and its platform asset and checksums are present. Already running launchers do not poll for publication changes.

The tag workflow marks new suffixed versions such as v6.0.0-rc.1 as pre-releases automatically and preserves an existing release's pre-release flag when rerun. Use a new version for changed binaries; toggling publication flags promotes the existing build. Do not publish a stable tag and only mark it as a pre-release afterwards: an older launcher could offer it during that interval. To keep a final version out of the updater during testing, prepare a draft release with Set as a pre-release checked before pushing its tag. The workflow publishes it with that flag preserved.

GitHub documents this contract in Get the latest release.

Required evidence

Record the release version, operating-system version, install path (clean or upgrade), ChatGPT plan, Codex version, result of each check, and a redacted Activity log for every failure. Never capture cookies, tunnel IDs, API keys, bearer tokens, or prompt contents.

Windows 11 gate

Run this list on a maintained Windows 11 x64 machine with a real ChatGPT account:

  1. Install the packaged launcher on a clean profile and prove that the embedded Bun runtime starts.
  2. Sign in inside the embedded browser and prove that Temporary Chat reaches a usable composer.
  3. Install the Codex model route, restart Codex, and prove that every account-available ChatGPT Web effort appears exactly once without removing native models.
  4. Complete one Browser-only turn and verify streamed commentary plus the final answer.
  5. Configure the Codex Native2 connector, run Verify runtime, and complete one Full-mode local tool turn. Repeat with Pro when the account exposes Pro.
  6. Drive a chat past the compaction threshold and prove that it continues after compaction without a duplicate or orphaned browser turn.
  7. On a clean install, prove that setup offers both interaction modes and defaults to With Automation. Select Zero Risk and prove that Codex shows exactly one generic Web model after restart, a retained chat receives only the next prompt, and compaction completes through MCP before the compacted continuation opens a fresh manual chat. Inspect the copied prompt and prove that it contains only the current request_id, never a surface nonce, capability token, or prompt-level lifecycle commands. Switch back to Automatic and prove that the account-visible catalog is restored.
  8. Cancel a running turn by closing its launcher tab, then cancel another with the launcher action; prove that neither turn recreates a tab or keeps the runtime busy.
  9. Quit the launcher during an active turn, confirm the explicit cancellation path, reopen it, and prove that the saved ChatGPT session and Codex route are still valid.
  10. Prove Codex Voice can create a WebRTC call while Responses use the local bridge. Disconnect the bridge and prove that both exact previous route assignments are restored; reconnect it and prove that the existing private MCP credentials are reused rather than replaced.
  11. Upgrade from the previous public release and prove that launcher state, browser state, Codex settings, and MCP configuration survive the updater transaction.

Any failed or unexecuted item blocks a stable release. An alpha may ship with a named failed item only when the release notes describe the limitation and recovery path explicitly.

v3.0.0 result

Maintainer validation passed on Windows 11 x64 on 2026-08-22 using the published v3.0.0-alpha upgrade package and a real ChatGPT Pro account. The authenticated launcher, Codex model catalog, Full-mode MCP tools, Pro turns, compaction, cancellation, session reuse, and preserved connector configuration were exercised successfully. The direct installer completed successfully but gave no clear completion action; v3.0.0 changes it to an assisted installer with a final launch option.

macOS gate

Repeat items 2 through 10 on the oldest supported macOS version or the closest maintained machine. Packaging smoke and code-signing verification remain separate gates; neither substitutes for the interactive account flow.

Linux gate

CI packaging smoke is required. Before claiming interactive Linux support for a release, repeat items 2 through 7 under a supported desktop session and record the display server and packaging format used.